Fewer child abuse cases being reported in Iowa

Reports of Iowa children being abused or neglected are on the decline after two years of increases, according to new yearly data issued Tuesday by the state Department of Human Services.

DHS statistics for 2011 indicate that the number of children who were subjected to either a “founded” abuse or a less serious “confirmed” abuse was 11,747, a level that was down nearly 7 percent compared to the previous year. In 2010, the number of abused children increased a little more than 1 percent, according to the DHS annual report.

There are about 700,000 children in Iowa under the age of 18, state officials said.

DHS Director Chuck Palmer said Iowa's improved economy likely contributed to the trend reversal, but he conceded it is difficult to pinpoint specific reasons from the data.

“I'm pleased that the numbers are going in the right direction and I hope the trend continues, but it remains clear that far too many Iowa children are being placed in harm's way,” Palmer said in a statement.

In other findings, the new DHS numbers show:

• The leading type of abuse in 2011 was neglect. Many cases in this category are caused by caretakers whose decision-making is impaired by drugs or alcohol; 75 percent of all abuses were neglect.
• 10 percent of abuse was physical, up a percentage point from the year earlier.
• 4 percent of abuse was sexual, similar to the past few years.
• Slightly more than half of all abused children, 51 percent, were age five or under. The percentage has remained constant for years.

DHS officials noted that the total number of abused children in Iowa has fluctuated over the years, with the total in 2011 being the second lowest in a decade.

The 2008 total was lowest – at 11,003 – but that number grew by the highest percentage growth of the decade the following year at 13 percent, a trend DHS officials said was likely due to the worsening economy that year. The highest total in recent years was 13,445 in 2006.

In Iowa, there are two types of abuses, according to DHS officials -- a “confirmed” abuse is minor, isolated, and not likely to reoccur, and the perpetrator is not placed on the child abuse registry; and a “founded” abuse is more serious, with the perpetrator listed on the registry.

The percentage of abuses that are “founded” and “confirmed” has remained fairly constant over the years. Last year, 74 percent of abuses were “founded.”

Iowa's numbers continue to be consistent with national trends, according to state officials. Nationally, in federal fiscal 2010, 66 percent of abuse assessments resulted in no finding of abuse, compared to 68 percent in Iowa. Of all abuses nationally, 75 percent were due to neglect, compared to 79 percent here.

Summary of child welfare in Iowa for 2011:

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