As part of the process for preparing its Regional Prevention Plan, the Central Ohio Regional Prevention Council performed a needs assessment to identify factors affecting child abuse and neglect in the region.
The Needs Assessment compiled data about child and family protective and risk factors in the region in order to identify the scope of the problem in Central Ohio and see where gaps in services exist. Once the Needs Assessment was complete, the Regional Prevention Council could develop a Prevention Plan to prioritize funding requests for programs to meet the identified needs.
Abuse & Neglect Reports in Central Ohio
A snapshot from the Central Ohio Regional Needs Assessment provides these numbers related to child abuse and neglect reports in the region as of 2016, the last year for which the work group could obtain report data.
- Total Number of Children — 530,261
- Total Reports of Abuse or Neglect — 41,511
- Reports Screened In for Traditional or Alternative Response — 18,495
- Rate of Abuse and Neglect per 1,000 Children — 78.3
It’s likely that many instances of child abuse and neglect go unreported. The federally-funded Fourth National Incidence Study (NIS) of Child Abuse and Neglect found that 2.5 times as many children are maltreated each year as are actually reported to Child Protective Service agencies, estimating one child in every 25 in the U.S. is maltreated.
Furthermore, the Central Ohio Regional Needs Assessment notes that Ohio experienced profound economic distress in the time since the Fourth NIS, and that economic factors are strongly associated with child maltreatment. Additionally, the growing opioid problem in the state presents new challenges for child abuse and neglect prevention.
Data in the Needs Assessment
For a full picture of factors affecting child abuse and neglect in Central Ohio, the Needs Assessment provides data and analysis related to:
- Poverty and substance abuse in the region
- Community factors and supports
- Variations in how counties approach child abuse and neglect prevention
Access the full Needs Assessment for a comprehensive view of the scope of the child abuse and neglect issue in Central Ohio.
