Child Welfare Investigation Research Articles

Effect of Domestic Violence on the Risk of Out-of-Home Placement: A Propensity Score Analysis

Increased attention is being given to domestic violence as a risk factor for out-of-home placement; however, no studies have longitudinally assessed this relationship. Further, the existing studies have yielded mixed findings, indicating a need for analyses that apply the most rigorous methods. This analysis uses data from the National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being to examine the rate of out-of-home placement (i.e., time to out-of-home placement following a child welfare investigation of alleged child maltreatment) across time among a sample of 1,965 children with female caregivers. Among the caregivers, 657 reported domestic violence and 1,308 did not report domestic violence. To best determine whether domestic violence contributes to greater likelihood of out-of-home placement, we use propensity score analysis to statistically mimic a randomized clinical trial by balancing both groups of caregivers based on observed characteristics. Findings indicate children whose caregivers report domestic violence enter out-of-home care 37% faster (i.e., remain in the home fewer days) than children whose caregivers did not report domestic violence. The study findings highlight the importance of screening for domestic violence and providing intensive services for families affected by domestic violence as a critical element of increasing child safety and preventing out-of-home placement.

Multiple assessors of child welfare youths' mental‐health functioning: comparing perceptions of adolescents, caregivers and teachers

AbstractFor youth involved with the child welfare system, accurate assessment of mental‐health functioning is a critical factor in case planning. To assess correspondence among multiple reporters of child welfare youths' mental‐health difficulties, this study, using data drawn from the National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well‐being dataset, examined the caregiver, teacher and youth (aged 11–16 years) reports on the Child Behavior Checklist (n = 464). Perceptions about symptomatology on a variety of externalizing and internalizing behaviour problem scales were measured with a correlation analysis. Subsequently, logistic regression models were created, which explored how each reporter category matched a fourth reporter category: the child welfare investigation caseworkers' identification of youths' mental‐health needs. Results show that in several models, the odds of matching caseworkers' determination of youths' mental‐health needs significantly increased as youths' perceptions of psychopathology increased. A similar pattern was found for caregivers' perceptions in some of the models, across both internalizing and externalizing domains. Implications for child welfare practice and research with child welfare youth are discussed.

Mental Health Service Use by Youths in Contact With Child Welfare: Racial Disparities by Problem Type

This study examined racial disparities in mental health service use by problem type (internalizing versus externalizing) for youths in contact with the child welfare system. Participants included 1,693 non-Hispanic white, African-American, and Hispanic youths (ages four to 14) from the National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being, a national probability study of youths who were the subject of investigations of maltreatment by child welfare agencies. Mental health need, assessed at baseline, was considered present if the youth had internalizing or externalizing scores in the clinical range on either the Child Behavior Checklist or the Youth Self-Report. Out patient mental health service use in the subsequent year was assessed prospectively. Children who were removed from the home and those investigated for abuse (versus neglect) were more likely to receive services in the year after the child welfare investigation. Overall, African-American youths were less likely than non-Hispanic white youths to receive mental health services. However, race-ethnicity moderated the association between externalizing need and service use such that African Americans were more likely to receive services when externalizing need was present (26% versus 4%) compared with non-Hispanic white youths (30% versus 14%). Race and ethnicity did not moderate the association between youth internalizing need and service use, but internalizing need was associated with increased probability of service use only for non-Hispanic white youths. Examinations of overall racial disparities in service use may obscure important problem specific disparities. Additional research is needed to identify factors that lead to disparities and to develop strategies for reducing them.

CIES Bibliography 2011

CIES Bibliography 2011

Shifting definitions of emotional maltreatment: An analysis child welfare investigation laws and practices in Canada

Objective Although there is growing evidence that the emotional dimensions of child maltreatment are particularly damaging, the feasibility and appropriateness of including emotional maltreatment (EM) in child welfare statutes continues to be questioned. Unlike physical and sexual abuse where investigations focus on discreet incidents of maltreatment, EM is not as easily defined and delimited. Through a review of legislation and child welfare investigation practices in Canada, this paper examines (1) whether Canadian child welfare services respond to EM with the same level of perseverance as with other forms of maltreatment and (2) the extent to which the introduction in 2008 of a more specific EM taxonomy distinguishes between EM and family problems that could lead to EM. Method Following an analysis of the legislative framework for EM across Canada, investigations practices in Canada are examined using data from the 1998, 2003 and 2008 cycles of the Canadian Incidence Study of Reported Child Abuse and Neglect (CIS). Using data from the 2008 cycle, EM investigations are compared to other maltreatment investigations for all of Canada ( N = 15,980). Changes in EM investigations over time are then compared using data from the three cycles of the study, excluding Québec because of limited data availability in 2003 ( N = 5,360 in 1998, 11,562 in 2003 and 14,050 in 2008). Results EM is included as a form of reportable maltreatment in all provincial and territorial statutes in Canada. Over 11,000 cases of EM were substantiated in Canada in 2008, at a rate of 1.86 cases per 1,000 children. While EM investigations were substantiated at a lower rate as other forms of maltreatment, a higher proportion of EM cases were referred for specialized services, kept open for on-going child welfare services, lead to an out of home placement, and lead to an application to child welfare court. Using a broad definition of EM the number of investigations classified as EM in Canada, excluding Québec, nearly tripled from 1998 to 2003. In 2008, using more specific definitions focusing on caregiver definitions, the number of investigations classified as EM nearly returned to their 1998 level, with nearly twice as many cases being classified as risk of future maltreatment. Conclusion EM is a well established category for child welfare intervention in Canada, however, more emphasis should be given to distinguishing between EM and family problems that place children at risk of EM.

Is child sexual abuse declining in Canada? An analysis of child welfare data

Child sexual abuse (CSA) rates have been declining since the 1990s (Dunne et al., 2003; Finkelhor & Jones, 2004, 2012; Jones et al., 2001). Discrepancies in contexts and measures complicate comparing CSA rates across jurisdictions and studies, and there is limited literature about trends in CSA in Canada.Using data from the Ontario Incidence Study of Reported Child Abuse and Neglect (OIS), the only source of provincially aggregated data in Ontario, Canada, that describes child welfare investigations, this paper provides information on reported and investigated CSA over the past 20 years.The OIS uses a file review methodology; information is collected directly from investigating child welfare workers.A sample of child welfare agencies is selected for the study, and data are collected over a three-month period. Weights are applied to produce annual provincial estimates.The rates of investigated CSA in Ontario decreased between 1993 and 2013, from 5.20 (95% CI [3.94, 6.47]) to 1.81 (95% CI [0.97, 2.66]) children per 1000. During this time, the rate of all child maltreatment-related investigations doubled, from 21.41 (95% CI [18.38, 24.42]) to 53.32 ([29.61, 77.03]) children per 1000.Unlike other forms of child maltreatment, the incidence of investigated CSA in Ontario declined since 1993. Substantiation rates for CSA investigations decreased more dramatically than the rate of all CSA investigations, which could indicate a true decline in rate or an inability to accurately identify cases of CSA.

Do social networks push families toward or away from youth mental health services?: A national study of families in child welfare.

Social support networks may encourage or dissuade help-seeking for youth behavior problems in ways that contribute to racial/ethnic disparities in mental health services. We examined how parental social network characteristics were related to the use of mental health services in a diverse sample of families in contact with Child Welfare. Data from 1519 families of White (n=812), African American (n=418), and Latino (n=289) origin were drawn from the National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being. Data were collected prospectively after the initiation of a Child Welfare investigation for alleged maltreatment. Results revealed that parental perceptions of support were negatively associated with service use across racial/ethnic groups, and this association was explained by better subsequent mental health status enjoyed by children of parents with stronger social support. Moderator analyses suggested that larger social networks were associated with a decreased use of services among Whites and more highly educated families.

Posttraumatic stress symptoms in children and adolescents referred for child welfare investigation. A national sample of in-home and out-of-home care.

This study examines the prevalence and correlates of heightened posttraumatic stress (PTS) symptoms in a nationally representative sample of 1,848 children and adolescents (ages 8-14) who were referred to child welfare for investigation of abuse or neglect based on the National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being. The severity of current PTS symptoms was assessed using the PTS subscale of the Trauma Symptom Checklist for Children, a standardized child-report scale evaluating common symptoms associated with trauma. The overall prevalence of clinically significant PTS symptoms was 11.7% (overall mean T score = 49.5). The prevalence was higher for cases that were placed in out-of-home care (19.2%) than those maintained at home (10.7%). Multivariate hierarchical regression identified four contributors to heightened PTS symptoms: younger child age, abuse by a nonbiological parent, violence in the home, and child depression. The authors discuss the modest but still lower than expected prevalence of self-reported, clinically significant PTS symptoms and the variables associated with greater risk for heightened PTS symptoms found among cases referred to child welfare services.

Wyman v. James Revisited: Judicial Oversight, Constitutional Rights, and Social Services Investigations

This article is focused upon administrative searches and seizures undertaken by social services agencies with respect to child welfare complaints. In addition to articulating the past and current state of the law, the article proposes changes to bring about a greater consistency among the federal and state courts in the United States. The U.S. Supreme Court, in Wyman v. James, 400 U.S. 309 (1971), for the first time considered the issue of the applicability of the Constitution to social services investigations, though it has continued to explore the constitutional implications of the administrative search or seizure. The Court has not sought to address the issue since that time. Nevertheless, in the intervening thirty-six years, a large number of federal and a handful of state courts have reviewed the constitutionality of social services investigations and, in the process, have tackled the issue of the continued viability of Wyman: whether social workers are state actors for the purpose of the applicability of the Fourth Amendment, whether child welfare investigations constitute a search or seizure, whether a warrant and probable cause is required to conduct a search and whether a social worker special need exception exists to Fourth and Fourteenth Amendment scrutiny. Given the on-going occurrence of the social services home investigation since Wyman, the need for an articulation of the current state of the law is great. Part One of this article attempts to provide such an articulation, giving an overview of both Fourth and Fourteenth Amendment protections as they apply to all governmental searches. Part Two undertakes a review of the Pre-Wyman case law regarding administrative searches, as well as Wyman itself, reviewing finally the post-Wyman case law from both the federal and state courts regarding administrative social services investigations and the applicability of the Fourth and Fourteenth amendments. Part Three of this article reconsiders Wyman in light of the most recent judicial developments and asks the question as to whether the requirement of a warrant and probable cause is appropriate for social services child welfare investigations or whether the Supreme Court's totality of the circumstances rationality test or its Special Needs doctrine may justify the creation of a social worker exception to the general warrant and probable cause requirements incumbent upon most searches and seizures.

Profiles of Victimized Women Among the Child Welfare Population: Implications for Targeted Child Welfare Policy and Practices

Despite the call to address domestic violence along with child maltreatment, little information exists to guide services for victimized women involved with child welfare. Research shows that victimized women contend with multiple problems stemming from violent victimization. Unfortunately less is known about combinations of needs and resources among victimized women, especially for those involved with child welfare. Through an examination of needs and resources among families with child maltreatment and domestic violence, we aimed to help address this knowledge gap. Needs and resources among 1,229 victimized caregivers were examined using the National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-being (NSCAW). Using latent class analysis, four distinct multivariate profiles of needs and resources among victimized caregivers were identified. Significant differences were found among the profile groups in the family violence they experienced in the 18 months following child welfare investigations. Based on these findings, we discuss implications for tailored practices to enhance the safety of victimized caregivers involved with child welfare.

Mental Health Need and Access to Mental Health Services by Youths Involved With Child Welfare: A National Survey

This study assessed the relationship between the need for and use of mental health services among a nationally representative sample of children who were investigated by child welfare agencies after reported maltreatment. Data were collected at study entry into the National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being and were weighted to provide population estimates. Nearly half (47.9%) of the youths aged 2 to 14 years (N = 3,803) with completed child welfare investigations had clinically significant emotional or behavioral problems. Youths with mental health need (defined by a clinical range score on the Child Behavior Checklist) were much more likely to receive mental health services than lower scoring youth; still, only one fourth of such youths received any specialty mental health care during the previous 12 months. Clinical need was related to receipt of mental health care across all age groups (odds ratio = 2.7-3.5). In addition, for young children (2-5 years), sexual abuse (versus neglect) increased access to mental health services. For latency-age youths, African-American race and living at home significantly reduced the likelihood of care. Adolescents living at home were also less likely to receive services, whereas having a parent with severe mental illness increased (odds ratio = 2.4) the likelihood of service use. Routine screening for mental health need and increasing access to mental health professionals for further evaluation and treatment should be a priority for children early in their contact with the child welfare system.

Barriers to employability among substance dependent and nonsubstance-affected women on federal welfare: implications for program design.

This study examined barriers to employability among women meeting criteria for a substance dependence disorder who were identified by routine screening conducted in welfare offices. The characteristics of these women were compared to other women on welfare who did not have a substance use disorder. A sample of 214 substance dependent women on federal welfare were recruited to participate in a substance use disorders welfare demonstration project. An additional 69 nonsubstance-affected women on welfare served as a comparison sample. All participants were assessed in welfare settings through a standardized battery of measures. Substance dependent women reported moderate to severe substance use problems. They also reported significantly higher rates than the women with no substance use disorder of other barriers such as domestic violence, mental health problems, legal problems, child welfare investigations and fewer job skills. Findings raise questions about the likely effectiveness of existing welfare reform services in addressing the needs of substance dependent women.

Child abuse by adolescent caregivers

The purpose of this analysis was to estimate the frequency and severity of child abuse committed by adolescents who were in nonparental caregiving roles. The sample was composed of cases in which either physical or sexual abuse was substantiated through child welfare investigation. The main comparisons were between adolescent and adult caregivers. While caregiver age did not appear to have a consistent effect on the occurrence of physical abuse, notable differences between adolescents and adults were found in the area of sexual abuse. Not only were adolescents observed to commit substantially more sexual abuse than older caregiver cohorts, but the sexual abuse they committed was more likely to involve intercourse and physical assault. These findings have implications for future research and practice.