While child maltreatment occurs in all strata of society, and most low-income families will never come into contact with the child welfare system, poverty is the most consistent and strongest predictor of having an open child protection case.1 Three-quarters of the 676,000 victims of child maltreatment in 2016 were found to be victims of neglect,2 and neglect was the associated primary reason for removal in 61 percent of all cases.3 Research makes clear that individual poverty is a significant risk factor for neglect.4,5,6,7 In addition, the high concentration of poverty in a community has been associated with increased rates of child abuse fatalities. For instance, one study found that the rate of child abuse fatalities was three times higher in poor counties compared to wealthier counties.
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