Bellewood Home for Children stands for the proposition that communities working together on behalf of child victims of abuse can make all the difference in terms of response and intervention – and in the lives of the child victims themselves. Statistics and research can show a tremendous amount about where we are and where we need to go.
Recent Statistics and Research
- Since 2007, the Kentucky Department for Community-Based Services has investigated 161,593 allegations of child abuse and neglect. Of those, 390 were fatalities or “near fatalities” as a result of abuse and neglect.
- In 2011, there were 48,910 accepted reports of suspected child abuse, neglect or abandonment in Kentucky that affected 63,438 children. These children range in age from newborns to teens and come from every ethnic group in the country. Click here for a county by county listing.
- As of May 2012, nearly 7,000 children are in the Kentucky state foster care system.
- As of May 2012, the average age of entry into the state custody is 7.5 years old.
- 3,000,000 reports of child abuse or neglect are made every year in the United States.
- Children who experience child abuse and neglect are 59% more likely to be arrested as a juvenile, 28% more likely to be arrested as an adult, and 30% more likely to commit a violent crime.
- On average, only 7-13% of foster youth enroll in higher education.
- About 80% of 21 year olds that were abused as children met criteria for at least one psychological disorder.
- About 30% of abused and neglected children will later abuse their own children, continuing the horrible cycle of abuse.
We are needed now more than ever.
If you suspect a child is being abused, call 1-877-KY SAFE1 (1-877-597-2331) to make a confidential report.
To learn more about child abuse please contact your local DCBS office or 1-800-CHILDREN for more information.