Child Maltreatment Fatalities In The United States

This book focuses on the prevention of child abuse and neglect deaths in the U.S. In 2013 1,520 children died from maltreatment. This book defines child maltreatment fatalities (CMFs) and discusses the prevalence of deaths in the U.S. over the last several decades. It addresses the known risk factors for maltreatment deaths including child, parent, the parent-child relationship, and household risk factors. The main focus of the book addresses the responses and interventions that have been put in place in order to prevent CMFs: the child welfare profession, child death review teams, safe haven laws, criminal justice responses, public education, and new, federal efforts in the U.S. to reduce CMFs in the U.S. The book finishes by making recommendations for researchers, practitioners, and decision-makers about how to prevent fatal maltreatment among children in the U.S.

This final report from the Commission to Eliminate Child Abuse and Neglect Fatalities presents the Commission's findings and its recommendations to the White House and Congress for ending child maltreatment fatalities in the United States within the context of a new child welfare system for the 21st century.

Defines the nature & extent of child abuse & neglect fatalities in the U.S. Recommendations are offered for problems in the law enforcement, child protection & health agencies, & the court system. Chapters: defining the scope & nature of fatal abuse & neglect; addressing shared responsibility: case investigation & prosecution; the need for a nationwide system of child death review teams; toward a better future: services & interventions for children & families & fatality prevention. Review of child fatalities research & literature.

"Within Our Reach: A National Strategy to Eliminate Child Abuse and Neglect Fatalities" is the final report of the Commission to Eliminate Child Abuse and Neglect Fatalities, as mandated by the Protect Our Kids Act of 2012. This report discusses the Commission’s findings and presents both a comprehensive national strategy for fundamental reform and recommendations specific to populations in need of special attention, including children currently known to child protective services agencies and at high risk for fatality, American Indian/Alaska Native children, and African American children. The report includes recommendations for actions by the executive branch, Congress, and states and counties that the Commission believes will be most effective in ending these tragic deaths, today and into the future. Legislators and policymakers at the State and Federal-level, plus advocates, researchers, and academics may be interested in these findings. Additionally, college students pursuing coursework in Social Work, Sociology, Native American and African American Studies, and children's health and psychotherapy programs may find these findings and recommendations helpful.

The Commission to Eliminate Child Abuse and Neglect Fatalities was established by the Protect Our Kids Act of 2012 to develop a national strategy and recommendations for reducing child fatalities resulting from abuse and neglect in the United States. This final report presents the Commission's findings and recommendations to the White House and Congress for ending child maltreatment fatalities within the context of a public health approach and a new child welfare system for the 21st century.