Child Neglect Cases Multiply As Economic Woes Spread - washingtonpost.com: As the economic downturn takes its toll on struggling families, child welfare workers across the region are seeing a marked rise in child abuse and neglect cases, with increases of more than 20 percent in some suburban counties.
Neglect investigations appear to have increased most, many resulting from families living without heat or electricity or failing to get children medical care. In Fairfax County, for example, such cases jumped 152 percent, from 44 to 111, comparing July through October with the same four-month period in 2007.
"It's very concerning and certainly is reflective of what's happening in the economic environment," said Kathy Froyd, director of the Children, Youth and Families Division of the Fairfax County Department of Family Services.
Overall, there was a 23 percent jump in abuse and neglect investigations in Fairfax. Similarly, cases in Montgomery County increased by 29 percent, and Arlington County, with smaller numbers, was up 38 percent.
In the District, there was an 18 percent increase in child neglect and abuse investigations, but officials said the case of Banita Jacks, the Southeast mother accused early this year of killing her four daughters, had a large effect on hotline calls.
The well-established nexus between poverty and child abuse is reason for many child experts to be concerned that the country might see more neglect and abuse as the recession deepens.
