
The September Surge: Understanding Seasonal Patterns in Child Abuse Detection
By Ryan T. McGuire, Woodnick Law Clerk When COVID-19 lockdowns began in March 2020, child welfare agencies noticed a significant decline in child abuse reports. [1] But did child abuse actually drop during the pandemic? Unlikely. Data from Arizona’s Department of Child Safety (DCS) reveals a telling pattern. In June 2024, the agency received 2,756 abuse reports across the state