CLASP’S Hutson on the Connection Between Poverty and Child Maltreatment

Spotlight on Poverty recently featured exclusive commentary by Rutledge Q. Hutson, Director of Child Welfare Policy at Center for Law and Social Policy, who outlines the connection between child abuse and neglect and poverty. Hutson delineates three basic ways in poverty and maltreatment contribute to each other.

• Poverty can prevent parents from adequately caring for their children.
• The stress of poverty can be the tipping point into abuse or maltreatment.
• Other conditions, such as substance abuse or mental health issues, may affect both parents’ involvement in the labor market and their ability to care adequately for their children.

Hutson provides broad policy and financing suggestions to address the relationship between poverty and maltreatment, elevating the creation and maintenance of an integrated service delivery system as key to supporting poor children and families.

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