Report Cover: New Directions for NC, a report of the NCIOM task force on child abuse prevention

New Directions for North Carolina: A Report of the NCIOM Task Force on Child Abuse Prevention

Published September 1, 2005

NCIOM Task Force on Child Abuse Prevention

Abstract

Child maltreatment is a devastating social problem that affects the lives of millions of children in the United States each year. In North Carolina, a child is mistreated by a parent or caretaker every 15 minutes. Effects of maltreatment on the social, cognitive, and emotional development of children can be far-reaching, and in many cases, irreparable. Despite the enormous social and economic costs of child maltreatment in North Carolina, child maltreatment prevention has received little attention or resources from state policy makers. The NCIOM Task Force on Child Abuse Prevention studied this issue and developed a strategic plan to address child abuse prevention. This report presents their findings and recommendations.