Harrisburg, PA–ThePennsylvania Department of Human Services (DHS)today released the2023 Annual Child Protective Services Report, which provides statewide and county-level data on the efforts to protect and help children who were reported as victims of suspected abuse and neglect.The report provides a year-long look into trends in Pennsylvania’s county-administered, state-supervised child welfare system that can give context to potential opportunities to strengthen DHS’ work with county partners and further support organizations working with families to give children safe, healthy childhoods.
DHS urges all Pennsylvanianstobe aware ofsigns of potential abuseand to report potentialchild abuseor neglect to ChildLine, which is a 24/7 hotline available to anyone concerned for the safety or well-being of a child, by calling1-800-932-0313.Mandated reporters can also report to ChildLineelectronically.
“Pennsylvania’s children deserve to grow up and thrive in safe, loving environments. The Commonwealth’s child welfare system exists to protect children and support families, and the Shapiro Administration works every day to help families meet their essential needs and overcome challenges,”saidDHS Secretary Dr. Val Arkoosh. “We all havearesponsibility to take proactive, deliberate action to stopchild abuseand neglect becausechild abuseknows no boundaries or economic status, race, or gender, andaffects children from all demographics. I urge anyone who has concerns for the safety of the children in their life to contact ChildLine.”
Pennsylvania’s Child Welfare System
The child welfare system in Pennsylvania is state-supervised and county-administered, with bothpartiesplaying vital roles in the protection of children. DHS, through its Office of Children, Youth, and Families (OCYF), oversees this system.
At the state level, DHS is responsible for oversight and enforcement of laws, regulations, and policies that guide the provision of child welfare services by each of the 67 counties in Pennsylvania. This includes theChild Protective Services Law (CPSL),which defineschild abuseand incidents in which Child Protective Services reports are necessary. DHS also provides funding, oversight, and technical assistance to each county children and youth agency.
Counties in Pennsylvania are responsible for all day-to-day child welfare functions. DHS licenses county agencies to provide essential child welfare operations, which includes investigations of potential abuse and neglect, case management services, foster care coordination and monitoring, and other supportive services. County children and youth agencies are responsible for staffing these operations. Counties are encouraged to coordinate between partners in health care and social services, which are essential in providing a comprehensive support system in order to meet children and families’ evolving needs.
If a county is unable to or is inadequately supporting these operations or is non-compliant with laws like the CPSL, DHS issues a six-month provisional license that requires a plan of correction and ongoing monitoring to ensure the plan is being followed; state statute and regulations prevent DHS from issuing more than four provisional licenses.After a fourth provisional, a county’s license is revoked.If a county is facing significant operational challenges, DHS will assist the county agencyby providing technical assistance to helpthecountynavigate operational challenges, pursue new techniques, and amplify best practices to helpthemstrengthen their work, support staff dedicated to this important work, and meet our shared goals of supporting families through varying circumstances so children can grow up safe and protected.
Report Summary
The CPSL requires DHS to annually report to the Governor and General Assembly onchild abusein the Commonwealth. The report provides information on the efforts to protect and help children who were reported as victims of suspected abuse and neglect.
Read the full report on DHS’ website.
In summary, DHS has seen the totals across all reporting categories stabilize following the COVID-19 pandemic, which resulted in reduced contact between children and mandated reporters.
In 2023, there were a total of 40,301 reports of suspectedchild abuse, compared to 39,093 reports in 2022. In the 2019 AnnualChild Abuse, prior to Pennsylvania experiencing the impacts of the pandemic, the total number of suspectedchild abusereports had been 42,252.
The 2023 report found that:
There were a total of 57 substantiated fatalities in 2023, compared to 60 substantiated in 2022;
There were a total of 247 suspected near fatalities in 2023 compared with 236 reported in 2022.
There were a total of 40,301 reports of suspectedchild abusein 2023, as opposed to 39,093 reports in 2022.
The percent of reports of suspectedchild abusethat were substantiated decreased from 12.8% in 2022 to 11.7% in 2023.
“I want to thank everyone involved in the creation of this year’s report. The child welfare system is made up of dedicated professionals at all levels of government, professionals who do this work every single day and are an important resource to children and families. We all share the goal of keeping our children safe, and we are deeply grateful for the continued support and partnership of every person involved in the child welfare system who chooses to dedicate their career in service to children and families,” saidSecretaryArkoosh.
How To Report Abuse
DHS operates ChildLine, a 24/7 hotline available to anyone concerned about the welfare of a child to report suspectedchild abuse; it can be reached at 1-800-932-0313. Mandated reporters can also report to ChildLineelectronically.
Anyone can make a report to ChildLine, and anyone who is not a mandated reporter can make a report to ChildLine anonymously.
DHS encourages all Pennsylvanians to learn more about the signs of potential abuse or neglect and make a report to ChildLine if they begin to suspect abuse or neglect. Signs of potential abuse or neglect can include:
Numerous and/or unexplained injuries or bruises;
Chronic, pronounced anxiety and expressed feelings of inadequacy;
Flinching or an avoidance to being touched;
Poor impulse control;
Demonstrating abusive behavior or talk;
Cruelty to animals or others; and,
Fear of parent or caregiver, amongothers.
Every allegation ofchild abusereported to ChildLine is investigated. ChildLine caseworkers are trained to collect all helpful information from anyone reporting concern for a child’s well-being and to properly refer reports to the appropriate investigating agencies for review, assessment and follow-up, if necessary. Investigating agencies can be county child welfare offices or regional DHS offices and, when appropriate, ChildLine also refers reports to local law enforcement agencies.
Pennsylvanians can learn more about the signs of potential abuse atwww.keepkidssafe.pa.gov. To report suspectedchild abuse, call ChildLine at 1-800-932-0313.
