Ohio's Child Abuse Reports Down, But Advocates Say Abuse May Be More Prevalent

Reports of child abuse in Ohio are down dramatically, but those working in the field say they’re concerned that the real incidents of child abuse are actually on the rise.

Advocates are preparing for a surge of new reports that could come from child care providers, camps and eventually schools as those facilities all open up.

Child abuse reports in Ohio were down by half in March — when schools were shut down — compared to a year ago. April's reports were down 45 percent from a year ago, and reports of child abuse were down 36 percent in May compared to last year.

Kristi Burre, who heads the Office of Children Services Transformation at the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, said families are struggling with isolation and economic stress — especially those who were already in poverty.

“There's a recogition that for all of us, things have been a bit stressful, and the potential that many of our kids and families in communities across the state are at greater risk, and then that may of course lead to greater risk of child maltreatment," Burre said.

Many of the families that come into the child welfare system need resources and support, and they’re hurting in this economy, she said.

“That decline means there’s potentially more and more families out there that aren’t necessarily with purpose creating danger or harm for their children but they’re struggling more so than they were before," Burre said.

Burre said agencies are monitoring and sharing data and trying to reach at-risk families with resources and support. They're also trying to reach families in different ways, working with non-profits such as food pantries to create "virtual neighborhood connections".

“We’re trying to do a lot of outreach and crisis stabilization, moreso and differently than we ever have at a state level," Burre said.

The child welfare system saw a big increase last year, but it was underfunded for years.

Counties are doing this work with less tax revenue coming infrom the economic downturn, and Burre said vacancies in children services agencies aren't being filled because of hiring freezes.

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