Wayne County had 24 confirmed child abuse cases in 2022

There were 24 confirmed child abuse cases reported to Wayne County Children & Youth (C&Y) Services in 2022, out of 131 reports of suspected incidents made to the agency. On April 11, this statistic was highlighted by the county commissioners with a proclamation, coupled with 24 blue flags on the courthouse lawn, one for each young victim.

C&Y Director Roz Burke said this was their annual tradition to ask for a proclamation for Child Abuse Prevention Month. "Every April we try and recognize all of the efforts that our child welfare professionals undertake to prevent child abuse in Wayne County and across the nation," she said. Despite being short-staffed, she said their team is doing well toward preventing child abuse.

The 24 flags represent a small decrease from 2021, when there were 135 reports, of which 25 were substantiated. In 2020 there were 125 reports, 19 of them substantiated cases, she reported. 2022 is the most recent year for which statistics are available.

"Those children who are identified with abuse, we try and provide services the best we can," she said. "Some come into foster care, others don't. They stay in the community. But bottom line, we just want the community's help. If you see something, say something."

Reflecting on the height of the COVID-19 pandemic which began in 2020, Burke said that C&Y was still at work, considered an essential service. "We were still out in the community, masking up, doing whatever we had to do and still going into homes knowing the threat [from COVID] that was there."

She noted that in Wayne County they stayed fairly steady in the last four years in the number of suspected abuse reports.

Each county's C&Y agency is responsible for administering a program of general protective services to children where it is needed. Foster family care is just one option. Among the aims is to include keeping children safely in their own homes, whenever possible; preventing abuse, neglect, and exploitation of children.

The proclamation issued by Commissioners Brian Smith, Jocelyn Cramer and James Shook calls on the community to work together "to increase awareness about child abuse and contribute to promote the social and emotional well-being of children and families, in a safe, stable and nurturing environment while understanding that prevention remains the best defense for children and families."

As reported in the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services Child Protective Services 2022 Annual Report, statewide there were 39,093 reports made, out of which 4,992 were substantiated. That was 1.8 per thousand children in 2022, down from 1.9 per thousand in 2021.

Child Protective Services notes that sexual abuse remains the leading category of substantiated abuse, followed by physical abuse.

Wayne County's child abuse case load from 2022 is further detailed in the Child Protective Services 2022 Annual Report, as follows: Of the 24 substantiated cases, 13 were girls and 11 were boys. Allegations included: sexual abuse, five; physical abuse /bodily injury, five; reasonable likelihood of bodily injury, three; serious physical neglect, seven; engaging in per se acts, one; likelihood of sexual abuse/exploitation, one; serious mental injury, three; severe form of trafficking in persons or sex trafficking, two. There was one "near fatality" and no fatalities.

Child abuse investigations and general service protective assessments in Wayne County generated $922,023 in expenditures in 2022. The year before, expenditures reached $1.71 million.

Burke said that while the number of General Protective Services reports from case assessments provided has gone down slightly in the past three years, a number one concern is caregivers with substance abuse. "We are not seeing those numbers go down," she said. A lot of them do not want treatment from drug and alcohol service providers.

She said this is especially scary with drugs being used like methamphetamines and fentanyl. The statewide annual report showed there were 168 instances of this concern in Wayne County in 2022.

Throughout the Poconos in 2022 there were: Wayne County, 24 substantiated cases out of 131 reports made to C&Y, or 2.8 out of 1,000 children; Pike County, 39 out of 153, which was 3.8 out of 1,000; Monroe County, 103 out of 411, which was 3.1 of 1,000; and Carbon County, 22 out of 254, which was 1.8 out of 1,000.

Smith, the county commissioner chairperson, said, "Thank you for all that you do. I think it is incredibly important that we protect these children in our community, knowing there are children at risk." Smith said this is very meaningful work, adding children are our future.

Praising her staff, Burke added, "They are doing so much good in this community that isn't recognized on a daily basis because of confidentiality that comes with the work that we do."

Burke said that reports of suspected child abuse and/or neglect should be made by contacting ChildLine at 1-800-932-0313 or Wayne County Children & Youth Services at 570-253-5102. Resources are also available at KeepKidsSafe.pa.gov.

To read the Child Protective Services 2022 Annual Report, visit dhs.pa.gov/docs/OCYF/Documents/2022-PA-CHILD-PROTECTIVE-SERVICES-REPORT_8-10-2023_FINAL.pdf.

Peter Becker has worked at the Tri-County Independent or its predecessor publications since 1994. Reach him at pbecker@tricountyindependent.com or 570-253-3055 ext. 1588.

This article originally appeared on Tri-County Independent: Child abuse in Wayne County: 131 reports, 24 confirmed in 2022