LearnMoreAboutChildAbuse

To report child abuse or neglect in Tennessee please call the Child Abuse Hotline: 1-877-237-0004

Statistics about abused and neglected children in Tennessee:

According to Kids Count 2008, there were 17,067 indicated cases of child abuse and neglect in Tennessee. In 2006, a rate of 11.7 per 1,000 persons ages 0-17. Nationally, 772,000 children were found to be victims of child abuse and neglect in FY 2008.

Fact- According to the Tennessee Department of Children's Services Annual Report FY 2008-2009, there were 6,970 children remaining in state custody as of June 30, 2008; with 5,105 or 73% of those 6,970 children placed in custody because of abuse or neglect issues.

Fact- A report released by Prevent Child Abuse America funded by Pew Charitable Trusts estimates the annual cost of child abuse and neglect in the United States to be 103.8 billion dollars. This figure includes both direct and indirect costs of child abuse.

Fact- Federal law requires that juvenile and family courts appoint a Guardian ad Litem (GAL) in all cases of child abuse and neglect, who, in Tennessee must be an attorney. CASA advocates who are volunteers may also be appointed by the court. See Tennessee Code Annotated 37-1-149.

Fact- The National CASA/GAL network consists of more than 1055 local and state member program offices in 49 states, whose nearly 70,900 volunteers serve over 237,000 children every year.

Links of interest

National CASA Association

www.casaforchildren.org

Tennessee Department of Children's Services

www.state.tn.us/youth

Tennessee Department of Children's Services Annual Report 2008

http://www.tn.gov/youth/dcsguide/AnnualReport2008.pdf

Tennessee Commission on Children and Youth

www.state.tn.us/tccy; for data on children: www.kidscount.org

Prevent Child Abuse Tennessee

www.pcat.org

Tennessee Bar Association’s Juvenile and Children’s Law Section