Safe & Sound has launched our 2024 Economics of Child Abuse report and website, which provides a detailed analysis of the cost of child abuse and neglect across the state.
According to our research, child abuse and neglect cost California over $16 billion in 2024. This represents thousands of missed opportunities for prevention and confirms that the costs of abuse and neglect for impacted children and their families are both significant and long lasting, while bringing into stark relief the financial cost of the current approach that prioritizes intervention after a crisis has occurred instead of an approach that focuses on prevention.
Working with partners from across the state, Safe & Sound is changing that paradigm by focusing our work squarely on prevention of child abuse and neglect.
Through our direct services for children and families, efforts to develop a local community pathway, and statewide research and advocacy, we are lowering the incidence of child maltreatment and trauma, keeping families safely together, and driving down costs to taxpayers and wider society. We believe that enduring change will only happen when there is a seismic shift away from a reactive system to a child and family well-being system.
Research on child abuse and neglect has historically focused on an individual’s or family’s risk and protective factors. However, in our report, we also share the Community Conditions that can help communities nurture strong families, and the Risk Factors on the other side that place children and their families at greater risk for abuse and neglect.
The Economics of Child Abuse site includes a model of the costs that can be incurred by society of a hypothetical girl who suffers abuse at a young age. Beyond the human tragedy, the lifetime financial costs are startling:
That adds up to $659,622 for an average survivor of child abuse. Spread that out over thousands of survivors every year, and the case for focusing on prevention not only provides children and families with greater opportunities to thrive, but is also smart fiscal policy.
Visit our Economics of Child Abuse website to deep dive into data for your county and learn more about the factors that can keep young people and families in California safe.
Please let us know if you have any questions or ideas to share concerning the Economics of Child Abuse report by emailing us at communityactions@safeandsound.org.