- Chronic economic stress increases the risk of child abuse and neglect.
- Financial support for low-income families could reduce child abuse rates, doctors say.
- Measures such as guaranteed basic income and tax credits can improve child safety.
Cities that provide financial support to low-income families may experience lower rates of child abuse, researchers say.
The study – published in January by doctors at the PolicyLab at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia – suggests that programs such as guaranteed basic income and tax credits limit cases of child abuse and neglect.
If a family experiences chronic economic stress, it amplifies the risk that a child will be abused, the study found. Each year, nearly four million people are referred to the U.S. child welfare system, and low-income families are at least three times more likely to be referred.
Black families are also referred to the child welfare system at a rate almost twice as high as white families at similar risk levels. Referrals to social services may come from suspicion of physical abuse of a child, sexual abuse of a child, or situations in which a child does not receive basic necessities.
The study examined the financial factors behind these welfare referrals, including income levels, housing security and access to benefit programs.
And researchers have found that reducing families’ economic stress significantly improves children’s safety.
“This is a space where there are a lot of opportunities for advocacy to help keep children safe in ways that we hadn’t thought of about 20 years ago,” said Dr. Sabrina Darwiche , co-author of the study, to Business Insider.
Economic stress creates risk factors for abuse
Darwiche is a pediatrician at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and specializes in child abuse cases. She said poverty is a factor behind many cases of abuse and neglect.
For example, she said hospitalizations of children for severe head injuries increased during the 2008 financial crisis.
Despite this, the majority of reports come from suspected neglect and not physical abuse.
Poor families are at risk of being reported for child neglect, even when there is no abuse, Darwiche said. Reports of neglect are often caused by a child not receiving adequate care, food, housing or hygiene.
If a family is referred to child welfare, the parents could lose custody. But Darwiche said America’s welfare system is not designed to support poor families.
“It’s really like a vicious cycle that can lead to a lot of intergenerational trauma and intergenerational economic stress,” she said.
Financial safety nets could reduce child neglect
Darwiche called income support a child abuse prevention strategy. This may include SNAP benefits, affordable housing, Medicaid, and cash transfers.
She said financial aid programs alleviate stress that could lead to violence and child abuse. It also gives parents the safety net they need to leave dangerous living situations and be able to provide basic needs for themselves and their families.
“This is why these different economic and social protection programs are so interesting, because they are first and foremost an opportunity to prevent these situations,” Darwiche said, referring to cash transfers, which allow families to spend money. money where they need it most. Most other social services limit their spending to specific categories.
BI reported that guaranteed basic income can help low-income families obtain housing and pay for groceries. Cities like San Antonio, Austin and Denver have piloted the GBI, despite political opposition.
Basic income provides people on low incomes with no strings attached cash payments for a set period of time. Program participants – who typically live below the federal poverty line – receive between $100 and $1,000 per month for one to three years. Participants reported using the money to pay for food and rent, pay off debt, and buy school supplies for their children.
Similarly, child tax credits lift some families out of poverty by providing ongoing financial relief to adults with dependents. Some families also qualify for income tax credits or housing credits.
Additionally, the pandemic prompted the Biden administration to allocate funds through the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, also known as ARPA. Funds are often distributed through stimulus checks, basic income programs or to local governments.
A “package” of economic policies can improve child safety
Another study co-author, Dr. Zoe Bouchelle, is a pediatrician at Denver Health and conducts research through the PolicyLab at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. She told BI that reducing child abuse requires “a package” of economic solutions.
She identified cash and housing assistance programs, affordable child care, tax credits, and Medicaid expansion as policies that could improve child safety.
“It’s extremely important and, frankly, urgent to think about other ways, other than the child welfare system, to help families with these poverty-related needs,” she said.
Bouchelle, however, said it was important to qualify the findings: The children’s hospital study is based on information from existing income support or tax programs and child welfare data recorded nationally. It is not based on the results of a single financial aid program or randomized trial.
“There’s kind of a constellation of research that everyone has done, and it builds a compelling argument that (economic support) makes kids safer,” Darwiche said.
businessinsider
