KidSafe Collaborative of Chittenden County

In Vermont and Chittenden County

Child abuse and neglect is quietly present in communities across Vermont. Every year, thousands of families in Vermont struggle with issues that can impact their ability to care for their children appropriately. Clearly when a parent or primary caregiver is challenged by issues such as substance abuse, physical illness, mental illness, job loss, lack of affordable housing, domestic violence or other issues, the ability to keep one's children safe may be compromised. The Chittenden County 2005 rate of substantiated child abuse and neglect equals 62.1 cases per 10,000 children 0-17 years (AHS Community Profiles 2006). In the more densely populated communities of Burlington and Winooski, these rates spike even higher at 158.7 and 169.7 respectively.

To read the AHS Department for Children and Families Report on Child Abuse and Neglect in Vermont 2007 and other publications, visit:

http://dcf.vermont.gov/publications#ChildProtection

The Family Services Division of the VT Agency of Human Services (AHS) Department for Children and Families (DCF) is the state agency responsibility for investigating and addressing incidents of abuse and neglect and concerns for child safety. In Chittenden County, the Burlington District Office of the Family Services Division (FSD) addresses abuse and neglect concerns raised by both mandated reporters and concerned citizens. According to a summary compiled by the Burlington office, in 2007 their office received over 2,700 calls regarding concerns for children's safety. 599 of these reports were opened for investigation and 136 cases, approximately 23%, were substantiated for some form of abuse or neglect.

There are often times when a concern for the welfare of a child does not warrant formal Family Services involvement yet the family will benefit from other kinds of community supports including the kind of early intervention and prevention provided by the KidSafe Child Protection Teams. For more information about the different Child Protection Teams coordinated by KidSafe, click here.

Once abuse has occurred, safety and support are crucial for child victims and their non-offending family members to heal. The KidSafe Collaborative ensures that our collective response to the maltreatment of children in our community is well coordinated, caring and strives to meet the needs and expectations of each individual child and family.

Vermont Child Protection Legislation

The 2007-2008 Legislative year was an active one for issues relating to child abuse and neglect investigation and juvenile proceedings in the state of Vermont. The House and Senate passed multiple bills relating to children during the session H.635 (child welfare and registry changes) and H.615 and its companion S.336 (comprehensive revisions to the Juvenile Proceedings Act). Voices for Vermont's Children whose mission is to promote public policy that enhances the lives of children and youth in Vermont tracked this work throughout the legislative session. They have published a helpful summary, which can be downloaded here. Links to the content of the bills can be found there.

Voices for Vermont kids 2008 Summary Child Welfare (PDF)

For more information on legislative issues affecting children in Vermont this past year, you may visit Voices for Vermont's Children website.

If you are interested in connecting to information about KidSafe partner agencies and both local and national resources, please click here.

The Negative Impact of Child Abuse and Neglect

(Source: Prevent Child Abuse America publication, September 2007)

Child abuse and neglect are preventable, yet each year in the United States, close to one million children are confirmed victims of child maltreatment. The costs of responding to the impact of child abuse and neglect are borne by the victims and their families, but also by society. It is well documented that children who have been abused or neglected are more likely to experience adverse outcomes throughout their life span in a number of areas:

• Poor physical health (e.g., chronic fatigue, altered immune function, hypertension,
  sexually transmitted diseases, obesity);
• Poor emotional and mental health (e.g., depression, anxiety, eating disorders, suicidal
  thoughts and attempts, post-traumatic stress disorder);
• Social difficulties (e.g., insecure attachments with caregivers, which may lead to
  difficulties in developing trusting relationships with peers and adults later in life);
• Cognitive dysfunction (e.g., deficits in attention, abstract reasoning, language
  development, and problem-solving skills, which ultimately affect academic
  achievement and school performance);
• High-risk health behaviors (e.g., a higher number of lifetime sexual partners, younger
  age at first voluntary intercourse, teen pregnancy, alcohol and substance abuse); and
• Behavioral problems (e.g., aggression, juvenile delinquency, adult criminality, abusive
  or violent behavior) (Child Welfare Information Gateway, 2006; Goldman, Salus,
  Wolcott, & Kennedy, 2003; Hagele, 2005).

To read the full report published by Prevent Child Abuse America in September 2007 on the Total Estimated Cost of Child Abuse and Neglect in the United States please click here.