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The U.S. spends over $29 billion each year to identify and protect victims of child abuse and neglect through various Child Protective Services (CPS) processes and programs. Isolated allegations of child neglect (without concurrent abuse allegations) account for 60% of substantiated CPS allegations (confirmed as true).

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Excessive alcohol use is the third leading cause of preventable death in the United States[i] and has been made worse by the stress, anxiety, depression, and isolation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

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The COVID-19 pandemic has increased risk factors for child maltreatment [1],[2],[3]. It is, therefore, critical that policymakers ensure support in promoting safety, resilience, and overall well-being of vulnerable children and families.

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This is an official statement of the Society for Community Research and Action, Division 27 of the American Psychological Association, and does not represent the position of the American Psychological Association or any of its other Divisions or subunits.

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Trauma-informed care (TIC) refers to strategies that agencies, programs, and service providers can use to understand, identify, and respond to individuals who may have experienced trauma.

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Trafficking in persons is defined as the recruitment, transportation or acquisition of persons by force, coercion, fraud, deception, the abuse of power or of a position of vulnerability or of the giving or receiving of payments or benefits to achieve the consent of a person for the purpose of exploitation (UN Palermo Convention).

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Child maltreatment (sexual abuse, physical abuse, neglect) results in a yearly economic burden of $124 billion1 Approximately 4 million reports are made to Child Protective Services (CPS) each year involving 7.4 million children.