Metropolitan Family Services

July 6, 2008

ADDITIONAL INFO

Fast Facts

Child Abuse/Maltreatment

Children are one of the most vulnerable groups in our society.
Child abuse is reported- on average- every 10 seconds.
In 2002, there were 879,000 children in the United States found to be victims of child maltreatment.
More Children (age 4 and younger) die from child abuse and neglect than any other single leading cause of death for infants and young children.
On average, four children a day die as a result of abuse and neglect. There are 40,000 injuries to children from abuse each year.
Each year more than 3 million children in the U.S. are reported abused or neglected.
Primary caretakers are the most frequent perpetrators (81% are parents and another 16% are relatives. People in other care taking relationships such as child care providers, foster parents, and facility staff account for only 3% of perpetrators).
Research shows that adults who were themselves victims of child abuse and neglect as children are higher risk of becoming abusive parents.
Abused children lag behind nonabused children in learning new cognitive and social skills and have shown delayed academic achievement.
Children who are abused develop behavior problems, especially aggression, and have more emotional and mental health problems, particularly with depression, and are more likely to experience future family violence.
Childhood abuse predicts higher rates of criminality and arrests for violent offenses in adolescence and adulthood.

Family Facts and Statistics

There are 72,321,000 children under 18 living in the United States.
77% of mothers with children are in the labor force.
The number of children living in households with two biological parents has been steadily declining over the past two decades.
Although the majority of single parents are mothers, in recent years the number of single-father families has increased, accounting for 18 percent of all single parent families with children under age 18.
Recent research suggests that a positive, close relationship between parents and adolescents is related to lower rates of adolescent early sexual activity, drug use, and emotional distress. Negative relationships have been found to be related to negative psychological functioning.
More than 25% of American Families are providing some level of caregiving to a frail relative
Depression is a common problem among caregivers and use of respite services has been shown to prevent or reduce caregiver stresses linked to depression.

Metropolitan Facts

2,232 respite nights of care were provided to seniors.
125 children or teens with severe mental illness avoid hospitalization because their families receive therapeutic in-home respite services.
2,000 victims of domestic violence and their children find safety and develop plans for self-sufficiency through our multi-disciplinary intervention programs.
The clients of Metropolitan Family Services are 51% African American, 37% Caucasian, and 12% Latino.

Metropolitan Financial Facts

58% of financial support comes from government grants
23% of financial support comes from private contributions and United Way
8% of financial support comes from client fees
9% of financial support comes from endowment
2% of financial support comes from Trusts and miscellaneous sources
Eighty-six cents of every dollar received goes toward direct service to clients.