Safe Child Task Force issues report and recommendations
From the Commission on Youth and Families:
Escalating child abuse rates in Multnomah County sparked the creation of the Safe Child Task Force, chaired by Multnomah County Commissioner Lisa Naito and Carla Piluso, Gresham Chief of Police and Chair of the Multnomah County Commission on Children, Families and Community. The Task Force issued a report of its findings, 2007 Safe Child Task Force Report. The report is available online at www.co.multnomah.or.us under “What’s new in the county.”
For six of the past 10 years, the rate of child maltreatment has been higher in Multnomah County than the state average. In 2006, records show a rate of 14.6 children per 1,000 were neglected or abused in Multnomah County, while 13.8 per 1,000 were neglected or abused statewide. According to Oregon Department of Human Services abuse and neglect statistics (The Status of Children in Oregon’s Child Protection System) victim rates in Multnomah County have fluctuated over the past 10 years, ranging from a low of 8.9 in 2001 to a high of 16.2 in 1998. Oregon rates ranged from a low of 9.6 in 2001 to a high of 13.8 in 2006. Statewide, nearly half of the victims of reported abuse or neglect are under age six.
According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, income level has been linked to child maltreatment, with children from families with incomes less than $15,000 per year, compared to children from families with incomes greater than $30,000 per year, are 22 times more likely to experience some form of maltreatment and 44 times more likely to be victims of neglect.
“This should not be interpreted as poverty being the cause of child abuse or neglect,” said Taskforce Co-Chair Chief Piluso. “Poverty can severely limit options available to families, such as child care and safe neighborhoods.”
Childhood abuse can also lead to adverse health effects in adults, according to findings from the Adverse Childhood Experiences study, conducted by the Kaiser Permanente Medical Care Program in San Diego, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Emory University, and University of Arizona Health Sciences Center. The report notes increased risks for smoking, alcoholism, drug abuse, eating disorders, severe obesity, depression, suicide, sexual promiscuity and chronic diseases.
Task Force Co-Chair Commissioner Naito states, “Prevention is the most cost-effective strategy for addressing child abuse. The cost of intensive intervention services is more than three times the cost of primary prevention services for a child and family.”
The Safe Child Task Force studied the factors involved in child abuse prevention, created an inventory of services, and developed the following recommendations to protect children and youth in Multnomah County:
• Make child and family safety a funding and policy priority
• Create a universal parent education system locally
• Create a supportive community based on healthy attitudes and norms to prevent child abuse
• Produce an inventory of child abuse prevention and intervention services
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Posted on April 8, 2008
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