HomeThe Record, State by State › Virginia

The Record · VA

Virginia

Virginia: federal child-welfare figures and 61 pieces of KARA reporting, in full.

Federal child-welfare figures and KARA's reporting on Virginia.

4,484

Child maltreatment victims
NCANDS, FFY2024

2,372

Entered foster care
AFCARS, FY2022

5,039

In foster care on Sept 30
AFCARS, FY2022

Sources: NCANDS Child Maltreatment 2024; AFCARS state tables. Full record — every metric, every year, gaps labeled — on KARA SIGNAL

KARA reporting on Virginia

61 articles, newest first, republished in full.

June 26, 2026 · KARA Reporting

Child Abuse Prevention In America (videos & articles)

KARA reports on the issues of at risk children by curating a wide lens on child abuse and child protection. This post pulls together recent coverage from newspapers, universities, public health departments, UNICEF, the W

Colorado · Georgia · North Carolina · Oklahoma · South Carolina · Virginia

June 19, 2026 · KARA Reporting

Best & Worst States For America's Children

Where does your state rank in protecting children & what can you do to make improvements. These statistics tell the stories of our best and worst states around the nation

Arizona · Arkansas · California · Connecticut · Florida · Hawaii · Idaho · Illinois · Iowa · Louisiana · Maine · Massachusetts · Minnesota · Mississippi · Nevada · New Hampshire · New York · North Dakota · Oklahoma · Rhode Island · South Carolina · South Dakota · Tennessee · Texas · Vermont · Virginia · Washington · West Virginia · Wyoming

June 6, 2026 · KARA Reporting

America’s Child Abuse Emergency: 546,000 Victims, 2,000 Deaths, and a System That Chooses This

Child abuse in the United States is not rare or random. It is the predictable outcome of policy choices. In 2023, about 546,000 children were confirmed victims of abuse or neglect and an estimated 2,000 were killed, rou

Alaska · Florida · Iowa · Kansas · Kentucky · Maine · Massachusetts · Minnesota · Mississippi · Montana · New Hampshire · New Jersey · Pennsylvania · Rhode Island · South Dakota · Vermont · Virginia · Washington · West Virginia

June 4, 2026 · KARA Reporting

Child Endangerment (Star Tribune "IN HARM'S WAY")

Minnesota’s child protection system is repeatedly returning severely abused children to unsafe homes, and some are dying as a result. Drawing on the Star Tribune’s “In Harm’s Way” investigation, Safe Passage’s child fat

Minnesota · Virginia

May 2, 2026 · KARA Reporting

Essential Foster Care Videos and Podcasts: Powerful Resources for Foster Youth and Families

Aging Out of Foster Care: Hannah’s Story – Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption. Short video about abuse, instability in care, and aging out at 18, stressing that teens are never too old to need a permanent family.

Minnesota · Utah · Virginia · Wisconsin

November 29, 2025 · KARA Reporting

Why the CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate) Organization Is So Successful (calling all volunteers)

Over 48 years, CASA/GAL (Guardian ad Litem) programs have grown into a national network of more than 900 organizations with 80,000–100,000 guardian ad litem volunteers serving close to a quarter‑million abused and neglec

Arkansas · California · New York · North Dakota · Virginia

October 23, 2025 · KARA Reporting

Manner of Child Death Unknown (State by State)

WHEN YOU Share KARA’s reporting with FRIENDS, INSTAGRAM & FACEBOOK and most of all, your State Representative (find them here) change will come a little bit faster. When enough of us become informed and speak up for abus

Arizona · California · Colorado · Kentucky · Maryland · Michigan · Mississippi · Missouri · Nebraska · Nevada · Rhode Island · Virginia · Washington

September 22, 2025 · KARA Reporting

Child Endangerment (Star Tribune "IN HARM'S WAY")

The Star Tribune's investigative report titled "IN HARM'S WAY" provides a rare glimpse into the world of Child Protective Services. This report illuminates the disheartening fact that children often do not have a right t

Minnesota · Virginia

August 17, 2024 · KARA Reporting

Schools, Child Suicide, Nurses, & COVID

Repeated childhood trauma does cruel things to children. Things that never go away. Those things (behaviors/thoughts/self-harm/suicide) can be managed with help. Without help, depression, pain and sadness often become ov

Arizona · Colorado · Florida · Massachusetts · Minnesota · Vermont · Virginia

December 13, 2022 · KARA Reporting

Criminalizing Elementary School Children

When 14-year-old Ryan Turk cut ahead of the lunch line to grab a milk, he didn't expect to get in trouble. He certainly didn't plan to end up in handcuffs. But Turk, a black student at Graham Park Middle School, was arre

Mississippi · South Carolina · Virginia

June 10, 2022 · KARA Reporting

Child Welfare Articles and Statistics For Week of 6.10.2022

Child Welfare Articles and Statistics For Week of 6.10.2022

Arizona · Florida · Georgia · Illinois · Kansas · Michigan · Minnesota · North Dakota · Oregon · Tennessee · Texas · Virginia

October 4, 2021 · KARA Reporting

October Is Domestic Violence Awareness Month

Watching your mother being beat up or raped is the same trauma as being beaten or raped to a five or nine year old. Untreated trauma lasts forever and it changes a person forever. The United Nation's-Secretary General An

Alabama · Alaska · Arizona · Arkansas · California · Colorado · Connecticut · Delaware · Florida · Georgia · Hawaii · Idaho · Illinois · Indiana · Iowa · Kansas · Kentucky · Louisiana · Maine · Maryland · Massachusetts · Michigan · Minnesota · Mississippi · Missouri · Montana · Nebraska · Nevada · New Hampshire · New Jersey · New Mexico · New York · North Carolina · North Dakota · Ohio · Oklahoma · Oregon · Pennsylvania · Rhode Island · South Carolina · South Dakota · Tennessee · Texas · Utah · Vermont · Virginia · Washington · West Virginia · Wisconsin · Wyoming

August 19, 2021 · KARA Reporting

Domestic Violence Report August 2021

For abused children, there have been no classrooms to escape to and many mandated reporters have been unable to visit children to hear their stories and see their bruises. This must feel like a war to children living in

California · Connecticut · Florida · Missouri · New York · Ohio · Pennsylvania · South Carolina · Texas · Virginia · Wisconsin

November 21, 2020 · KARA Reporting

COVID & Child Suicide November 2020

KARA (Kids At Risk Action) tracks current news about at risk children bringing transparency and attention to our youngest and most vulnerable citizens. The COVID pandemic has interrupted most major media reporting of chi

California · Kentucky · Missouri · Virginia

October 18, 2020 · KARA Reporting

Child Suicide Reporting (3 weeks ending 10.17.20)

These articles reflect current trends in child suicide & self-harm in America today. Only a fraction of child/youth suicides are successful. The vast majority of self-inflicted harm remains invisible. Mental health servi

Colorado · Florida · Maryland · North Carolina · Oregon · Tennessee · Virginia

September 26, 2020 · KARA Reporting

Criminalizing Elementary School Children (policing our schools & punishment)

Federal Funding, Zero Tolerance and Inadequate Alternatives mean that more states are policing schools with armed officers. Before the 1970's police were almost absent from elementary and junior high schools. Today, arme

Mississippi · South Carolina · Virginia

September 24, 2020 · KARA Reporting

What Child Abuse Looked Like in America Last Week (a snapshot)

Those of us that know about the traumas abused children suffer need to say more if we are ever to reverse the trend of generational child abuse in America. These articles were compiled over the last week. The COVID pande

California · District of Columbia · Illinois · Indiana · Massachusetts · Michigan · Missouri · North Carolina · Ohio · Pennsylvania · Virginia · Washington

September 21, 2020 · KARA Reporting

Police vs Social Worker and what happened to an autistic child when the wrong one showed up

Police encounters with mentally ill people can have deadly consequences: according to the nonprofit Treatment Advocacy Center, people suffering from untreated mental illness are 16 times more likely to be killed in inter

Utah · Virginia

September 14, 2020 · KARA Reporting

Signs That You Are a Mental Health Worker

Andy Steiner’s social workers as backbone of the mental health workforce Minnpost article belies a much deeper truth about the depth and scope of mental health in our communities at this time. Generational child abuse ha

California · Iowa · Maine · Minnesota · New Hampshire · North Dakota · Virginia

August 27, 2020 · KARA Reporting

COVID Child Abuse Update for July - August 2020

Almost every school building in the country is closed Fewer than half of students are participating in online learning in some schools, The reporting of child abuse is dropping by as much as 70% since schools shut their

Florida · Maryland · New Jersey · North Carolina · Texas · Virginia · West Virginia

June 10, 2020 · KARA Reporting

The Pandemic Impacting Child Abuse and Foster Care (state by state)

Because schools are closed, after-school activities are canceled and churches aren't having youth groups and community activity with trusted adults outside the home have evaporated - the chances an abused child can find

Alaska · Arizona · California · Colorado · Connecticut · Florida · Georgia · Idaho · Illinois · Indiana · Iowa · Kansas · Kentucky · Louisiana · Maine · Massachusetts · Michigan · Minnesota · Missouri · Montana · Nebraska · Nevada · New Hampshire · New Mexico · New York · North Carolina · Ohio · Oklahoma · Oregon · Rhode Island · South Carolina · Tennessee · Texas · Virginia · Washington · Wisconsin

December 16, 2019 · KARA Reporting

Guardian ad-Litem Blogs & News

Guardian ad litem program needs volunteers in Anderson area Anderson Independent Mail Trained volunteers in the Cass Elias McCarter Guardian ad Litem Program helped more than 10000 abused or neglected South Carolina chil

Colorado · Connecticut · Florida · Illinois · Iowa · Minnesota · Montana · North Carolina · Ohio · Pennsylvania · Virginia

August 1, 2019 · KARA Reporting

CASA Guardian Ad Litem Activity Around the Nation (where you live)

News and stories from around the U.S. from June and July 2019. Find your CASA news here;

Iowa · Montana · New Mexico · Oklahoma · Rhode Island · South Carolina · Texas · Utah · Virginia · Washington · Wisconsin

July 16, 2019 · KARA Reporting

Hard to Watch; Immigration & Children as Political Footballs

Dropping napalm on children and families in Vietnam (PBS video) was an unforgivable evil. Thousands of small children died by napalm. Burned alive is the most painful death anyone can suffer. Survivors live with scars an

Texas · Virginia

January 10, 2019 · KARA Reporting

Recent Child Burns/Torture Reporting & Statistics

Only the worst child abuse is reported Most child child trauma and torture is not discovered Find your state & resources here;

Alabama · Kansas · New York · Ohio · Utah · Virginia · Wisconsin

October 24, 2018 · KARA Reporting

September 2018 Child Sex Abuse & Trafficking (I)

KARA (Kids At Risk Action) tracks current news about at risk children bringing transparency and attention to our youngest and most vulnerable citizens. Human trafficking is rapidly growing crime across Tennessee In Tenne

Florida · Massachusetts · Michigan · North Carolina · Oklahoma · Tennessee · Texas · Virginia

August 21, 2018 · KARA Reporting

July Child Sex Abuse/Child Trafficking (part 4)

hundreds of allegations of missing children and child sex trafficking

California · Illinois · Iowa · Maryland · Pennsylvania · Virginia

August 9, 2018 · KARA Reporting

Child Sex Abuse for July 2018 (part 4)

37% of children overall and 54% of Black children are reported to child protection services in America by the time they turn 18. (American Journal of Public Health 1.17) 6 to 12 million children a year are reported to ch

California · Illinois · Iowa · Pennsylvania · Virginia

August 8, 2018 · KARA Reporting

July 2018 Child Abuse / Child Protection (part 3)

KARA (Kids At Risk Action) tracks current news about at risk children bringing transparency and attention to our youngest and most vulnerable citizens. This reporting is only sampling of what should be reported – the gre

Florida · Illinois · Michigan · New York · North Carolina · Ohio · Tennessee · Texas · Virginia

March 22, 2018 · KARA Reporting

Sad Stories Feb 2018 Part VI (foster care stories and statistics)

KARA (Kids At Risk Action) tracks current news about at risk children bringing transparency and attention to our youngest and most vulnerable citizens. KARA’s reporting is only sampling of what should be reported – the g

Arizona · California · Connecticut · Iowa · Kentucky · Minnesota · Oregon · Texas · Virginia

March 1, 2018 · KARA Reporting

Sad Stories Feb 2018 Part I (child abuse - child death stories & statistics)

37% of children overall and 57% of Black children are reported to child protection services in America by the time they turn 18. (American Journal of Public Health 1.17) 12 million children a year are reported to child p

Florida · Georgia · Indiana · Virginia

December 31, 2017 · KARA Reporting

December 2017 Sad Stories Part I (child abuse stories & articles from your state)

Today, many state ward children are the 4th and 5th generation of abused children raising their own families without parenting skills and with serious drug, alcohol and mental health issues 37% of children overall and 57

Louisiana · Missouri · New Jersey · North Dakota · Oklahoma · Texas · Virginia

August 21, 2017 · KARA Reporting

The Problem With Accommodating Hate (& hateful people)

Wanting to get along is a blessing and a curse. Most of us lean towards accommodation and away from conflict. We avoid conflict and accept behaviors & beliefs in others that stretch us to our limits. Caring friends may a

Arizona · California · Virginia

August 19, 2016 · KARA Reporting

August Sad Stories (part 1)

KARA tracks current news about at risk children bringing transparency and attention to our youngest and most vulnerable citizens. Please note that what you see here is only a sampling of what should be reported – the gre

California · Idaho · Michigan · Minnesota · New Jersey · Oklahoma · Pennsylvania · Texas · Virginia

August 13, 2016 · KARA Reporting

CASA Guardian ad Litem News From Around the Nation July 2016

FIND YOUR CASA here – This page tells the stories of CASA’s around the U.S. If you are not listed, send me your info and we will include it. Thank you KARA volunteers for your research and writing on this page. All Adult

Alabama · Connecticut · Florida · Georgia · Missouri · Nevada · North Carolina · Oregon · Tennessee · Texas · Virginia

July 16, 2016 · KARA Reporting

July 2016 Sad Stories (part 1)

This page is a compilation of child protection news from around the nation (with some international reporting) for the month of June (through June 25) If you would like to help KARA gather and report news from your commu

California · Florida · Illinois · Kentucky · Maine · Pennsylvania · Rhode Island · Texas · Virginia

June 25, 2016 · KARA Reporting

CASA guardian ad-Litem News Around the Nation for June 2016

FIND YOUR CASA here - This page tells the stories of CASA's around the U.S. If you are not listed, send me your info and we will include it. Thank you Sai Yang and Century College for your research and writing on this pa

California · Illinois · Kentucky · Louisiana · Missouri · Montana · Nebraska · New Jersey · New York · North Carolina · Ohio · Texas · Virginia

May 2, 2016 · KARA Reporting

ACES Connection (articles from April)

MARC Advisor: Brenda Jones Harden, PhD, ACEsConnection.com Dr. Brenda Jones Harden is Associate Professor in the Department of Human Development and Quantitative Methodology at the University of Maryland College Park. He

Alaska · Illinois · Michigan · Minnesota · North Dakota · Oregon · Pennsylvania · Tennessee · Virginia

February 26, 2016 · KARA Reporting

February Sad Stories (2016 KARA reporting)

AZ: DCS Completing More Investigations, But Court Cases Increase (Includes audio)

Alabama · Connecticut · Florida · Georgia · New York · Oklahoma · Texas · Virginia

January 1, 2016 · KARA Reporting

5 People / Week Accidentally Shot By Children (thank you Wayne LaPierre)

265 Moms, dads, brothers, sisters and selves were shot by very young children this year. This is the first time data on people shot by children has been collected in America. I'm guessing it will go up n next year. There

California · Colorado · Florida · Kentucky · Louisiana · Oregon · South Carolina · Virginia

August 19, 2015 · KARA Reporting

Child Death and Child Abuse Articles (for August 2015 - find your state/country here)

CA: County responses unacceptable (Opinion) Ukiah Daily Journal - August 02, 2015 The Mendocino County Health and Human Services Agency's response to the Grand Jury is one of the most twisted documents I have ever read.

Colorado · Illinois · Iowa · Kentucky · Massachusetts · Texas · Virginia · Wisconsin

July 26, 2015 · KARA Reporting

Child Death and Child Abuse Articles (for July 2015 - find your state/country here)

KARA tracks child abuse and death articles from around the nation (and some international cases). Most non death child abuse cases never make it into the media. This page is KARA's discovery of information through July 2

Alaska · California · Colorado · Connecticut · Florida · Georgia · Hawaii · Illinois · Kansas · Louisiana · Maryland · Massachusetts · Michigan · Montana · Nevada · New York · Virginia

May 31, 2015 · KARA Reporting

Virginia Abandons Abused Children To Death (200 unanswered calls never reported)

Minnesota is not the only state to fail abused children to death (8 children since Eric dean last year). Virginia child protective services has just been discovered to have ignored, then hidden (and erased) over 200 tele

Arizona · Minnesota · Virginia

May 31, 2015 · KARA Reporting

Child Protection News Gathered Nationally (find your state here)

ALL ADULTS ARE THE PROTECTORS OF ALL CHILDREN Most of our news for this page (300 + articles) is gathered from; Child Welfare in the News is distributed at no charge by Child Welfare Information Gateway (www.childwelfare

California · Colorado · Florida · Massachusetts · Montana · North Carolina · Texas · Virginia

December 3, 2014 · KARA Reporting

It Happens Over and Over (profound child abuse - child death - inadequate reporting & response)

This is my take from Brandon's article of Nov 30th (linked above) Minnesota's recent brutal murder of 4 year old Eric Dean after 14 ignored reports of child abuse by mandated reporters (and one family assessment) is beco

Arizona · Colorado · Florida · Maine · Minnesota · Ohio · Texas · Virginia

July 11, 2014 · KARA Reporting

It Could Be Worse (Virginia screens out 83% of all child abuse complaints)

Minnesota screens out 66% of child abuse complaints overall, but 4 MN counties screen out 90%. The only good thing to say about conditions in Virginia is that there seems to be some transparency in the reporting which on

Connecticut · Minnesota · Virginia

August 29, 2013 · KARA Reporting

CASA & GUARDIAN AD - LITEM NEWS (for August)

Local children in desperate need of CASAs. Court Appointed Special Advocates Arizona Silver Belt A CASA is a Court Appointed Special Advocate, who is there to represent a neglected or abused child's best interests and n

California · Illinois · Kentucky · Michigan · Mississippi · New Jersey · Ohio · Pennsylvania · Texas · Virginia

June 6, 2013 · KARA Reporting

CASA guardian ad-Litem News From Around The Nation

Without court appointed CASA volunteers, America's abused and neglected children have no voice in the homes they are raised in or the homes they live in foster care. States like Virginia are now forcing children back int

Florida · North Carolina · Virginia

April 1, 2013 · KARA Reporting

Tracking America's Most At Risk Children (Weekly)

Teen who killed baby sentenced to 90 days October 18, 2012. Colorado. Dylan Kuhn had called authorities stating that his 6-month-old daughter was found hanging from her crib by her next and that she wasn’t breathing. Aut

Colorado · New Mexico · Oregon · Pennsylvania · Tennessee · Virginia

February 19, 2013 · KARA Reporting

CASA guardian ad-Litem News From Around The Nation

Without court appointed CASA guardian ad-Litems, America's at risk children have no voice in the homes they are raised in or for years as state wards in foster care. Some states (Virginia most recently) are moving toward

California · Colorado · Indiana · Ohio · Oklahoma · Oregon · Pennsylvania · Virginia · Wisconsin

July 20, 2012 · KARA Reporting

Michael Swanson, Jeff Weise, James Holmes, Virginia Tech; Tons of Avoidable Pain

I know parents who have lost children to murder and violent death. It ruins lives far beyond the coffin. Violent Death spouse and children images stay with us forever. Still, no likes the conversation. Virginia Tech, Men

Illinois · Indiana · Iowa · Michigan · Minnesota · New Jersey · Virginia

July 17, 2012 · KARA Reporting

The Holocaust of Innocence Tour and Documentary

The National Holocaust of Innocence Tour and Documentary/Research Project August 1, 2012, we will be kicking off from Shreveport, Louisiana and will end after May 25, 2013 Washington D.C. two day Rally and Million Surviv

Alabama · Arizona · Arkansas · California · Colorado · Delaware · Florida · Georgia · Illinois · Kansas · Louisiana · Maryland · Massachusetts · Michigan · Missouri · Nebraska · New Jersey · New York · North Carolina · Ohio · Oklahoma · Oregon · Tennessee · Texas · Utah · Virginia · Washington · Wisconsin

April 30, 2012 · KARA Reporting

Children Murdered In Kentucky, Governor Beshear Hides The Evidence

Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear is hiding the records of dozens of dead children (from child abuse) because life for abused children is so awful in his state he wants it hidden from the rest of the nation. The core issue

Indiana · Kentucky · Minnesota · Virginia

October 30, 2010 · KARA Reporting

The Heart Of Child Protection Services

As budgets shrink, more states and counties have fewer resources to save abused and neglected children from the immediate dangers they face in their homes and the future problems that come along with the abuse (preteen p

Pennsylvania · Utah · Virginia · Washington

April 18, 2010 · KARA Reporting

This Weeks Important At Risk Youth News

This is a compilation of recent news that reflects the conditions of youth and youth policy in the U.S. this past few weeks. Thank you Jamie Wilt and Century College for your hard work and good programs.

Florida · Hawaii · Illinois · Indiana · North Carolina · Virginia

April 2, 2010 · KARA Reporting

Mental Health, Drug & Alcohol Abuse Programs Don't Cost They Save

Programs that help youth understand these issues and how to cope with them are one of the best investments that we can make in our youth and our community. Not having programs is expensive. Just ask the people that lost

Colorado · Minnesota · Nevada · Ohio · Virginia

March 28, 2010 · KARA Reporting

Breaking The Cycle Of Abuse

For every dollar spent on Healthy Families, $4 to $7 in saved in intervention and health care costs, according to program statistics.

February 24, 2010 · KARA Reporting

Ruben Rosario on Victor Vieth's Dream of Ending Child Abuse

As a guardian ad-Litem, I know that most child abuse cases are not reported. Recently an acquaintance admitted to witnessing the prostitution of a very young girl and not reporting it. He had remorse and felt endangered.

Minnesota · Virginia

February 3, 2010 · KARA Reporting

Be A Part of Reforming America's Child Protection System

The weekly subject-oriented, solutions-driven program broadcasts online at www.blogtalkradio.com/CWLA-Radio, Wednesdays, 2:00-2:30 pm ET and feature indepth, timely discussions with leading child welfare experts, agents,

January 8, 2010 · KARA Reporting

Growing Up In America

One of my guardian ad-Litem youth walked home for many hours on a below zero Minnesota night without a coat because of the abuse he received at a juvenile detention center. He had had enough troubles for a lifetime befor

California · Illinois · Indiana · Maryland · Michigan · Minnesota · Missouri · New Jersey · New York · North Carolina · Oklahoma · Pennsylvania · Tennessee · Texas · Virginia

April 25, 2007 · KARA Reporting

Saving Ourselves From the Next Virginia Tech

At that time in Minnesota there were 15 child psychiatrists in the entire state (population about 4 million) and the student to counsellor ratio in MN high schools was 900 to 1. As a child advocate (long time guardian ad

Minnesota · Virginia

Need help now? Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline: 1-800-422-4453

Quick Exit ✕