Child abuse and neglect reports investigated and substantiated in North Carolina
Data Provided By
Note: Non-consecutive years appear adjacent in the trend line
because one or more years have been deselected.
because one or more years have been deselected.
Definitions:
The number and rate per 1,000 children investigated (receiving assessments) for abuse and neglect during the state fiscal year (July – June).
The number of children with a substantiated finding by category during the state fiscal year (July – June) by most severe finding.
Substantiated abuse is defined as a situation in which a child’s parent, guardian, custodian or caretaker inflicts or allows to be inflicted, creates or allows to be created a substantial risk of serious physical injury by other than accidental means; or uses or allows to be used upon the child cruel or grossly inappropriate procedures or cruel or grossly inappropriate devices to modify behavior; or commits, permits, or encourages the commission of any sexual offense by, with or upon the child in violation of the law; promotes the prostitution of the child; or creates or allows to be created serious emotional damage to the child; or encourages, directs or approves of delinquent acts involving moral turpitude committed by the child. Substantiated neglect is defined as a situation in which a child does not receive proper care, supervision or discipline from the child’s parent, guardian, custodian or caretaker; or who has been abandoned; or who is not provided necessary medical care; or who is not provided necessary remedial care; or who lives in an environment injurious to the child’s welfare; or who has been placed for care or adoption in violation of the law. In determining whether a child is neglected, it is relevant if that the child lives in a home where another child has died as a result of abuse or neglect or lives in a home where another child has been subjected to sexual abuse or severe physical abuse by an adult who regularly lives in the home.
Data Source: Duncan, D. F., Stewart, C. J., Vaughn, J. S, Guest, S., Rose, R. A, Malley, K., and Gwaltney, A. Y. (2018). Management Assistance for Child Welfare, Work First, and Food & Nutrition Services in North Carolina (v3.21), University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Jordan Institute for Families.
Footnotes:
County totals may not sum to state total due to rounding.
Last updated September 2019.