TRENTON – The New Jersey Department of Human Services (DHS) released information today on an additional 55 child abuse and neglect deaths from 1998-2002 including a community report examining trends among the 123 total deaths for the past five years.

“Each of these deaths is a tragic story of how we need to protect our children from harm,” said Human Services Commissioner Gwendolyn L. Harris. “Some of the trends are quite disturbing including the fact that a child dies from abuse or neglect every 16 days in New Jersey.”

Specific trends identified in the community report include:
• Inadequate or lack of supervision accounted for 22.8 percent of all deaths
• Almost 40 percent of the child deaths were a result of physical abuse; the father or another male was the perpetrator of this physical abuse in 61 percent of these deaths
• African American children comprise 48 percent of all abuse/neglect deaths
• Male children accounted for slightly more than half (53.7 percent) of all child deaths
• Nearly all child deaths (96.7 percent) occurred before the age of 10
• Children under age one account for 57 percent of all deaths; almost 15 percent died before reaching one month of age
• Almost 23 percent of all child deaths under one year old were from drug use during pregnancy; an additional 13 percent were the result of shaken baby syndrome
• Between the five year period, the proportion of deaths of children under one increased from 40 percent in 1998 to 67 percent in 2002
• Salem, Atlantic and Essex counties had the highest rates of child deaths (per 100,000 children)
• Nearly one-third (32.5 percent) of all abuse/neglect deaths occurred in Essex (21.1 percent) and Camden (11.4 percent) counties
• Out of the 123 total deaths, 19 (15.5 percent) occurred in Newark
• DYFS had current or prior contact with the families in almost two-thirds (65.9 percent) of all child deaths.

“This community report is only one indicator of how we as a community need to do better by our children,” said Commissioner Harris. “However, it is important to remember that we cannot prevent all deaths or control the actions of individuals who fail to care for their children.”

Each child abuse and neglect death is reviewed by DYFS, DHS and the Child Fatality and Near Fatality Review Board. In cases where there is current or past DYFS involvement, recommendations are offered to improve case practice or how DYFS handled the case.

According to Commissioner Harris, improving case practice is a priority of the DYFS transformation plan. The introduction of a risk assessment, better training and an expanded quality assurance unit will allow DYFS to establish better internal checks and balances.

As part of the Department’s plan to transform child welfare in New Jersey, Commissioner Harris has also launched a statewide community program called “Save the Children” to develop community partnerships between government and local service providers. The daylong program identifies child welfare issues facing local communities, discusses service models and develops new strategies for improving outcomes for children and families. The first program was held in May in Newark and will continue again over the next several weeks (a formal schedule will be announced shortly).

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