LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles County Inter-Agency Council on Child Abuse and Neglect or ICAN convened its latest Policy Committee meeting, bringing together leaders, agencies, and advocates dedicated to protecting the children of Los Angeles County.
Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna, who serves as ICAN co-chairperson, delivered remarks emphasizing the critical need for cross-agency collaboration to protect vulnerable children and support at-risk families. ICAN serves as the official organization in Los Angeles County dedicated to the prevention, intervention, and treatment of child abuse.
Sheriff Luna highlighted the far-reaching impacts of child abuse, noting its connection to numerous social challenges, including educational struggles, mental health crises, and future involvement in the criminal justice system. Sheriff Luna pointed out that many individuals incarcerated in Los Angeles County jails have histories of childhood trauma, underscoring the long-term consequences of untreated abuse.
Findings presented by the ICAN child death review team further illustrated the tragic cycle of abuse, with nearly half of individuals responsible for fatal child abuse cases having been victims themselves within the Department of Children and Family Services or DCFS system. These findings emphasize the urgent need for early intervention and supportive services for children and families in crisis.
At the meeting, ICAN released three comprehensive reports:
- The State of Child Abuse in Los Angeles County
- The ICAN Child Death Review Team Report
- The Report on Safely Surrendered and Abandoned Babies
These reports were accompanied by policy and practice recommendations developed by ICAN’s committees, which focus on enhancing prevention efforts, strengthening intervention strategies, and improving outcomes for children and families.
Among the key findings highlighted in the reports, ICAN drew attention to the significant impacts of domestic violence on children, as well as the devastating effects of opioid addiction on parents and children of all ages. The reports reflect input from a wide range of professionals across multiple fields, whose expertise and frontline experience are essential to ICAN’s mission.
In 2023, 197 children under 18 died from homicide, suicide, accidents, or undetermined causes. Six were killed by parents or caretakers, primarily biological fathers, often in domestic violence cases. Over half of these offenders had experienced childhood abuse.
Suicide claimed 26 children, with firearms surpassing hanging as the leading method. Overdoses, accounting for nearly 20% of cases, more than doubled the five-year average. Many victims had histories with child welfare or mental health services.
Motor vehicle accidents were the top cause of accidental deaths, followed by overdoses, which surged by 87.5%. Unsafe sleep practices led to 24 infant deaths. Children under two remain the most vulnerable to abuse.
Each year, 1,000 newborns are identified as substance-affected and referred to child protective services. In 2024, 73% of 22 child abduction cases involved domestic violence. As of January 2025, 147 child abduction cases remain active. Since its inception, the Safe Surrender Program has placed 282 infants into adoptive homes.
The collaborative work of ICAN’s teams, committees, and public awareness campaigns continues to play a vital role in saving lives and protecting the county’s most vulnerable residents.
Following the release of these reports, ICAN executive director Deanne Tilton Durfee provided an overview of key findings and highlighted the importance of continued collaboration, innovation, and community engagement in the fight to end child abuse in Los Angeles County.
“Child Abuse is not a law enforcement, or a mental health, or a child welfare issue, it’s a system-wide issue, a community issue, a neighborhood issue, and a personal issue, said Tilton Durfee. “Preventing harm to a child can be as simple as reaching out to a stressed neighbor struggling with 3 small children or picking up the phone and calling the Child Abuse Hotline. In fact, this very outreach might have saved the lives of child victims included in the reports of the ICAN Child Death Review Team. Isolation is a key risk factor for young victims, never seen outside of the home before their tragic death.”