Reply #23: And it shows in Texas...child abuse deaths up 11% in one year

[rainbow4321]

Imagine what the non-fatal abuse numbers must be....


http://www.mysanantonio.com/sharedcontent/APStories/stories/D8858N9G0.html


More than 200 Texas children died as a result of abuse or neglect in fiscal year 2004, up 11 percent from the previous year and double the number from a decade earlier, according to the state Department of Family and Protective Services.

Statewide, the 2004 abuse and neglect fatality rate works out to 3.3 for every 100,000 Texas children. That's roughly 65 percent higher than the latest national average of 1.98 per 100,000 children from the federal Department of Health and Human Services.

"We don't have enough staff, we don't have enough investigations, we don't have enough foster homes, we don't have enough training and we don't have enough prevention," said Susan Craven, who heads the Austin-based advocacy group Texans Care for Children.

"It's disturbing to see the number of children dying from what we see as preventable child abuse," said Geoffrey Wooll, spokesman for the beleaguered agency. "The protection of children is a community interest." Family and Protective Services was overhauled last year after several high-profile child homicides that occurred after agency caseworkers had investigated for possible neglect or abuse at home, and decided the children were safe to remain with their parents