2023 West Virginia child abuse statistics released

Thursday, January 11, 2024

Hoops Family Children’s Hospital Child Advocacy Center serves more than 275 children

The Hoops Family Children’s Hospital Child Advocacy Center (HFCH CAC), the only-hospital based CAC in Huntington, served 278 victims of child abuse in 2023. A CAC provides a safe, child-friendly facility where child protection, criminal justice and child treatment professionals work together to investigate abuse, hold offenders accountable and help children heal.

During this past fiscal year, West Virginia CACs served 4,879 children – a 10% increase in new children served in the last five years. Some of the highlights from the HFCH CAC report include:

• 68% of children served were because of allegations of sexual abuse
• 11% of children served were 13 years old or younger
• 96% of alleged offenders were someone the child knew
• 8% of children were reported to have one or more disabilities

“As the only hospital-based child advocacy center in the Huntington area, we are committed to offering children and families the compassionate care that is necessary to reduce the trauma often experienced by children who are victims of abuse,” said Angela Seay, BA, MS, LSW, coordinator of the HFCH CAC. “By providing a safe environment with trained professionals and medical providers for therapy, courtroom preparation, victim advocacy, forensic interviews and medical exams, we are better able to advocate for our at-risk patients.” This data was derived from the West Virginia Child Advocacy Network (WVCAN) Statewide Data Report including West Virginia’s 21 CACs, which serve 45 of 55 counties in the state. The WVCAN report includes data on victim demographics, alleged offender demographics, reported vs. disclosed abuse, services performed, criminal justice response, and CAC income budget breakdown. The full statewide data report can be found here.

For more information about the HFCH CAC, please call 304.526.2349 or visit www.hoopschildrens.org.