Funeral card of Eli Kevin Johnson, a three-year old in Oklahoma who was apparently beaten to death by his mother's boyfriend for wetting his pants. Photo courtesy of NPR.

NPR this week did a two-part series that looked at how state budget cuts hurt child welfare programs. The article quotes National Association of Social Workers member Michael Petit, who is president of the Every Child Matters Education Fund.

The Every Child Matters Education Fund is an organization dedicated to making children, youth and families a higher priority in national politics. NASW is one of its partner organizations.

Here is what Petit told NPR:

“(Petit) says that whether abuse and neglect cases are increasing or decreasing, the numbers are still staggering — almost 800,000 confirmed cases in 2007 and almost 2,000 deaths. Petit thinks the official numbers understate the actual incidence of abuse and neglect by as much as 50 percent.”

You can read Part I of the NPR series by clicking here and Part II by clicking here. The series also included an interactive map that offered a state-by-state look at child fatalities in 2007. The data is sobering. You can view it by clicking here.

To learn more about how NASW is working to stop child abuse and deaths visit its “We Can Do Better” Web page clicking here.