Every year, tens of thousands of Kansas families are reported to the Department of Children and Family Services for child abuse. And every year, the vast majority of those claims are found to be unsubstantiated.
DCFS, however, is unable to account for large fluctuations in the number of yearly claims over the last 10 years and has declined to answer questions about those fluctuations and changes in policy.
In 2014,
there were 33,740 abuse reports to DCFS, of which 31,700, or about 94%, DCFS said were unsubstantiated. In 2023, the last year for which numbers are available, there were a total of 18,123 reports, of which 4% were substantiated an 96% were not.
That’s a significant drop in the number of abuse reports, numbers were similar in 2022 with a total of 18,983 reports — just under 97% of them unsubstantiated.
However, the 2020 and 2021 numbers were closer to the historical average of around 30,000 reports per year. There were also significant single-year drops in 2017 and 2019, with numbers spiking back to historical averages the following year.
The Sentinel asked DCFS to explain to what the department attributed these drops.
DCFS Deputy Director of Media Relations Erin LaRow said that the standard of evidence and the types of “finding” changed.
“In July 2016 (SFY 2017), the standard of evidence was changed from clear and convincing to preponderance,” LaRow said. “In addition, a new finding type of ‘affirmed’ was added, which created a three-tiered system.”
The Sentinel also asked about the fluctuations and what could be done to prevent the large number of spurious claims.
LaRow replied that DCFS “accepts reports in good faith from mandated reporters and the public. Mandated reporters can attend trainings presented by our partners at the Kansas Children’s Service League (KCSL) to learn more about their responsibilities.”
What constitutes “good faith” and how mandated reporter training would reduce the thousands of false claims is unclear.
By LaRow’s admission, DCFS also does not track the number of claims made against single-parent homes compared to two-parent homes or whether there were more accusations against women or men in single-parent homes, although this information should be contained in the DCFS worker’s reports.
The Sentinel then asked LaRow to explain the “three-tier” system and why the number of parents in a home and the sex of the person reported for abuse is not tracked, but has received no response.
The largest counties in Kansas track more-or-less with the state averages, with two counties, Sedgwick and Douglas, showing a decrease — albeit small — in the number of “unsubstantiated” claims between 2014 and 2023.
In Johnson County, 93% of claims were unsubstantiated in 2014 and 98% in 2023. Sedgwick County went from 97% unsubstantiated in 2014 to 96% in 2023. Wyandotte County went from 94% to 95%; Shawnee went from 93% to 97% unsubstantiated, and Douglas County went from 96% to 95%.
Good news, bad news on child abuse
The good news is, at least for 2022 and 2023, the total number of child abuse claims is down significantly, and the vast majority of claims are unsubstantiated. Indeed, state-wide, there were only about 1,300 substantiated claims over those two years.
Additionally, in 2023, 100% of abuse claims in 36 out of 105 counties in Kansas were unsubstantiated. One county—Comanche—had zero claims.
The bad news is that between 2014 and 2023, there were 253,014 claims of child abuse — a significant portion of the population of Kansas — of which 14,890 were substantiated.
It is unclear how many of those spurious claims are repeat calls, and DCFS does not track the impact on single-parent homes.
Moreover, according to some statistics, false allegations are common in custody proceedings, and up to 70% of domestic violence charges presented during custody battles are false.
