Every child has a right to safety and well-being. And yet, sadly, youth across the nation and around the world needlessly suffer violence, exploitation and neglect at the hands of adults entrusted to care for them.
In Georgia, nearly 107,000 cases of child abuse and neglect were reported in 2021. This excludes unreported incidences of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) such as sex trafficking, sexual abuse, physical abuse, psychological abuse or neglect. Equally jolting, 58% of adults in Georgia report enduring at least one ACE, according to Georgia Child Abuse & Neglect Statistics compiled by Prevent Child Abuse Georgia.
Factors that threaten a child’s environment
While child abuse and neglect cannot be attributed to a single factor, poverty and unemployment disproportionately contribute to child maltreatment. In Georgia, where 2 in 10 children live in homes experiencing poverty and 27% of children’s parents lack secure employment, child well-being ranked only 37th in the nation in 2023.
Abusive environments are more prevalent in vulnerable populations that report lower education levels, less efficacy of community resources and limited access to health care. Here is a sampling of related concerns among Georgia families:
- 68% of fourth graders are not proficient in reading.
- 38% of children live in single-parent families.
- Black women account for 50% of all pregnancy-related deaths.
Behind these staggering statistics are underaged children who are left unsupervised, children who are unexpectedly orphaned by young mothers and students who are unlikely to graduate high school. These are just a few examples of the incalculable number of triggers that can contribute to feeding grounds for neglect and abuse.
Cost of child maltreatment
The adverse ripple effect of child maltreatment can not only traumatize an individual into adulthood, but also has a far-reaching detrimental impact on our communities, economy and society.
Although it may take years to manifest, ACEs can stunt the physical and mental well-being of a victim over the course of their lifetime:
- As a child, their social, emotional, cognitive and physiological development can be impaired.
- As an adolescent, they will have an increased chance of adverse health outcomes and risky behavior.
- As an adult, they are more likely to experience disease, disability and mental illness.
In total, the economic impact of empathetic, punitive and recovery measures over the course of a single victim’s lifetime can exceed $225,000. This calculation is based upon the cost of services for short- and long-term health care, child welfare, criminal justice and special education, as well as loss of productivity.
Commitment to the whole health of Georgia’s children
An epidemic with so many formative triggers as well as detrimental consequences requires a multipronged approach that addresses the many hallmarks of cause and effect. From birth to adolescence, to their transition into adulthood and beyond, we must strive to keep our children safe and healthy and break the generational cycle of abuse.
CareSource, a nonprofit care management organization serving over 450,000 Georgians, is dedicated to creating and implementing comprehensive programs that connect families to resources that aid in overcoming social, economic and environmental barriers. We know the safety and care of our children is dependent upon improving conditions to create a stable environment for their physical and mental well-being, and we are committed to programs that help secure full-time employment, caregiving support, food assistance, maternal health, behavioral well-being, transportation, housing, education/training opportunities, budgeting and more.
Further, CareSource creates trustworthy feedback loops with child advocacy and protection organizations through meaningful partnerships that both fund and support child safety initiatives and provide direct insight into our communities’ needs and challenges. Our Georgia community partners include Advocates for Children, Connect our Kids, Rescuing Hope, Safe Families for Children, Ser Familia, Prevent Child Abuse GA and more.
Beyond our more than $13 million investment in these community programs, initiatives and partnerships, CareSource seeks to advance trauma-informed care models by training our own employees and by offering trauma-informed training to our members, particularly caregivers.
According to a brief by the Center of Health Care Strategies, trauma-informed care transforms the health care approach from “What’s wrong with you?” to “What’s happened to you?” — increasing empathy for ACE victims, reducing incidences of re-traumatization and forging a more successful road to recovery.
As a child who grew up in the foster care system and an adult who has dedicated my life to child advocacy, I understand the urgency of responding to children who are in danger, as well as the critical and fundamental need for creating safe environments for them. I’m proud to work for a company so deeply committed to safeguarding the whole health of Georgia’s children.
To learn more about how CareSource is making a lasting impact across the state of Georgia, visit WholeHealthGA.com.
CareSource is a nonprofit, nationally recognized managed care organization with over 2.3 million members. CareSource administers one of the largest Medicaid managed care plans in the U.S. The organization offers health insurance, including Medicaid, Health Insurance Marketplace and Medicare products. As a mission-driven organization, CareSource is transforming health care with innovative programs that address the social determinants of health, health equity, prevention and access to care.
