- Child Abuse - The Hidden Bruises
By the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. The statistics on physical child abuse are alarming. It is estimated hundreds of thousands of children are physically abused each year by a parent or close relative. Thousands die. For those who survive, the emotional trauma remains long after the external bruises have healed. Communities and the courts recognize that these emotional "hidden bruises" can be treated. Early recognition and treatment is important to minimize the long term effect of physical abuse.
(Added: Wed Jul 18 2001)
- Foster Care
Over 500,000 children in the U.S. currently reside in some form of foster care. Placements in foster care have dramatically increased over the past 10 years. Despite the increasing numbers, children in foster care and foster parents are mostly invisible in communities and often lack many needed supports and resources. In situations of abuse and neglect, children may be removed from their parents home by a child welfare agency and placed in foster care. Other reasons for foster placement include severe behavioral problems in the child and/or a variety of parental problems, such as abandonment, illness (physical or emotional), incarceration, AIDS, alcohol/substance abuse, and death.
(Added: Sun Oct 28 2001)
- Substance Exposed Infants and Children
Author: Diana Pinkerton. How Many Children Are Substance Exposed in Utero According to a study conducted by the National Association for Perinatal Addiction Research and Education, an estimated 375,000 newborns per year face serious health hazards due to their mother's prenatal drug use. It is estimated that 11 to 15% of the babies born in the United States today were exposed in utero to alcohol and/or other illicit drugs (Poulsen, 1991).
(Added: Sun Oct 28 2001)
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