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Child Abuse and Its Relationship to Poverty
Part 2
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CAN sees children from all different demographics and socioeconomic backgrounds, but over half of the children who receive services at CAN come from zip codes with low-to-moderate income tracts. Poverty does not cause child abuse but research demonstrates that poverty is one of the main risk factors contributing to child abuse.
The social and environmental risk factors associated with severe abuse include low socioeconomic status; lack of access to medical care, health insurance, adequate child care and social services;
homelessness;
parental unemployment; social isolation and/or lack of social support; and dangerous and/or violent neighborhoods or community violence. These risk factors are also all associated with poverty, which helps to explain why impoverished children are more likely to face abuse.
When a child comes to CAN with a protecting parent, CAN's mental health consultations provide that parent with referrals to community resources who can help with the family's unique needs. In many cases in which poverty is involved, CAN is able to talk with the caregiver about what basic needs the family may have and direct them to the right places and even make appointments for the family to ensure they receive the support they need.
*This article is the second part of a series on Child Abuse and Its Relationship to Poverty.
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