Texas Department of Family and Welfare releases Child Mortality Report

TEXAS (CBSNewsTexas.com) – The Department of Family and Protective Services and the Office of Child Safety recently released their 2022 Annual Child Deaths Report.

It begins with a reminder that with over 7 million children in Texas, “the safety net that exists to protect children and help them reach their maximum potential starts at home.”

The report looks at various causes of death and identifies risk factors and commonalities among confirmed cases of child abuse and neglect. It also analyzes different moments of DFPS involvement when a child died and how often past involvement was consistent with abuse or neglect.

Some of his general findings include:

• In 2022, 182 children died due to abuse and neglect in Texas.
• Last year, Dallas and Denton counties had the same number of child deaths – 7.
• There were 13 children killed in Tarrant County and 28 in Harris County.
• The most common causes of neglect-related deaths were drowning, unsafe sleep, and death from physical neglect and medical negligence.
• Most causes of child mortality have decreased, including those associated with vehicles, unsafe sleep, careless supervision and drowning.

The report identifies specific risk factors associated with child maltreatment and the frequency of these factors in confirmed child deaths. These risk factors include children under the age of 3, families with a history of child abuse, substance abuse, parental mental health issues, and domestic violence in the family. Children with special needs or health problems may also be at increased risk of abuse or neglect.

The report also described the victims:

• Children aged 3 and under continue to suffer the most confirmed deaths associated with child abuse and neglect. This is a trend that has continued over the last decade; accounting for nearly 80% of all confirmed deaths from child abuse and neglect.
• In 2022, children aged 3 and under accounted for 61% of deaths from abuse and neglect, with male children accounting for more than half of all confirmed deaths related to abuse and neglect.
• In 2022, Hispanic children made up the largest percentage of children who died from abuse or neglect. The per capita death rate of African American children from abuse continues to be higher than that of children of any other ethnicity in Texas. This is also true for the United States.

The report also lists who abuses and kills children, with the father or boyfriend being the most common perpetrators. Physical abuse resulting in death is most commonly associated with blunt force trauma or intentional harm.

However, parents are the most common offenders.

According to the report, domestic violence is often a precursor to child abuse and an indicator of more serious family problems.

A history of domestic violence was identified in 107 case reviews. And of the 63 child deaths in which the family had a history of domestic violence, 66% of those child deaths were caused by physical abuse.

As with other risk factors, reporting sites are concerned that people are underreporting active domestic violence to either the department, law enforcement, or community organizations.

The Office of Child Safety also determined that there were 19 confirmed child deaths in 2022 due to abuse or neglect that occurred during the active phase of service with the DFPS.

Prevention and early intervention

The following resources focus on specific issues that lead to child abuse and neglect, including fatalities.

• Get tips for parents on how to tap into community resources.
• Don’t be in the dark when choosing managed child care.
• Videos: Animated and real videos for parents of all ages.
• Local Support: Resources for specific support in your area.
• Free Downloads: Colorful resources, including a yearly calendar with parenting tips for each month of the year.