Keeping the Public in the Dark: How Federal and State Laws and Policies Prevent Meaningful Disclosure About Child Maltreatment Fatalities and Near Fatalities | 국외연구자료

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Keeping the Public in the Dark: How Federal and State Laws and Policies Prevent Meaningful Disclosure About Child Maltreatment Fatalities and Near Fatalities

AEI

2024.10.21

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At least 1,800 children die from abuse and neglect every year, and the total is probably considerably greater. Between a third and a half of these deaths may involve families that were already known to Child Protective Services through previous reports of maltreatment.
Legislators, advocates, and the public need timely information about the circumstances leading to these events so they can identify policy and practice changes necessary to protect children.
Federal law requires every state to have a policy that provides for publicly disclosing findings or information about child fatalities or near fatalities resulting from child abuse or neglect. However, the federal requirement is worded vaguely and has never been interpreted in regulations.
Congress should change federal law to clarify current language and establish parameters for states in interpreting the law. Absent change at the federal level, states should amend their own policies to clarify terms and eliminate exceptions that violate the goal of transparency, require prompt notifications of maltreatment fatalities and near fatalities reported to agencies, and make comprehensive information available on request for all such cases.

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