Indiana Child Abuse, Neglect Reports Up 44% In Five Years

By Mike Perleberg (Lawrenceburg, Ind.) - Child abuse and neglect cases have increased dramatically in Indiana and the southeastern part of the state over the past five years. Data from the Indiana Office of Court Services shows 17,491 child in need of services, or CHINS, cases were opened statewide in 2015. The figure is an increase of about 44 percent from the 12,160 cases investigated in 2010. In a recent interview with reporters, Indiana Chief Justice Loretta Rush said she believes the hike in cases is directly related to the increase in opioid addictions in the state. Indiana Youth Institute CEO Glenn Augustine agrees there may be a correlation. “Substance abuse is often a factor in child abuse and fatalities. We know a parent who has a drug or alcohol problem is three times more likely to physically or sexually abuse a child. It can have long-term complications for a child,” Augustine says. Thirteen percent of Hoosier children live with an adult who has a substance abuse problem, worse than the national average, Augustine adds. Southeast Indiana has been no exception to the worsening abuse trend. Dearborn County had 130 CHINS cases last year, only two more than in 2010. However, in the four years between then the county opened as few as 55 and as many as 77 cases. The most dramatic uptick in CHINS cases locally was in Franklin County. After just 25 cases were reported in 2010, the number more than tripled to 87 last year. Ripley County saw 82 such cases filed in 2015, up from 46 in 2010. Ohio County was up from 13 in 2010 to 24 this past year. Switzerland County was an outlier in seeing a decline from 21 CHINS cases in 2010 falling to just 11 in 2015. Indiana has a shortage of independent adult advocates to aid abused children during court proceedings. According to the Indiana Supreme Court’s 2015-2016 report, there were 3,470 volunteers participating in guardian ad litem or court appointed special advocate programs. Those volunteers donated 334,164 hours of time to assist 26,443 children in the last state fiscal year. To report child abuse, call the 24-hour Indiana Child Abuse and Neglect Hotline, (800) 800-5556.