Child abuse up; advocates urge more preventive programs

Child advocates are blaming a tanking economy for a recent rise in child abuse, and nowhere is the rise more pronounced than in the suburbs.

While incidents of abuse have risen statewide about 5.5 percent, the increase in the suburbs is even more dramatic. In DuPage County, incidents increased from fiscal year 2007 to 2008 nearly 20 percent. In McHenry County, 21 percent. In Will County, 30 percent.

"Child welfare has always been joined at the hip with poverty," said Kendall Marlowe, a spokesman for the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services, the state's child welfare agency and the provider of the data.

Marlowe joined Tim Carpenter, whose group Fight Crime: Invest in Kids Illinois held a news conference with Cook County State's Attorney Anita Alvarez to advocate for more funding for programs that send social workers or nurses to high-risk pregnant women and mothers of children ages 0-2.

Carpenter said the programs are proven ways of reducing child abuse by as much as 50 percent.

"It's not just saying 'don't shake your baby,'" said Carpenter, who said the programs help mothers who are having trouble providing for their children connect with programs that can assist them, and make sure the children are getting proper health care and other needed services.

Such programs cost about $4,000 a year per mother, Carpenter said. But he said that is cheaper than dealing with problems on the back end. Illinois, when all child agencies and abuse courts are figured in, spends about $1.2 billion a year on the problem, he noted.

Carpenter would like the Illinois Legislature to increase funding to two specific state budget line items: one in the department of human services and one in the state board of education budget, each of which fund such programs.

The group also released a survey showing about 82 percent of Illinois police chiefs believe the recession will lead to an increase in abuse. Many suburban police chiefs are members of the group, including chiefs from Algonquin, Buffalo Grove, Hinsdale, Oakbrook, St. Charles and Gurnee.

As for why percentage increases in abuse are greater in the suburbs, the group was at a loss to explain.

"To be honest with you, we don't know," said Sally Puleo, a spokeswoman for the group.

Marlowe speculated that it might be related to changing financial demographics of the suburbs.