The National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System has just released information on child fatalities for 2003.

• An estimated 1,500 children died that year in the U.S. from abuse or neglect.
• More than three-quarters of these children were under age 4.
• About one-third died from neglect and one-fourth from abuse while the remainder died from a combination of other causes.
• Three-quarters of the deaths were attributed to one or both parents.

As sad as these deaths are, it is also tragic that only 11% of these children and their families had received some type of family preservation services within 5 years of the child’s death. That statistic tells us that family preservation has a good safety record when used with vulnerable families. But it also tells us that very few of these families received any type of “family preservation” services. That means that the most vulnerable children (those under age 4) and the most troubled parents (75% of the parents of these children caused these deaths) are not receiving the type of services that emphasize, first and foremost, safety of the child.

NFPN advocates for strong models of Intensive Family Preservation Services (IFPS) that

• provide workers on-call 24-7,
• require frequent visits to the home,
• allow for observation of and interaction with all family members, and
• have a special emphasis on safety.

The IFPS worker is also trained to recommend placement if safety cannot be guaranteed.

It’s apparent from the new data that IFPS is under-utilized on a national level with the most vulnerable children and families. What can we do to change that? Before we can advocate for change, NFPN needs to better understand the reason for this under-utilization.

Many state child welfare agencies define eligibility for IFPS in terms of imminent placement. So, the question is, would your state child welfare agency’s definition of IFPS eligibility, based on imminent risk, include children under age 4 where suspected abuse or neglect is serious enough to possibly result in the death of the child?

Tell us what your experience is in this area, so that we can formulate a proposal to assist child welfare agencies in preventing deaths in the future by better utilizing IFPS. Please write to This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .

To view the complete report on child fatalities, go to http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cb/publications/cmreports.htm