Alberta - Statistics

Child Maltreatment Investigations in Alberta, 2003* and 2008**

  2003 2008
Child population 752,005 775,175
Number of child maltreatment investigations 32,453 27,147
Incidence of child maltreatment investigations per 1000 children 43.16 35.02

Type of Child Maltreatment Investigation in Alberta, 2008**

  Number Rate per 1,000 children Percent
Maltreatment Investigation 22,761 35.02 84%
Risk Investigation 4,386 5.66 16%

Categories of Substantiated Child Maltreatment Investigations in Alberta, 2008**

Category of Maltreatment Number Rate per 1,000 children Percent
Physical Abuse 1,933 2.49 13%
Sexual Abuse 285 0.37 2%
Neglect 5,328 6.87 37%
Emotional Maltreatment 1,974 2.55 14%
Exposure to Intimate Partner Violence 4,883 6.30 34%

Placement in Child Maltreatment Investigations in Alberta, 2003 and 2008**

  2003 Number 2003 Rate 2008 Number 2008 Rate
No Placement 28,294 37.62 23,625 30.48
Informal Kinship Care 1,923 2.56 1,139 1.47
Formal Placement 2,230 2.97 2,383 3.08

Children and youth in out-of-home care in 2022^

Children in care   Child (0-17) population Rate per 1000***
7,985   469,965 16.99

* MacLaurin, B., Trocmé, N., Fallon, B., McCormack, M., Pitman, L., Forest, N., Banks, J., Shangreaux, C., & Perrault, E. (2005) Alberta Incidence Study of Reported Child Abuse and Neglect (AIS-2003): Major Findings. Calgary, AB: University of Calgary. Retrieved from http://cwrp.ca/publications/884

** MacLaurin, B., Trocmé, N., Fallon, B., Sinha, V., Feehan, R., Enns, R., Gail, J., Kitt, O., Thomas‑Prokop, S., Zelt, C., Daoust, G., Hutcheon, E., & Budgell, D. (2013). Alberta Incidence Study of Reported Child Abuse and Neglect-2008 (AIS-2008): Major Findings. Calgary, AB: University of Calgary. Retrieved from http://cwrp.ca/publications/2758

^Government of Alberta. (2022, February 10). Child Intervention Information and Statistics Summary Child Intervention Information and Statistics – 2021-22 Third Quarter (December) Update. alberta.ca/child-intervention-statistics.aspx  

Government of Alberta. (n.d.). Child Intervention Information and Statistics Summary 2018/19 Fourth Quarter (March) Update. https://open.alberta.ca/dataset/de167286-500d-4cf8-bf01-0d08224eeadc/resource/b8142559-cb87- 49b7-bd30-d0a3d2f113bc/download/child-intervention-quarterly-stats-2018-19-q4.pdf

***The rate per 1000 is calculated using the population of children covered under the age of protection in Alberta (under 18 years old).

§ Child welfare services fall under the jurisdiction of provincial and territorial authorities, making it difficult to compile statistics at the national level. The most notable variations between provinces include mandate variation by jurisdiction with respect to the age to which children are eligible for services, differences in the length of time a child can receive out-of-home care and the definition of out-of-home care.