Child Abuse and Neglect

Child abuse and neglect includes physical, sexual, and psychological abuse and neglect and is associated with a number of negative outcomes for children. In 2006, there were 12 substantiated child abuse / neglect reports per 1,000 children nationally, ages 0-17. Common comorbidities from abuse and neglect include health and physical effects, impaired intellectual and cognitive development, and emotional, psychological and behavioral consequences. Child abuse / neglect results in high monetary costs to the community, as well as to the victim and the family. These costs are both direct (those associated with the immediate needs of abused and neglected children) and indirect (those associated with longer term and secondary effects).

In fiscal year 2006-2007 the S.C. Department of Social Services (DSS) investigated 17,973 reports of child abuse and neglect statewide. Of those reports, 635 were in Spartanburg County. DSS determined that 392 reports in Spartanburg County were substantiated for:

• Physical abuse........................................................................................................................10.1%

• Sexual abuse........................................................................................................................... 4.4%

• Mental injury........................................................................................................................... 0.5%

• Physical neglect......................................................................................................................62.1%

• Educational neglect.................................................................................................................. 3.4%

• Medical neglect....................................................................................................................... 1.7%

• Threat of harm........................................................................................................................17.0%

• Other abuse............................................................................................................................. 0.7%

In the substantiated Spartanburg cases, 663 children were victims (11,604 statewide), constituting 1.0% of children in the county. This closely approximates the 1.1% rate of child abuse and neglect for S.C. Many additional cases of child abuse are not handled by DSS, however. Cases where child abuse is perpetrated by a non-family member are handled by law enforcement agencies. Obtaining data that accurately reflect these additional cases presents a challenge given the various jurisdictional authorities and non-uniform reporting. Further complicating matters are DSS cases which are also investigated by law enforcement authorities when criminal charges are filed: unduplicated counts become a challenge in these cases.

Frequently, substantiated cases of abuse and neglect result in placement of children in the foster care system. As of June 2007, 258 children in Spartanburg County lived in foster care. There were 105 licensed foster homes in Spartanburg County as of March 2008. The median age at first placement was 6 years. Of these children, most were age 14 and older, most were white, most were female, and most were under a plan to return to a parent or guardian. (DSS refers parents to Evidence Based Parenting Education programs provided by REACH Upstate as a condition of obtaining custody of their children after they have been removed from the home.) In 2007 there were 29 DSS adoptions finalized in Spartanburg County.