Strengthening Families & Building Communities
to Keep Children Safe and Families Together

Child abuse and neglect impact all of our children, families, communities and society at large.


Communities play a critical role in both helping to keep children safe and strengthening families. Below you will learn what the cost of child abuse and neglect are to every community in California and ways to take action to strengthen families, build communities, and nurture childhoods. We all have a role to play. The solutions are within our reach.

Child Abuse and Neglect in California (2023)

1,265,843

Estimated Survivors, based on national estimates of child abuse prevalence.

444,755

Reported Survivors, or 0.85 every minute.

47,963

Substantiated Survivors, or 131 children each day.

86

Fatalities from child abuse and neglect.

$16.5 billion - Total economic burden incurred by California communities for the lifetime costs of survivors of child abuse and neglect in 2023.

1.37 million - Number of children that could be sent to preschool for that same amount.

Meet Anna

Childhood abuse results in a lifetime of economic effects.

Read one child's story

Impacts in Your County

Find the costs for for year

Choose Your County

Choose one or more counties to see the economic impact of child abuse and neglect. We will share your region’s estimate and a toolkit that will help you advocate for change below.

Questions?

Questions about the Calculator, or experiencing issues with the website? Read our FAQ.

Math Whiz?

Interested in how we calculate this or the research behind our model? You can download the technical appendix.

Send Me this Report

You can share the information above! Enter your email to receive:

  • a PDF of your county or region's data
  • a presentation template and press release template
  • sample social media language

Please share this information and educate others on the economic impact of child abuse and neglect.

Community Protective & Risk Factors

A variety of environmental factors place children and their families at greater risk for abuse and neglect. Other community-level factors can help protect children. Understanding these protective and risk factors will help you advocate for solutions that work in your community.

Read More

Take Action

Child abuse and neglect impacts us all.

Each community in California has a unique set of strengths that can help it prevent abuse. We believe that an effective approach to preventing abuse will:

Involve collaboration between nonprofits, businesses, government agencies, and community groups

Bolster individual, family, and community protective factors, particularly for populations placed in high-risk environments

Raise awareness of the devastating personal and economic impact of abuse

Address local risk factors and root causes of child abuse and neglect

Activate the community to protect every child

Help us prevent abuse before it happens by sharing this website with others in your community.

COLLABORATORS

Berkeley Haas logo
Blue Shield of California Foundation logo
Casey family programs logo
Conrad N. Hilton Foundation Logo
CWDA Logo
Golden Door Logo
The HAND foundation logo
Office of child abuse prevention Logo
S.H. Cowell Foundation Logo
Zellerbach Logo