Child abuse rates remain low here

The rate of child abuse reported in Alleghany County placed well below the state average, according to a report from the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services.

And while the number of reports here has gone up recently, the number of substantiated abuse or neglect cases has decreased. County Department of Social Services Director Sandy Ashley calls both of those desirable developments.

"It's a win-win situation," she said. "It's good that people report abuse if they suspect it, but it's good that substantiated incidents are down."

Alleghany was number 77 of the state's 100 counties in the rate of children who were the subject of an investigative assessment. Of the county's 2,073 children under age 18, 89 were reported as abused or neglected during the 1999-2000 state fiscal year. The rate, therefore, was 42.93 per 1,000 children. The statewide average was 51.26 per 1,000. Ashley said that for the 2000 calendar year, social services received 64 new reports involving 128 different children. Only 33 of the children were confirmed as being abused or neglected.

"For every report you get, there's a ton of work that has to be done," said Ashley. "The same amount of work has to be done to unsubstantiate (a report) as to substantiate. You have to talk to everyone and his brother."

State HHS statistics ranked Alleghany fifth in the state in substantiation rate per report. For FY 1999-2000, 24 of 55 reports were substantiated, a rate of 43.64 percent. (Each report may involve more than one child.) Average rate for the state was 31.59 percent.
 
 

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