The Inter-Agency Council on Child Abuse and Neglect hosted its annual Policy Committee Meeting on Thursday. The meeting was chaired by Sheriff Robert Luna, ICAN chairperson.

Specific areas of discussion and recommended action at this meeting included the state of child abuse in the county, efforts to address the traumatic effects of family violence on children, the alarming rise in childhood depression, attempted suicides, the impact of opioids on newborns, youth, and families, and child fatalities from abuse, accidents, unsafe sleep and suicide.

– In 2022, 320 children and youth attempted suicide. 185 by overdosing on opioids.

– 3 children in Los Angeles County per month die from opioid overdose.

– 23 children took their own lives.  The leading method was hanging, followed by gunfire.

– 12 children died at the hands of their parents/caretakers.  10 of these deaths involved children under 4 years of age.

– For the first year since ICAN began tracking child deaths, women were the primary perpetrators of child abuse homicides.

– Half of all child abuse homicide perpetrators were known to DCFS as a victim when they were children.

– Children under 2 years of age continue to be the primary victims of abuse, and accidental deaths.

– An average of 1000 newborns a year are identified as substance affected and referred to DCFS.

The ICAN Policy Committee meeting provides an important forum for agencies and advocates to come together to share information and data on the welfare of children in Los Angeles County, discuss barriers to child well-being and preventative programs and services to address the harmful impacts of abuse, neglect, and family violence.

ICAN presented recommendations to address key concerns for approval by the Policy Committee members. Additionally, ICAN released its 3 annual reports:

– The ICAN Child Death Review Team Report

– The State of Child Abuse in Los Angeles County

– Safely Surrendered and Abandoned Babies

“As your Sheriff, I am aware that child abuse affects the quality of life within our families and communities. I am also convinced that the prevention of harm to children can be the greatest hope for preventing crime. It is not surprising to me that the ICAN “Child Death Review Team” determined that nearly half of the perpetrators of fatal child abuse were former child victims with previous DCFS caseloads.”
Robert G. Luna, Los Angeles County Sheriff

“Over the past three years, pediatric mental health emergency calls to the county Fire Department have increased by 15 percent.  Likewise, the rising tide of mental health emergencies amongst our adult population has a huge impact on the rates of physical and mental abuse and neglect on children across the County of Los Angeles.  In addition, our communities have been hit hard by the opioid crisis.  Not only do our children have to endure the loss of parents and grandparents, but our Fire Department, over the same three-year period, has responded to the opioid related death of 122 children, which is more than three per month”.
Clayton Kazan, MD, Medical Director, Los Angeles County Fire Department.

“Child Abuse is not a law enforcement, or a mental health, or a child welfare issue, it’s a system-wide issue, a community issue, a neighborhood issue, and a personal issue.  Preventing harm to a child can be as simple as reaching out to a stressed neighbor struggling with 3 small children. In fact, this very outreach might have saved the lives of child homicide victims included in the report of the ICAN Child Death Review Team. Isolation is a key risk factor for these very young victims, never seen outside of the home before their tragic death.”
Deanne Tilton Durfee, Executive Director, ICAN