The number of children dying at the hands of abusive parents in Arizona shows no signs of abating.

By mid-October, 12 children had died this year as a result of maltreatment by their parents or caregivers, according to Arizona Child Protective Services. At the same point last year, 11 children had died. In 2010 the figure stood at 10.

Those numbers reflect cases confirmed by CPS and are a fraction of the actual number of child-abuse deaths that will be reported once facts from additional sources are known. Child safety advocates worry that progress in lowering the incidence of fatal abuse has been too slow.

Despite attempts by state officials to overhaul CPS, the toll of children dying from neglect and physical abuse remains a constant, tragic reminder that more work is needed to improve the state's child-welfare agency, say child-safety experts. In some high-profile cases, CPS has been criticized for not doing enough to save children who caseworkers knew were in potentially dangerous situations.

That's not to say there has been no progress. Child-safety experts are heartened that more people who are required to report suspicions of abuse are coming forward. They say it's a sign the public recognizes the grave dangers children face.

Over the past year, the state has taken steps to turn the tide. It boosted its public-awareness campaign to encourage people to report suspected abuse. It established an investigative unit to help overburdened social workers by bringing in veteran police detectives on tough cases. Arizona leaders, including Gov. Jan Brewer, have pledged more money and staff.

Brewer tapped Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery to lead the Arizona Child Safety Task Force, to bring a prosecutor's perspective to the problems of child neglect and violence against kids.

But the number of child deaths has not budged, and Montgomery says more needs to be done.

"My assessment of the need for reform is no different today than it was last year," Montgomery said. "We're still seeing the same tragic circumstances."

State law requires doctors, teachers, police and caregivers who see signs of child abuse to report it to CPS. But in 2010, doctors and caregivers failed to tell CPS about half of all child-maltreatment deaths, the state task force reported. Since then, Montgomery says more doctors, teachers and caregivers are calling CPS.

That tells him, and others, that caregivers are starting to recognize that reporting early signs of abuse can prevent serious injury and death.

"Everybody's collective efforts have done exactly what we wanted," Montgomery said. "All of this created a community awareness, which results in more reports of abuse. That's positive. If we don't understand the scope and nature of the problem, we'll never be able to design a solution."

"That's exactly what we've been going for: more reporting," said Chandler police Sgt. Joe Favazzo, a board member on a countywide coalition of police officers, firefighters, doctors, educators, prosecutors and advocates trying to combat child abuse.

"Here's the reality. Abuse will never go away. We understand that. But we have to get more people reporting," Favazzo said, recalling a Chandler case from 2009 when police found a girl who'd crawled between a toilet and sink to die after a savage beating. The suspect, now facing the death penalty, told police he wishes that somebody had reported him earlier.

Police commonly hear from neighbors after such incidents that they suspected there were problems. Says Favazzo: "If your gut tells you something's wrong, it's probably wrong."

The CPS summary reports of Arizona's child-maltreatment deaths this year, plus police, court and autopsy records, detail the horror of some of those cases:

Emma Rosovich, 4, and her 17-month-old brother, Richard Jr., were shot dead in Tucson on Aug. 11. Their mother, Perla Morales, reported the shooting to police, who arrested her and charged her with murder. There was no prior CPS involvement nor any indication of an abusive home.

Nevaeh Banks, 3 months old, stopped breathing on July 13 in bed alongside her mother, Stacey Banks, in Tucson. Banks admitted using cocaine and painkillers while she was breastfeeding. There was no prior CPS involvement. Banks was indicted on second-degree murder charges before prosecutors dropped the case.

Winter Azure, 10 months old, was left alone by baby-sitter Zada Davis in a bath for more than 10 minutes and drowned. Winter died June 18 in Tucson after six days on life support. There had been no prior CPS involvement. Davis, 27, was indicted on second-degree murder charges.

Toryn Buckman, 4, died May 31 in Phoenix. Injuries covered her body. She had burns and broken ribs. There had been no prior CPS involvement. Her mother, Ashley Buckman, and her mother's boyfriend, James Edwards, were both charged with first-degree murder.

Alexus Salazar-Garcia, 2 months old, died May 16 with a cracked skull, extensive brain injuries and fractured ribs. There had been no previous CPS involvement. Phoenix police this month arrested the Chandler girl's father, Gilbert Salazar-Betancourt, and charged him with murder.

Destin Carr, 5 months old, suffocated May 14 in Show Low. His mother, Kalie Carr, had wrapped him in a blanket with a pacifier in his mouth and left him alone for seven hours. CPS had previously investigated one report of alleged abuse of the infant. Show Low police determined the death was an accident.

Angel Alvarez, 5, was killed in a car crash April 30 in Phoenix. He was sitting in the front seat without a seat belt. The driver, Pedro Ramirez, had a blood-alcohol content three times the legal limit. There had been no prior CPS involvement. Ramirez was charged with manslaughter. His girlfriend and Angel's mother, Evangelina Barrios, a passenger, was charged with felony child abuse.

The body of Vanessa Martinez, 3 months old, was found April 24 in a shallow desert grave near Eloy with 23 fractured ribs and brain damage. Three weeks before Vanessa's January burial, CPS had reunited her with her mother, Olivia Martinez, and live-in boyfriend Jonathan Kesterson. The pair fled the state, were arrested on unrelated charges and indicted on murder charges. Kesterson hanged himself in his cell.

Jorge "Ivan" Rogel, 2, had been grabbed by the throat and repeatedly smashed into a wall in his Phoenix home on Feb. 24. His mother, Wendy Rogel-Pagasa, waited three hours before calling 911, and her boyfriend, Juan Garcia, fled. There had been no prior CPS involvement. The mother was indicted on second-degree murder charges and felony child abuse. Garcia turned himself in near the Mexican border and was charged with murder.

Patrick Smith, 18 months old, died Feb. 5 in Oro Valley of a methadone overdose. CPS had reunited the toddler with his mother, Donna Smith, six months earlier. Smith, who had struggled with addiction, was indicted on murder charges.

Zanaya Flores, 22 months old, starved to death. She died in Tucson on Jan. 12 weighing 14 pounds, with dozens of scars on her body. CPS had reunited her with her mother, Kiyana Higgins, after the mother was acquitted in a beating case involving a sibling. Higgins, her sister, Keshawna Higgins, and their mother, Clara Huyghue, were indicted on second-degree murder charges.

HED: Deadly Years

CHAT: Child-safety experts reported that Arizona saw the highest number of child-abuse deaths on record in 2010. A count of fatal maltreatment cases reported by Child Protective Services suggests no improvement in the outlook. Shown are the total number of fatal maltreatment cases and in parentheses the number who died in the same calendar year by Oct. 15 annually.

2012: 25 (12)

2011: 27 (11)

2010: 23 (10)

Source: Arizona Child Protective Services