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Maine
Statistics on children, youth and families in Maine from the Annie E. Casey Foundation and the Maine Children's Alliance
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Why This Indicator Matters
All children deserve to grow up in homes that are safe and emotionally nurturing. Children who experience adverse childhood experiences such as physical and emotional abuse have difficulty in school, and have more issues in mental health and physical health both as children and as adults. Although we hope substantiated child abuse goes down because there is less child abuse in families, it could also mean that the resources to investigate and evaluate reports of child abuse are inadequate to accurately assess the cases that are referred for investigation.
What the data shows
Overall, the number of substantiated child abuse victims from 2019-2022 decreased each year from 4,530 victims in 2019 to 3,907 victims, or a decrease of 14% over three years. 2019 was the highest number and rate since 2003. Studies have shown that government investment in keeping families financially afloat -- such as expanding the child tax credit and increasing amounts of SNAP and offering free school meals--brings a significant reduction in cases of both child neglect and physical abuse. Child Abuse Rates Fell in 2020-Journal of American Medicine
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What the data shows
Overall, the number of substantiated child abuse victims from 2019-2022 decreased each year from 4,530 victims in 2019 to 3,907 victims, or a decrease of 14% over three years. 2019 was the highest number and rate since 2003. Studies have shown that government investment in keeping families financially afloat -- such as expanding the child tax credit and increasing amounts of SNAP and offering free school meals--brings a significant reduction in cases of both child neglect and physical abuse. Child Abuse Rates Fell in 2020-Journal of American Medicine
Definition and Source
PROVIDER
Definition
The number and rate of individual victims of child abuse and neglect birth to age 17 for whom assessment led to a finding of a threat to a child’s health or welfare by physical, mental or emotional injury or impairment, sexual abuse or exploitation, deprivation of essential needs or lack of protection from these by a person responsible for the child (22 MRSA §4002). The numerator is the unique number of children in a calendar year who are victims of child maltreatment as defined above and the denominator is the number of children in the state birth to age 17. The rate is per 1,000 children birth to age 17. Data is for calendar years.
Notes
County rates are available as a separate indicator for 2017-2022.
Last Updated
June 2023