A Jumble of Standards: How State and Federal Authorities Have Underestimated Child Maltreatment Fatalities

Each year, states are required to submit data to the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System. However, because of restrictive definitions, failure to consult all available sources, or the decision not to investigate certain maltreatment-related deaths, states’ reports greatly underestimate the number of child fatalities due to maltreatment. Though the official numbers appear to show that child fatalities are increasing each year, year-to-year changes in fatality numbers should be approached with caution. A state’s child maltreatment fatality number reflects the way the state defines and determines child maltreatment fatalities.