South Carolina Statistics of Maltreatment
According to data from 2016 17,331 children (nearly 16 children to every thousand) have experienced some form of maltreatment compared to the national average number of 671,622 (9 children for every thousand).
South Carolina children are suffering maltreatment at a higher rate than our nation’s children.
Of the children experiencing maltreatment, a large percentage of those children are aged 5 and under and even higher portions of children are 10 and under. Five and under rates are at 39% while the United States is 41%.
74% of the children ten and under are experiencing maltreatment which is equal to the nation’s average.
Children in the Foster Care System
As for children in foster care, they are likely to be age 6 and under. In South Carolina 1,531 or 39% of the children served in foster care are age 6 and under, compared to the nation's average of 178,822 children or 41%.
Domestic Violence
South Carolina has been within the top ten domestic violence states for over a decade. Experiencing domestic violence in childhood is one of the ten types of ACE’s and is highly correlated with children’s learning difficulties, attention and memory problems due to chronic stress, school performance challenges, and long-term chronic health conditions. Continued efforts to reduce the prevalence of domestic violence in South Carolina will improve outcomes for children and their families.
(Statistics provided by the South Carolina Early Childhood Data Report February 2019)