Maryland
What Maryland reported to the federal government about the children in its custody and the children it investigated. Where a year says not reported, that is the record.
The funnel, FFY 2024
Maryland vs. national
What happened to reports of child maltreatment in Maryland in federal fiscal year 2024, at each decision point. Rates are what make states comparable; raw counts mostly measure population.
| Stage | Maryland | Rate | National |
|---|---|---|---|
| Referrals to CPSCounts: referrals | 67,147 | 49per 1,000 children | 59.3 |
| Screened in (became reports)Counts: referrals | 19,18028.6% of referrals | — | 47.1% |
| Screened outCounts: referrals | 47,96771.4% of referrals | — | 52.9% |
| Children investigated or given an alternative responseCounts: children | 21,932 | 16per 1,000 children | 40.6 |
| Child victims (substantiated or indicated)Counts: children | 6,272 | 4.6per 1,000 children | 7.2 |
| Child fatalitiesCounts: children | 46 | 3.35per 100,000 children | 2.41 |
Referrals, reports, children, and victims are four different denominators and are not interchangeable. A referral may concern more than one child; a child may appear in more than one referral; a victim is a child with a substantiated or indicated disposition. National figures are the Children's Bureau's own estimates, not sums of the state rows.
Source: Child Maltreatment 2024 (NCANDS), Tables 2-3, 3-1, 3-3, 4-1
What Maryland does not report
For the measures on this page, Maryland reported a figure in every year covered. That is not the same as the figures being complete or comparable — see the methodology for what the federal record does not measure at all.
Maltreatment and fatalities over time (NCANDS)
Child fatalities reported to NCANDS, Maryland, FFY2020 to FFY2024
Source: Child Maltreatment 2024 (NCANDS)
KARA VerifiedChild Maltreatment 2024 (NCANDS)FFY 2024Counts: child fatalities
Child maltreatment victims, Maryland, FFY2020 to FFY2024
Source: Child Maltreatment 2024 (NCANDS)
KARA VerifiedChild Maltreatment 2024 (NCANDS)FFY 2024Counts: child victims (substantiated or indicated)
Foster care (AFCARS)
| Measure | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adopted with public agency involvement | 355 | 344 | 294 | 361 | 348 | 353 | 293 | 245 | 220 | 252 |
| Entered foster care | 2,302 | 2,097 | 2,114 | 2,250 | 2,366 | 2,413 | 1,931 | 1,673 | 1,538 | 1,541 |
| Exited foster care | 2,594 | 2,397 | 2,131 | 2,176 | 2,196 | 2,237 | 1,973 | 1,325 | 1,858 | 1,725 |
| In foster care on September 30 | 4,467 | 4,032 | 3,914 | 3,841 | 3,923 | 3,973 | 3,816 | 3,801 | 3,635 | 3,609 |
| Children served in foster care | 7,061 | 6,429 | 6,045 | 6,017 | 6,119 | 6,210 | 5,789 | 5,124 | 5,491 | 5,334 |
| Termination of parental rights | 145 | 129 | 151 | 162 | 159 | 147 | 142 | 103 | 72 | 68 |
| Waiting for adoption | 498 | 464 | 508 | 468 | 481 | 385 | 371 | 347 | 354 | 372 |
Source: AFCARS state tables, FY2013 to FY2022
AFCARS 2020 rule, FFY2023 to FFY2025 (preliminary)
Collected under the AFCARS 2020 final rule, first effective FFY 2023. Counts include ages 0 to 23. Figures are preliminary estimates from submissions received by February 27, 2026, and states may still revise them. This series is not comparable with the FY 2013 to FY 2022 series, which was collected under the 1993 rule and counted a narrower population; this site does not join the two. Wyoming first submitted under the new rule for FFY 2024 and Washington for FFY 2025; earlier years for those states are shown as not reported.
| Measure | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Entered foster care | 1,299 | 1,269 | 1,480 |
| In foster care on September 30 | 3,831 | 3,599 | 3,703 |
| Exited foster care | 1,449 | 1,483 | 1,349 |
Counts: children (ages 0 to 23)
Source: AFCARS Dashboard, preliminary FFY2025 estimates (No. 33)
Maryland in the archive
What the numbers above cost, in KARA's own reporting.
- A Closer Look At Child Fatality and Egregious Incident Reporting
KARA reportingMike TikkanenMarch 8, 2026
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- Manner of Child Death Unknown (State by State)
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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 abused and neglected chi...
- A Closer Look At Child Fatality and Egregious Incident Reporting
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- Rich Gehrman Rebuttal of MAD Volunteer Guardian ad Litem Report
KARA reportingMike TikkanenOctober 18, 2023
The analysis by MAD is not, in my view, sufficiently compelling in some important respects to support the board in managing this risk. While I understand from a previous board meeting I attended as well as a legislative hearing on the topic...
- Hospital Mental health services closing across America May 12 – June 16 2023
KARA reportingMike TikkanenJune 16, 2023
Social media, political and community outrage and COVID Lockdown stress are overwhelming mental health caregivers and institutions in every community - Child suicide/self-harm are rising dramatically Speak out, Share this widely
- October Is Domestic Violence Awareness Month
KARA reportingMike TikkanenOctober 4, 2021
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 Antonio Guterres has w...
- Child Suicide Reporting (3 weeks ending 10.17.20)
KARA reportingMike TikkanenOctober 18, 2020
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 services are badly needed...
- COVID Child Abuse Update for July - August 2020
KARA reportingMike TikkanenAugust 27, 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 doors. Between March...