Why Is This Important?
Healthy children in stable families provide the foundation for a sustainable community. Unable to protect themselves, children depend upon adults to provide a safe and nurturing environment. When a child is abused, particularly by an adult with whom that child has a significant relationship, that child’s development is profoundly impacted. Trauma from child abuse can result in lifelong social impairment and affect academic and occupational performance. Many perpetrators of child abuse experienced abuse during their childhood.
What Is a Sustainable State?
A sustainable state is one where all children are nurtured in stable, loving, and healthy families through their development to adulthood.
How Are We Doing?
In 2006, 4,568 children in San Mateo County were referred to Child Protective Services as victims of child abuse—roughly 3 percent of the total child population in the county. The rate of child abuse referrals per 1,000 children in the county increased from 24.9 in 2005 to 27.8 in 2006. Although this is the highest rate the county has seen since SSMC began tracking these data, it is still far below the state rate of 48.3 referrals per 1,000 children.
Data source: U.C. Berkeley School of Social Welfare, Center for Social
Services Research
In 2006, rates of child abuse referrals varied across ethnicity, age, and gender.
- The referral rate for African American children in the county was greatest, 100.7 per 1,000 children. Referral rates for Native American and Latino children also were above the overall county rate, 44.1 and 34.0 respectively.
- Referral rates among age groups ranged from 21.3 per 1,000 one- and two-year old children to over 31.0 per 1,000 for children under the age of one and children between the ages of 11 and 15.
- The referral rate for female children was higher than for male children, 30.0 per 1,000 children compared with 25.5.
Child abuse referrals are categorized into subgroups: sexual abuse; physical abuse; severe neglect; general neglect; exploitation; emotional abuse; caretaker absence/incapacity; at-risk, sibling abused; and substantial risk. In 2006, general neglect and substantial risk of abuse accounted for over half of all referrals.
Data source: U.C. Berkeley School of Social Welfare, Center for Social
Services Research
In 2006, 242 children in the county first entered the foster care system, or 1.5 per 1,000 children. This is higher than the 1.2 per 1,000 children in 2005 but less than half the rate at the state level, 3.2 per 1,000 children.
See appendix page 72, CLICK HERE. Researchers: Michelle Lin and Tracy Ng