New Study Finds 2 in 5 Teen Parents Had Been Reported to Child Protective Services

Aresearchbrief by
Professor Emily
Putnam-Hornstein
has shednew light on
the experience ofteen
parents inLos
Angeles County. The
study, fundedby the
ConradN. Hilton
Foundationis one ina
four-part series,
“California’s Most
Vulnerable Parents.” It
looks at the rateof
maltreatment among
the largerpopulation
teenparents and
concludes that many
teenparents are
known to Child
Protective Services
(CPS) inthe decade
prior to givingbirth. Of
teens whogave birth
in2009 inLos
Angeles, 41.3 percent
hadbeen reportedfor
allegedmaltreatment
during the prior
decade toCPS; 19.7
percent had been
substantiatedand 9.6
percent had been
placed intofoster
care. These figures
are higherfor younger
adolescents andlower
for olderadolescents.

The findings come at
the same time that the
National Centerfor
HealthStatistics
reports that teen
pregnancy has hit
record lows.
According toits
recently releaseddata
brief, between1990
and2009, pregnancy
rates forteenagers
age 15to17were
down53percent while
pregnancy rates for
teenagers age 18to
19weredownby 36
percent. During the
same time, the birth
rate for teens alsofell
steadily alongwiththe
abortionrate for
teens.