Child Welfare League of America (CWLA)
CWLA’s 2010 National Fact Sheet provides snapshots of the nation’s “most vulnerable” children, reflecting hardships faced by a significant portion of the nearly 74 million Americans under the age of 18.
The report gathered data from the U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, among other sources. It also pulled statistics from the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s “Kids Count” Report, which annually ranks states in 10 categories regarding the well-being of America’s children – including rates for poverty, high school dropouts and infant mortality.
The CWLA fact sheet estimates that in 2007 – the latest year for which statistics were available – there were at least 3 million allegations of child abuse and neglect, and 1,586 of these cases resulted in child deaths. The statistics also indicated that 492,618 children were living in out-of-home care, while more than 3 million children lived in poverty. The highest poverty rate is among children under the age of 5, at 22.2 percent, compared with America’s overall poverty rate of 13.2 percent.
Some figures came with positive news: In 2007, of the children in out-of-home care, 152,517 were reunited with family members, while 51,401 were legally adopted and 17,950 exited to guardianship. The fact sheet also notes gradual decreases in recipients for support programs such as Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and subsidized childcare. Free, 10 pages. Contact: (703) 412-2400, http://www.cwla.org/advocacy/statefactsheets/2010/nationalfactsheet10.pdf
