Finding Missing Families: A Community Collaboration to Prevent Child Abuse and Neglect

Abstract

When families move to avoid a child protection investigation or otherwise cannot be located, the children in those families remain at continued risk of maltreatment and the potentially severe consequences. Following the death of a 9-year-old boy in Texas, whose family moved repeatedly to avoid investigation, child welfare administrators collaborated with United Way and a community-based private investigator to develop and implement an innovative strategy to address this issue. This article provides a description of this project, results of the program evaluation, and implications for child welfare agencies.