General Protective Services - Number and percent of valid reports by maltreatment type in Pennsylvania

General Protective Services (GPS) reports involve concerns about a child's well-being that do not meet Pennsylvania's statutory definition of child abuse but may indicate that a child or family could benefit from services or support.[1] In 2024, caregiver substance use was the most common valid GPS report type in Pennsylvania, followed by conduct by a caregiver that places a child at risk or fails to protect the child, child behavioral health or intellectual disability concerns, and experiencing homelessness or inadequate housing.[1] Examining GPS report types provides insight into the challenges affecting children and families and can help identify opportunities for early intervention, connect families with community-based services, and inform prevention efforts before concerns escalate to abuse or neglect.[2,3]

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[1] Pennsylvania Department of Human Services, Office of Children, Youth and Families. (2025). 2024 Pennsylvania annual child abuse report. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. https://www.pa.gov/content/dam/copapwp-pagov/en/dhs/documents/docs/ocyf/documents/2024-annual-child-abuse-report-final.pdf

[2] Petersen, A. C., Joseph, J., Feit, M., Committee on Child Maltreatment Research, Policy, and Practice for the Next Decade: Phase II, Board on Children, Youth, and Families, Committee on Law and Justice, Institute of Medicine, & National Research Council (Eds.). (2014). New directions in child abuse and neglect research. National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/18331

[3] U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Children's Bureau. (2019). Prevention Resource Guide: Strengthening Families and Communities. https://www.childwelfare.gov/pubPDFs/guide_2019.pdf