Reduce child abuse and neglect deaths — IVP‑15 Data Methodology and Measurement

Child fatality due to maltreatment is defined as the death of a child as a result of abuse or neglect because either (a) an injury resulting from the abuse or neglect of a child was the cause of the death or (b) abuse and/or neglect were contributing factors to the cause of death. Data on child fatalities are collected from all states; some state offices of child protective services work closely with health departments or the coroner's office, whereas others rely more on their own records, including deaths reported to them by law enforcement. Only those fatalities that were known to CPS and reported in the Child File are included in these analyses. These are case-level data reported in the Child File and, therefore, are a subset of all child fatalities. Cases in which the age at death is unknown, including unborn children, are excluded. Child abuse and neglect death rates are calculated using the July 1 estimates of the resident population from the Vintage matching the data year for the postcensal period based on the prior decennial census. For example, July 1, 2016, resident population estimates from Vintage 2016 are used as the denominator for 2016 rates.