The number of children in the nation who become victims of child abuse and neglect continues to increase each year. In Texas, there were more than 173,000 reports of child abuse and neglect in 1995. Short of death or other serious injury, studies have shown that children who are abused and neglected often grow up with serious health, emotional, and developmental problems. In addition, such children are likely to experience difficulty in school and engage in anti-social, delinquent, and criminal behavior. Thus, child abuse affects the community indirectly as well, impacting upon the cost of care systems such as child welfare, education, health, and juvenile justice.
Abuse includes physical, sexual, mental, or emotional harm.
As one of the goals of this study is to document the chronology of changes in popular sentiment concerning child abuse and neglect in Texas, CTF will repeat this survey on a biennial basis. In addition, it is anticipated that these data will add to the understanding of how individual and environmental factors are interrelated in the etiology of child abuse and neglect. Finally, the survey findings will be used to guide strategic planning, program development, and implementation strategies to prevent the abuse and neglect of Texas children. Background The Children's Trust Fund of Texas Council was established in 1985 by the Texas Legislature to prevent the abuse and neglect of our children by leading the way in setting policy, offering resources for community prevention programs, and providing information and education on child abuse and neglect. CTF has been a state agency since 1991 and is the only agency in the state mandated to prevent child abuse and neglect.