Child Protective Services Workers Research Articles

Trajectories and predictors of client violence among child protection services workers.

Trajectories and predictors of client violence among child protection services workers.

Enhancing investigative interview training using a child avatar system: a comparative study of interactive environments

The impact of investigative interviews by police and Child Protective Services (CPS) on abused children can be profound, making effective training vital. Quality in these interviews often falls short and current training programs are insufficient in enabling adherence to best practice. We present a system for simulating an interactive environment with alleged abuse victims using a child avatar. The purpose of the system is to improve the quality of investigative interviewing by providing a realistic and engaging training experience for police and CPS personnel. We conducted a user study to assess the efficacy of four interactive platforms: VR, 2D desktop, audio, and text chat. CPS workers and child welfare students rated the quality of experience (QoE), realism, responsiveness, immersion, and flow. We also evaluated perceived learning impact, engagement in learning, self-efficacy, and alignment with best practice guidelines. Our findings indicate VR as superior in four out of five quality aspects, with 66% participants favoring it for immersive, realistic training. Quality of questions posed is crucial to these interviews. Distinguishing between appropriate and inappropriate questions, we achieved 87% balanced accuracy in providing effective feedback using our question classification model. Furthermore, CPS professionals demonstrated superior interview quality compared to non-professionals, independent of the platform.

Exploring the Drivers of Child Maltreatment Under- and Overreporting: A Qualitative Study

Child abuse and neglect (CAN) is a complex issue that is subject to both under- and overreporting; yet, research into the underlying neighborhood-level drivers of these practices remains limited. The current study gathered perspectives from 30 child protective service (CPS) workers and agency leaders in Southern California neighborhoods to identify perceptions of social and contextual neighborhood factors that might influence over- and underreporting of CAN. The data were analyzed using a grounded theory approach, which revealed five themes: (a) neighborhood conflict, (b) neighborhood fear and mistrust, (c) neighborhood norms, (d) poor CAN reporting knowledge, and (e) mandated reporters’ discretion. These themes highlight the potential impact of neighborhood contexts and social dynamics on CAN reporting practices, emphasizing the need for prevention and early intervention neighborhood-level initiatives that improve CPS relationships within their local community.

Child protection services during COVID-19 in Oman, child protection workers views

Introduction: Child Protection Services (CPSs) are dedicated to providing protection and responding to any threats a child could face as children worldwide could be abused. Recently, the COVID-19 pandemic affected all aspects of life. Procedures implemented to restrict the spread of the disease (such as reduced access to services, school closure, and social distancing measures) had an impact on child life and maltreatment. Therefore, it is important to know the impact of this pandemic on child abuse and protection. Aim and rationales: This study aimed to assess the impact of COVID-19 on CPSs in Oman by studying the change in the number of reported cases of child abuse and the change in the reporting procedure at the Ministry of Social Development (MOSD). In addition, know the impact of the restriction measures on child rights and risk factors of child maltreatment based on CPSs workers’ opinions and experience. To understand the adaptation of the CPSs to the change in work and life environment imposed by COVID-19. Method: A cross-section study was conducted using a semi-structured questionnaire, that was distributed to the workers involved in the CPSs at the MOSD in Oman. Data also were collected from the statistical bulletins on the Ministry’s website. Results: COVID-19 pandemic was not found associated with a significant change in the number and type of child abuse cases reported to the MOSD. The reporting procedures also did not change. In addition, the pattern of child abuse types did not change before and during the pandemic, as neglect cases were the most. The participants judged the restriction measures affecting family life through separation, cyber abuse, and reduced educational support. With regard to intervention and follow-up procedures, the main difference was in the communication processes by using online communication methods and reducing the fieldwork for mild cases. Conclusion: CPSs in Oman were not much affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, which may reflect the success of this system in dealing with the restriction measures. However, more solutions should be developed to adapt to these circumstances in the future altogether.

Evaluating Child Interviews Conducted by Child Protective Services Workers and Police Investigators

Abstract High-quality interviews that follow best-practice guidelines are the best means available to frontline child protective service (CPS) workers and specially trained police officers to investigate and detect abuse and maltreatment. In Norway, the CPS and police are trained in the same interview method. In the current quantitative study, we investigate sixty-five interviews conducted by the CPS of children ages 4–8 years and seventy-two interviews conducted by the police of children ages 3–6 years. Our analysis shows that the CPS workers presented more open-ended invitations and fewer suggestive questions than the police officers. However, the CPS also asked more option-posing questions. Still, this finding may indicate that CPS workers come closer than police officers to follow best practice guidelines when they conduct child interviews. It should be noted that the police are also trained in an extended interview method, unlike the CPS workers. The number of open-ended invitations was sparse in both samples. Differences in the span of children’s ages in the two samples and different legal frameworks may have affected the findings. Implications for interview training are discussed.

Predictive Risk Modeling for Recurrence of Child Maltreatment Using Cases from the National Child Maltreatment Data System in Korea: Exploratory Data Analysis Using Data Mining Algorithm.

The purpose of this study was to explore and identify patterns of risk predictors of maltreatment recurrence using predictive risk modeling (PRM). This study used the administrative dataset from the National Child Maltreatment Information System recorded by Korean CPS (Child Protective Service) workers. The information, including recurrent maltreatment, was collected in 2012; then, those reported cases werefollowed for 2years through 2014. The data included information about child, family, caregiver, maltreatment, and service characteristics and consisted of male (50.22%) and female (49.78%) children with an average age of 9years (n = 4319). We examined the association of risk factors with recurrence using conditional inference trees (CTREE): a tree-based data mining algorithm for classification that allows the exploration of the interconnection between hypothesized risk factors. Study findings showed that a history of prior CPS involvement was the first decision point in the decision tree structure of recurrence. The effect of other risk factors depended on the presence of prior CPS involvement. In the absence of prior CPS involvement, cases with (a) a single-parent status and (b) a caregiver's alcohol abuse living in other types of households (two-parent households, kinship care, andchildren without parents) were associated with recurrence. In the presence of prior CPS involvement, cases with out-of-home care or others (long- or short-term foster care and emergency placement) in the final decision of child placement (a) where in-home care in the initial decision of child placement within the presence of physical abuse and (b) where social isolation without physical abuse was related to recurrence. Cases with (a) a male caregiver and (b) a female caregiver with social isolation and without social isolation yet employed were at high risk for recurrence under the circumstance of in-home care in the final decision of child placement. This exploratory study found multiple connections among the factors in the prediction of recurrence. The CTREE helps unravel the complexity embedded in maltreatment recurrence by capturing its patterns. This information can deepen our knowledge of associations between risk factors in the prediction of recurrence and be used as a reference to inform child maltreatment policy and prevention.

Understanding the Effects of Client Violence on the Health of Child Protection Services Workers

Understanding the Effects of Client Violence on the Health of Child Protection Services Workers

A Response to Barth et al. From the Perspective of a Child Protective Services Worker

A Response to Barth et al. From the Perspective of a Child Protective Services Worker

APA Files Another Amicus Brief in Ongoing Texas Case on Banning Trans Care for Youth

Back to table of contents Previous article Next article Government & LegalFull AccessAPA Files Another Amicus Brief in Ongoing Texas Case on Banning Trans Care for YouthKatie O'ConnorKatie O'ConnorSearch for more papers by this authorPublished Online:4 Apr 2022https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.pn.2022.05.5.60AbstractAfter the Texas governor classified gender-affirming care as child abuse and directed health care professionals to report parents of transgender youth, APA joined in the battle to reverse his directive.In early April, a Texas appeals court reinstated a district court injunction blocking the state of Texas from investigating gender-affirming care as child abuse. After that decision, Texas filed an appeal to the Texas Supreme Court, and APA signed on to an amicus brief in support of the plaintiffs. The brief is substantively similar to briefs that APA had filed in earlier stages of the case.The rulings stem from a nonbinding opinion issued in late February by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton stating that gender-affirming care of children, such as surgical interventions or puberty-suppressing drugs, “can legally constitute child abuse” under Texas law. The next day, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott sent a letter to the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS), which is responsible for investigating charges of child abuse.“Texas law … imposes a duty on DFPS to investigate the parents of a child who is subjected to these abusive gender-transitioning procedures,” he wrote. The same day, DFPS announced that it would comply with Abbott’s letter and commence investigations of families of transgender youth.The medical treatments that Abbott claims are child abuse “are part of the widely-accepted treatment guidelines for adolescents suffering from gender dysphoria, and are supported by the best available scientific evidence,” wrote APA and more than 20 additional physician organizations, including the AMA and the American Academy of Pediatrics, in the amicus brief. “Denying these treatments to adolescents who need them would irreparably harm their health.”The lawsuit against the governor’s ban was filed by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), the ACLU of Texas, and Lambda Legal on behalf of Jane and John Doe, the parents of a 16-year-old transgender girl identified as Mary Doe. The suit claims that, three days after Abbott sent his letter, a child protective services worker visited the Doe family, telling the parents that the sole allegation against them is that they have a transgender child who is “currently transitioning from male to female.”Jane Doe is a DFPS employee. “We are terrified for Mary’s health and well-being, and for our family. I feel betrayed by my state and the agency for whom I work,” Jane Doe wrote in a declaration filed with the lawsuit. (APA has also signed an amicus brief in a case involving an Arkansas law that bans gender-affirming therapy (Psychiatric News.)On March 11, a Texas judge issued an injunction in the case, blocking the state from investigating the parents of transgender youth at least until after a trial that is set to begin in July. Shortly after the judge issued the injunction, Paxton appealed the decision, and APA refiled its amicus brief with the appeals court.Texas Directive Harmful, Says APAAPA and its partner organizations issued a statement shortly after Abbott issued the directive to DFPS. “All patients must have access to evidence-based health care, regardless of their gender identity or sexual orientation,” the statement by the Group of Six reads. “Our organizations will not stand for any efforts that discriminate against transgender and gender-diverse individuals and cause harm to their health and well-being.”The Group of Six includes APA, the American Academy of Family Physicians, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the American College of Physicians, and the American Osteopathic Association.“This directive will create a climate of fear that will cause conflicts within families who aren’t able to support their children’s identities.”—Gabrielle Shapiro, M.D“This directive will create a climate of fear that will cause conflicts within families who aren’t able to support their children’s identities.”—Gabrielle Shapiro, M.D.“The impact of this directive is going to be disastrous,” said Gabrielle Shapiro, M.D., chair of APA’s Council on Children, Adolescents, and Their Families and clinical professor of psychiatry at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. “Families with means will be able to move out of Texas, or take their children to another state for treatment, but socioeconomically disadvantaged families don’t have those options,” she said. She pointed out that the directive will especially impact immigrant families in Texas, who may avoid treatment for their children due to fears of how a child protective services investigation may affect their immigration status. “Children will go untreated, and adolescents will experience untreated depression and anxiety. This directive will create a climate of fear that will cause conflicts within families who aren’t able to support their children’s identities.”The directive has already had significant impacts on transgender youth throughout the state. Texas Children’s Hospital, the country’s largest pediatric hospital, stopped prescribing gender-affirming hormone therapies. The Washington Post reported on March 8 that the hospital had said in a statement that the decision was made “to safeguard our health care professionals and impacted families from potential legal ramifications.” On March 1 The New York Times reported that, according to the parent of a transgender teenager in Houston, a local health clinic suspended all prescription medications for transgender minors. District attorneys in some of Texas’s most populous counties, however, have stated they will not prosecute anyone under the directive, which they called “un-American.”Texas Physicians in Untenable PositionIn his letter to DFPS, Abbott specified that Texas law includes reporting requirements for all licensed professionals who have direct contact with children “who may be subject to such abuse,” including doctors and nurses. The law also “provides criminal penalties for failure to report such abuse,” Abbott wrote.The directive puts health care professionals in Texas “in an impossible position,” APA and the other organizations wrote in the amicus brief. “These providers are required to falsely report adolescent patients receiving these treatments as victims of child abuse even though such reporting would inflict serious harm on their patients, thereby violating these providers’ professional codes of ethics. On the other hand, if these providers do not report their patients, they face severe legal consequences, including potential civil and criminal penalties and the loss of their professional licenses.”The physician’s relationship with patients and families is private, and compromising that relationship is an affront to the Hippocratic oath, Shapiro said. “I imagine we will see an exodus of child and adolescent psychiatrists, as well as pediatricians, from the state, which already has a shortage of child and adolescent psychiatrists,” Shapiro said.In a statement, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra called Abbott’s actions “dangerous to the health of transgender youth in Texas.” HHS took several actions in response to Abbott’s directive, including releasing guidance to state child welfare agencies through an information memorandum that makes clear that states should use their child welfare systems to advance safety and support for LGBTQ youth, including ensuring access to gender-affirming care. HHS also released guidance on patient privacy, clarifying that physicians in Texas are not required to disclose private patient information, as well as guidance emphasizing that denying health care based on gender identity is illegal.Shapiro encouraged physicians to be proactive in speaking to families who may be impacted, and to have honest conversations about how they can support their children through advocacy.“These children and families feel they have no voice, and we need to empower them so that they know they do have voices and that we can all work together to combat this discriminatory policy.” ■The amicus brief is posted here.“Physicians Oppose Texas Efforts to Interfere in the Patient-Physician Relationship and Criminalize Gender-Affirming Care” is posted here.“Statement by HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra Reaffirming HHS Support and Protection for LGBTQI+ Children and Youth” is posted here.The Doe v. Abbott lawsuit is posted here. ISSUES NewArchived

Family Risk Factors That Jeopardize Child Development: Scoping Review.

The obligation to protect children is defined by law. However, there is fragility in identifying actual or potential situations that jeopardize their development. This review aims to identify the family risk factors that jeopardize child development. A scoping review was conducted following the Joanna Briggs Institute for Evidence-Based Practice framework and the 2020 Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) statement. The research was carried out on the electronic databases PubMed, CINAHL, Nursing & Allied Health Collection: Comprehensive, MEDLINE Complete, and MedicLatina, with a time limit of 2010 to 2021. The search was restricted to documents written in Portuguese, English, and French. A total of 3998 articles were initially identified. After selecting and analysing, 28 risk factors were extracted from 29 articles. Four categories of risk factors were identified—namely, patterns of social and economic interaction, family characteristics, caregiver’s characteristics, and parenting. The results of this review allow the identification of family risk factors that jeopardize child development. This is significant for Child Protective Services workers as they carry out their risk assessments. This assessment is the first step in avoiding an accumulation of harm to at-risk children and allowing the development of interventions for minimising harm’s impact on children’s development.

Supporting Children Experiencing Family Violence During the COVID-19 Pandemic: IPV and CPS Provider Perspectives.

ObjectivesChildren experiencing family violence (child abuse and neglect and exposure to intimate partner violence) are at a particularly elevated risk for compounding challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic. In this study, we interviewed intimate partner violence (IPV) advocates, child protective services (CPS) caseworkers, and IPV and CPS administrators on the needs of children experiencing family violence during the pandemic.MethodsWe conducted semistructured interviews with IPV advocates, CPS caseworkers, and IPV and CPS administrators. Recruitment occurred through emails to national and state listservs, networks of the study team, and word of mouth. Interviews were completed through Zoom, took 45 to 60 minutes and were audio recorded. We used a mixed deductive-inductive content analysis approach.ResultsFifty-nine IPV advocates, 35 IPV administrators, 21 CPS workers and 16 CPS administrators participated in this study. Four themes emerged from this work. Participants discussed the role of social isolation, school closures, and distance learning on children experiencing family violence. They also noted child custody and visitation challenges, particularly in the context of abusive partners using custody to control IPV survivors and limitations to virtual visitation more broadly. Compounding challenges were described for children from marginalized communities due to structural-level inequities. Collaboration was discussed by participants from both IPV and CPS sectors.ConclusionThis study is one of the first to describe the way the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted children experiencing family violence. Future studies should triangulate these results with children, families, and other child-serving providers

Deconstructing bias: The decision-making process among child protective service workers in Chile

Worldwide, there has been a push toward reforming or abolishing child welfare systems because of systemic bias against families. Few studies have examined the role of bias in decision-making processes among child welfare practitioners, especially in child welfare systems in processes of change/reform. This qualitative study utilized discussion groups with child welfare teams to examine how professionals navigated the decision-making process in cases of child maltreatment. A grounded theory analysis revealed that professionals deconstruct macro, mezzo, and micro biases as they make decisions. Implications for global social work, such as self-reflection and structural changes, and for future research are explored.

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on child protective services caseworkers and administrators

BackgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic has impacted children and young people experiencing child abuse and neglect. Child Protective Services (CPS) has played an important role in supporting children and families during the COVID-19 pandemic. Few studies to-date have evaluated the impact of the pandemic on CPS caseworkers and administrators in the United States. ObjectivesWe conducted interviews to explore CPS caseworkers' and administrators' experiences working and serving families during the pandemic. MethodsParticipants were U.S.-based CPS caseworkers and administrators. We conducted semi-structured virtual interviews with participants and used an inductive thematic analysis approach. ResultsWe conducted 37 interviews. Participants discussed how the COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way they conduct investigations and provide services to families in the CPS system. Several services were adapted to occur virtually, providing challenges and unique opportunities. Participants also described the personal barriers they faced during the pandemic, including working remotely, experiencing burnout, and challenges obtaining personal protective equipment. Finally, participants shared creative solutions they engaged in to support children and families during the COVID-19 pandemic, including expanding collaborations with other community-based organizations. DiscussionThis study suggests the important role that CPS has played during the pandemic and challenges individual CPS workers felt, in terms of both experiencing burnout and difficulty obtaining personalized protective equipment. Inclusion of the CPS system in emergency preparedness planning for future pandemics or natural disasters will ensure continuation of these vital services.

“It's the Only System We've Got”

Front-line public “Child Welfare” caseworkers, also known as emergency response or investigative caseworkers, play a significant role in the “Child Welfare” system. Placed in an intermediary role within the system, investigative caseworkers are tasked with making critical decisions while attempting to advocate for families and uphold the system’s policies. To understand the caseworker decision-making processes more in-depth, a qualitative study was conducted with eighteen investigative caseworkers in four different counties. The guiding research question of the current study was: “What impacts the decisionmaking processes in which child protective service workers investigate and substantiate referred cases of child maltreatment?” Findings revealed several nuances and extensive complexities in how workers navigated often contradictory roles within the system. Important emerging themes include caseworkers’ use of surveillance during investigation and multi-institution partnership indecision-making processes. This Comment discusses the ways in which caseworkers react to and navigate ambiguity and parental resistance during investigations, lending an often-overlooked exploration into various nuances within the decision-making apparatus. Understanding nuances in the complex web of decision-making and information-gathering may lead to novel ways of thinking about how the “Child Welfare” system addresses child protection.

Child Welfare Reform: The Role of Federal Court Oversight in Child Protective Service Workers' Caseloads

Key Practitioner Messages Legal measures such as class action lawsuits and consent decrees may be effective in reducing child welfare workers' caseloads as part of systematic change. Schools of social work should expose their generalist and clinical track students to macro courses that address the role of such legal measures. Policy planning related to child welfare reform should involve frontline workers' experiences and perspectives.

How Do Families Experience and Interact with CPS?

The lived experiences of child protective services (CPS)–involved parents is rarely considered from a social justice perspective. Parents and children endure the oversight of the child welfare system in myriad ways, and these experiences usually vary based on race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status. This article explores how CPS interactions affect family dynamics and well-being and how family members view their experiences with CPS, including their sense of autonomy and empowerment. I focus on the inherent power dynamics between CPS workers and parents, race and ethnicity, and family. I highlight the perspectives of parents and their intended (rather than unintentional) parental behaviors (e.g., providing healthy food choices) to understand ways in which their socioecological contexts impact the well-being of their children. I report results of a pilot study designed to enhance the voices of parents in the literature and provide recommendations for policy and practice that inform innovative solutions to better support CPS-involved families.

Distress Tolerance and Emotion Regulation as Potential Mediators Between Secondary Traumatic Stress and Maladaptive Coping.

The extant literature has illustrated that protective service workers experience negative repercussions associated with their job (including the development of secondary traumatic stress; STS) and may utilize maladaptive coping mechanisms. Developing an improved understanding of factors that might explain the relationship between STS and the utilization of maladaptive coping mechanisms is warranted. This study sought to examine emotion regulation and distress tolerance as potential mediators between STS and the utilization of maladaptive coping mechanisms. Participants were 152 elder protective service workers and 105 child protective service workers who completed an online survey of self-report measures of emotion regulation, distress tolerance, STS, and coping behaviors. A parallel multiple mediator model was analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM) to examine the hypothesis that distress tolerance and emotion regulation would mediate the relationship between STS and the utilization of maladaptive coping. Our hypothesis was partially supported as the effect of STS on maladaptive coping was mediated by emotion regulation but not by distress tolerance. The results from this study have both prevention and intervention implications. From a prevention perspective, efforts could be directed at teaching emotion regulation skills to those at risk for developing STS as a mechanism for decreasing the probability of denial, substance use, behavioral disengagement, and self-blame that may occur as a consequence of STS. From an intervention perspective, some of the negative sequelae of exposure to STS may be averted by teaching EPS and CPS workers who present with STS symptoms, emotion regulation skills.

The Qualitative Exploration of Difficulties Experienced by Child Protection Services (CPS) Workers in the Process of Case Managing

The Qualitative Exploration of Difficulties Experienced by Child Protection Services (CPS) Workers in the Process of Case Managing

Working together to protect women and children from domestic violence: Factors influencing willingness to collaborate between organizations

The high prevalence of co-occurring domestic violence (DV) and child maltreatment requires collaboration between domestic violence organizations (DVO) and child protection services (CPS) to meet family needs. Little is known about how individual worker characteristics and agency level factors interact to influence staff’s willingness to collaborate between these two services. Data from a US statewide survey of 846 DVO and CPS workers was used to examine how worker characteristics (experience, training, education, professional efficacy) and organizational collaboration factors (supervisory support, appropriate workloads, etc.) impact workers’ willingness to collaborate. The results indicate that while agency collaboration factors increase workers’ willingness to collaborate, this relationship is mediated and moderated by workers’ professional efficacy. Other factors that influenced willingness to collaborate included workers’ attitudes, experience, salary, and personally knowing someone who has experienced DV. The findings indicate that while agency support for collaboration is important, worker factors must also be addressed for collaboration to occur.

Front-line social work jobs and secondary trauma: Impact on parenting

ABSTRACT This nonrandom pre-experimental posttest only group design study sought to examine levels of secondary trauma in social work professionals and the impact of this trauma on parenting behavior. Participants (n = 421) completed measures focused on demographic data and normed scales in the areas of primary trauma, secondary trauma, and parenting styles. Results noted moderate levels of primary trauma and low moderate levels of secondary trauma. A negative correlation was noted between years of service and overall secondary trauma. Child Protective Services Workers (CPS) were noted to report an increased likelihood of primary and secondary trauma compared to the rest of the sample. Overall, a positive correlation was noted between secondary trauma and authoritarian parenting, and, conversely, a negative correlation was noted between secondary trauma and authoritative parenting. A smaller but significant finding was noted in high secondary trauma and permissive parenting. This information is important for teaching and training opportunities to educate social workers and other paraprofessionals on the impact of secondary trauma on parenting behaviors. Awareness can lead to personal changes, as well as changes in curriculum to support prevention efforts.