Each year, the Department of Human Services (DHS) releases an annual report highlighting the trends of the child welfare system.

According to the 2023 Annual Child Protective Services report, there were a total of 40,301 reports of child abuse in 2023. That’s 1,208 more total cases than in 2022.

The recent report reads that the increase in overall reports in 2023 was anticipated because of a significant drop in reports during the pandemic.

According to the DHS report, in 2019, there were a total of 42,252 reports made. In 2020, the total number of reports dropped by nearly 10,000.

The director of bureau programs, policy and operations with the Office of Children, Youth, and Families at DHS, Amanda Dorris, said that is because children weren’t being seen by mandated reports as frequently.

“In 2020 and 2021, we saw a significant decrease in reporting because children weren’t being seen, specifically in schools,” Dorris said.

With the report data coming three years after the start of the pandemic, CBS 21 News asked Dorris how much longer COVID can be a reason for a rise in reports.

“I think we need to move forward from COVID and really focus on what keeps children safe,” Dorris said.

Dorris highlighted a decline in substantiated reports in 2023.

For each report of child abuse or neglect that comes into DHS, the agency investigates the report to determine in abuse is happening.

A substantiated report means DHS, or the county agency determined a child wasn’t being abused, or they didn’t have enough evidence the child was being abuse.

The report shows a total of 4,720 substantiated child abuse reports in 2023, which is nearly 300 fewer than the 4,992 substantiated reports in 2022.

“We love to see that substantiated number come down,” Dorris said.

Director of programs at Pennsylvania Family Support Alliance, Haven Evans said it’s a huge positive to have the number of substantiated reports trend downward.

“The fewer substantiated cases we seem, that means that fewer children were actually abused as that’s defined in Pennsylvania,” Evans said.

Dorris said in order to start getting the number of total child abuse reports trending downward, the state needs to start helping families from the top down.

“If you can start upstream and really give the services families need before it gets to the point where children and families are suffering and stressed and children are being harmed, it’s really important,” Dorris said.

She also said DHS is extremely proud of reducing their clearance verification process time, allowing more people to get into the work force and work with kids. She said alleviates staffing concern in different areas allows more children to be supervised by professionals in a safe environment, which can reduce stress for families as well.

From CBS 21, September 13, 2024