Pennsylvania Child Abuse Reports Rose 41% Between 2014 & 2016

Between 2014 and 2016, child abuse reports across 13 Pennsylvania counties rose by 41%, and across the counties (Allegheny, Bucks, Cambria, Centre, Crawford, Dauphin, Delaware, Erie, Fayette, Luzerne, Monroe, Philadelphia, and York) the increases ranged from 17% to 78%. In 2016, there were 46 child deaths in the state, and 79 near-deaths due to abuse and neglect; nearly half of their families were already in the child-welfare system. The number of potential maltreatment reports to child protective services (CPS) rose by 50% between 2014 and 2016, from 29,517 CPS reports in 2014; 42,018 reports in 2015 . . .