Harrisburg, PA – The Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (DHS) today released the 2024 Annual Child Protective Services Report, which provides statewide and county-level data on the efforts to protect and help children who were reported as victims of suspected abuse and neglect. The report provides a year-long look into trends in Pennsylvania’s county-administered, state-supervised child welfare system that can give context to potential opportunities to strengthen DHS’ work with county partners and further support organizations working with families to give children safe, healthy childhoods.
“Protecting Pennsylvania’s children and ensuring their wellbeing is a core responsibility of government. At the center of this work are our County Children and Youth Agencies (CCYAs). Their steadfast commitment to serving our children is admirable and every child protected is a testament to their work,” said DHS Secretary Dr. Val Arkoosh. “But while CCYAs play a critical role in the prevention of child abuse and neglect fatalities, they cannot work alone. Protecting our children cannot solely be the task of one agency or office – we must work across departments and disciplines, in a whole-of-government approach together with community members and families to prevent abuse and increase awareness of its warning signs.”
Pennsylvania’s Child Welfare System
The child welfare system in Pennsylvania is state-supervised and county-administered which means day-to-day operations are the responsibility of each county with state oversight; both parties play vital roles in the protection of children. DHS, through its Office of Children, Youth, and Families (OCYF), oversees this system.
At the state level, DHS is responsible for oversight and enforcement of laws, regulations, and policies that guide the provision of child welfare services by each of the 67 counties in Pennsylvania. This includes the Child Protective Services Law (CPSL), which defines child abuse and incidents in which Child Protective Services reports are necessary. DHS also provides funding, oversight, and technical assistance to each county children and youth agency.
Counties in Pennsylvania are generally responsible for all day-to-day child welfare functions. Nearly 3,000 county-employed caseworkers and case supervisors across Pennsylvania’s 67 counties dedicate themselves to ensuring the safety and well-being of the Commonwealth’s children, youth, and families. DHS licenses county agencies to provide essential child welfare operations, which includes investigations of potential abuse and neglect, case management services, foster care coordination and monitoring, and other supportive services. County children and youth agencies are responsible for staffing these operations.
The Shapiro Administration has a track record of strengthening Pennsylvania’s child welfare system and expanding resources to counties to assist in their daily work of protecting children and supporting families. In July 2024, OCYF hired its first medical director in more than 25 years – bringing new clinical expertise to increase training and support across systems to recognize and better screen for potential abuse and expand abuse prevention work. Additionally in the last year, DHS has launched two workgroups focused specifically on fatalities and near-fatalities as well as a group focused on the intergovernmental structure of child welfare. The groups are charged with reviewing past work and practices, barriers and opportunities for progress, and work of other states and partners to improve child welfare practice and administration at the state and local level.
Report Summary
Under the CPSL, DHS must submit an annual report to the Governor and General Assembly on child abuse in the Commonwealth. The report provides information on the efforts to protect and help children who were reported as victims of suspected abuse and neglect.
Read the full report on DHS’ website.
In 2024, there were a total of 41,070 reports of suspected child abuse, compared to 40,301 reports in 2023. In the 2019 Annual Child Abuse, prior to Pennsylvania experiencing the impacts of the pandemic, the total number of suspected child abuse reports had been 42,252.
The 2024 report found that:
- There were a total of 60 substantiated fatalities in 2024, compared to 57 substantiated in 2023;
- 90 substantiated perpetrators were associated with the 60 substantiated fatalities. Of these, 37 had previous or active involvement with a child welfare agency.
- There were a total of 82 substantiated near fatalities in 2024 compared with 119 reported in 2023.
- 118 substantiated perpetrators were associated with the 82 substantiated near fatalities. Of these, 43 had previous or active involvement with a child welfare agency.
- The percent of reports of suspected child abuse that were substantiated slightly decreased from 11.7% in 2023 to 11.6% in 2024.
“Data from this year’s report reinforces that there is an opportunity to look beyond the child welfare system to protect children. Consistently we see that fatalities and near fatalities often have no prior interaction with child welfare – a trend that we are actively exploring to ensure that public and private sector systems that interact with children and families can get support before a situation is dire or too late,” said Secretary Arkoosh.
How To Report Abuse
DHS operates ChildLine, a 24/7 hotline available to anyone concerned about the welfare of a child to report suspected child abuse; it can be reached at 1-800-932-0313. Mandated reporters can also report to ChildLine electronically.
Anyone can make a report to ChildLine, and anyone who is not a mandated reporter can make a report to ChildLine anonymously.
DHS encourages all Pennsylvanians to learn more about the signs of potential abuse or neglect and make a report to ChildLine if they begin to suspect abuse or neglect. Signs of potential abuse or neglect can include:
- Numerous and/or unexplained injuries or bruises;
- Chronic, pronounced anxiety and expressed feelings of inadequacy;
- Flinching or an avoidance to being touched;
- Poor impulse control;
- Demonstrating abusive behavior or talk;
- Cruelty to animals or others; and,
- Fear of parent or caregiver, among others.
Every allegation of child abuse reported to ChildLine is investigated. ChildLine caseworkers are trained to collect all helpful information from anyone reporting concern for a child’s well-being and to properly refer reports to the appropriate investigating agencies for review, assessment and follow-up, if necessary. Investigating agencies can be county child welfare offices or regional DHS offices and, when appropriate, ChildLine also refers reports to local law enforcement agencies.
Pennsylvanians can learn more about the signs of potential abuse at www.keepkidssafe.pa.gov. To report suspected child abuse, call ChildLine at 1-800-932-0313.