INDIANAPOLIS — A new report presented to the Child Services Interim Study Committee showed injury remains the number one cause of death among Indiana’s children.
This comes as the state struggles to lower the number of kids dying from abuse and neglect.
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”The findings were eye-opening,” State Rep. Vanessa Summers (D-Indianapolis) said.
State Rep. Summers is part of that committee. She said she was shocked by two new child fatality reports from the Indiana Department of Child Services and the Indiana Department of Health released earlier this month.
”We don’t have the manpower of people to take care of those children when they’re in a vulnerable and dangerous situation,” State Rep. Summers said.
The DCS report stated from 2016-2022, the state saw an average of 60 deaths per year as a result of child abuse or neglect.
”It’s taking too long for us to get data,” said Braelynn Yerington with Champions for Children Indiana.