Self-reports of child maltreatment in the U.S.: a key social indicator

A key social indicator of the well being of a society is the health and welfare of their children. Child maltreatment is a major problem in the U.S. and the world and the reporting of maltreatment has been the subject of much research and debate. However, little is known about self-reports of child maltreatment. Children face many obstacles that may prevent them from reporting their own maltreatment to authorities. Despite these obstacles, a small percentage of all child maltreatment reports made to child protective services (CPS) in the US are made by the victim. The purpose of this paper is to describe an analysis of reports made to CPS by the child-victim of maltreatment over a three-year period. Results indicated significant differences related to child race, gender and substantiation rate among self-reports and reports made by others. The data utilized in this publication were made available by the National Data Archive on Child Abuse and Neglect, Cornell University, Ithaca NY; and have been used by permission. Data from the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System were supplied by state child protective service agencies to the Children's Bureau or the Administration of Children, Youth and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Funding for NCANDS was provided by the Children's Bureau, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System was implemented by Walter R. McDonald & Associates, Inc. Neither the participating state agencies; Walter R. McDonald & Associates, Inc.; the Children's Bureau, Administration on Children, Youth and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Archive, Cornell University, or its agents or employees bear any responsibility for the analyses, opinions, or interpretations presented here.