Idaho Leads Nation In Child-Abuse Incidents, Deaths But Report Shows State Spending On Problem Is Second-Lowest In Country
Idaho leads the nation in child-abuse incidents and deaths, but ranks near the bottom in spending to protect children, according to a new nationwide study.
Idaho also has the highest rate of abused children reports, but one of the smallest government agencies to deal with it among states Idaho’s size.
The report was issued by the Child Welfare League of America, a 77-year-old non-profit organization supporting children. Idaho is a member.
The report, primarily using statistics from 1995, shocked Kim Batt-Lincoln, program director for SANE Solutions, a southwestern Idaho group that works with sex-abuse victims and offenders.
“I think this merits serious investigation on the part of the state Department of Health and Welfare.”
State officials also say the report is troubling.
“People ought to be concerned about it,” said Roseanne Hardin of the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare’s Bureau of Family and Community Services.
The report also shows Idaho ranks lowest in the number of children it pulls out of family homes for their protection.
“It has to do with public policy and wanting to allow parents a good deal of freedom on how they raise their children,” Hardin said.
State Sen. Grant Ipsen, R-Boise, declined to comment on the report because he had not read it. Ipsen has pushed for changes in state law that would ease reporting and investigating requirements in some child-abuse cases.
The number of child-abuse cases reported in Idaho was 112.4 per 1,000 children, nearly double that of Missouri, the next-highest state.
The number of state workers involved in child welfare in Idaho was 253 in 1995 - lower than most states Idaho’s size.
“It is a very tight, difficult balancing act at times to assure you have staff in the right place to respond,” Hardin said.
“The ultimate question comes down to, what does the state want to do?” said Michael Petit, who helped write the report. “Your Legislature has said the law of the land is: We want to know if children are abused. But the department has a limited capability to respond to that.”
xxxx STATE STATISTICS The number of child-abuse cases reported in Idaho was 112.4 per 1,000 children, nearly double that of Missouri, the next-highest state. On the spending side, Idaho shelled out $17 per capita for child welfare in 1996. Only South Dakota was lower, at $15.12.