Ongoing Child Welfare Services Research Articles

Determinants of receiving child protection and welfare services following initial assessment: A cross-sectional study from the Republic of Ireland

BackgroundChildren receive child protection and welfare services when an initial assessment concludes that their needs and care would be significantly compromised without intervention or support. Evidence is lacking on this decision to provide services in the Irish child protection and welfare system. ObjectiveTo identify determinants of receiving services following an Initial Assessment. Participants and SettingAll children (n = 508) whose Initial Assessments were completed during the first quarter of 2016 in one of the four regions (spanning seven social work departments) of Tusla, the national Child and Family Agency. MethodsA cross-sectional study used data manually coded from social workers’ case records. Poisson regression analysis calculated incident rate ratios for receiving ongoing service, adjusting for demographic factors, family level and wider determinants of child welfare to investigate associations between predictor variables and the decision to provide services. Results38.5 % of children (n = 185) received ongoing child protection and welfare services. Risk factors for service provision included mother-perpetrated domestic violence (Incident Rate Ratio (IRR) 1.70 (95 % Confidence Interval (CI) 1.33, 2.19)), concerns about guidance and boundaries (IRR 1.66 (95 % CI 1.29, 1.14)), lack of emotional warmth (IRR 1.62 (95 % CI 1.30, 2.02)), prior abuse (IRR 1.59 (95 % CI 1.30, 1.95)), prior involvement (IRR 1.51 (95 % CI 1.15, 1.98)), intergenerational involvement (IRR 1.40 (95 % CI 1.10, 1.76)), health concerns (IRR 1.30 (95 % CI 1.07, 1.57)), and being aged 0–4 years (IRR 1.28 (95 % CI 1.03, 1.59)). Being reported by mandated professionals (IRR 0.71 (95 % CI 0.56, 0.90)), assessed by female social workers (IRR 0.72 (95 % CI 0.59, 0.89)), and, when separately examined, parental cooperation (IRR 0.64 (95 % CI 0.53, 0.77)) reduced the likelihood of receiving service. No differences were noted between departments. ConclusionsService provision is largely driven by parental factors, prior involvement, and intergenerational abuse but gender disparities exist. Findings can be used to enhance decision strategies to improve outcomes for children and families.

A critical examination of youth service trajectories: Black children’s transition from child welfare to youth justice

In Canada, and more specifically Quebec, little research exists regarding Black children’s exits from the child welfare system (CWS) and subsequent involvement under the youth criminal justice system. This study uses longitudinal clinical administrative data to examine racial differences in youth justice involvement among maltreated youth and adolescents. Our sample cohort is based on the child welfare records of 7592 children who were first referred for ongoing child welfare services between January 1st 2007, and December 31st 2017. Cox proportional hazard model was used to investigate the associations between youth justice involvement and various predictor variables. From our cohort, 12.7% of children had youth justice involvement after having committed an offence under the Youth Criminal Justice Act (YCJA). Child and social risk factors found to predict youth justice involvement included age at the initial child welfare investigation, sex, language, and race. First-generation immigrant youth were less likely to transition to youth justice. Regarding CWS case characteristics, source of the child welfare report, investigations for behavioural disturbance, placement instability and placement in a rehabilitation centre also predicted youth justice involvement. Longer duration of CWS involvement was found to decrease the likelihood of youth justice involvement. These findings raise important implications for critically examining racial disparity in Quebec.

Twenty-five years of child welfare data in Ontario, Canada: Examining the response of child welfare to reports of children's exposure to intimate partner violence (IPV)

BackgroundIncreases in child welfare investigations involving children's exposure to intimate partner violence (IPV) in Ontario are likely the result of three factors: 1) changes to legislation, policy, and assessment instruments; 2) increased awareness of the risks of exposure to IPV for children, and 3) referrals from professionals (e.g., police). ObjectivesUsing data from 6 cycles of the Ontario Incidence Study of Reported Child Abuse and Neglect (OIS) (1993, 1998, 2003, 2008, 2013, and 2018), this paper will examine the changes of the incidence rates of IPV exposure, providing important context for a type of investigation that is not well understood in Ontario. MethodsThe incidence of investigations where the primary concern of the investigating worker is IPV was derived and compared across OIS cycles. Investigation were compared across cycles using incidence counts. ResultsAfter the nearly 2-fold increase of investigations for all maltreatment types in Ontario between 1998 and 2003, IPV investigations are the only type that continue to increase. There is a growing gap between these investigations and substantiating child maltreatment. Rates of placement have not changed over time, remaining low. Rates of transfers and referrals have increased but not significantly. ConclusionsThe continued growth in the rate of child welfare investigations involving exposure to IPV as well as the overwhelming endorsement of substantiated exposure to IPV, while maintaining the same proportion of transfers to ongoing child welfare services and low placement rates, is a significant concern for Ontario.

Child Welfare Investigations of Exposure to Intimate Partner Violence Referred by Medical Professionals in Ontario: A Uniquely Vulnerable Population?

Victims of intimate partner violence (IPV) and their children may be at an increased risk for negative health outcomes and may present to healthcare settings. The objective of the current study is to examine the profile of medical-referred child welfare investigations of exposure to IPV in Ontario, Canada. Data from the Ontario Incidence Study of Reported Child Abuse and Neglect 2018 were used. We compared medical-referred investigations with all other investigations of exposure to IPV. Descriptive and bivariate analyses as well as a logistic regression predicting transfers to ongoing services were conducted. Six percent of investigations of exposure to IPV conducted in Ontario in 2018 were referred by a medical source. Compared to other investigations of exposure to IPV, these investigations were more likely to involve younger children (p = 0.005), caregivers with mental health issues (p < 0.001) and few social supports (p = 0.004), and households noted to be overcrowded (p = 0.001). After controlling for clinical case characteristics, investigations of exposure to IPV referred by healthcare sources were 3.452 times as likely to be kept open for ongoing child welfare services compared to those referred by other sources (95% CI [2.024, 5.886]; p < 0.001). Children and their families who are identified in healthcare settings for concerns of exposure to IPV tend to receive extended child welfare intervention compared to those identified elsewhere. There is a clear difference in service provision in healthcare-originating investigations of exposure to IPV versus investigations originating from other sources. Further research into the services provided to victims of IPV and their children is needed.

Responding to social and emotional vulnerability: Child welfare investigations involving older adolescents

AbstractIn 2018, the child welfare system in Ontario, Canada, expanded the age of protection to include 16 and 17 year olds for the purpose of mitigating risk of harm for older adolescents. To date, there is little information regarding investigations of older adolescents, particularly in Ontario; this study will address this gap. Data used for this analysis were drawn from the Ontario Incidence Study of Reported Child Abuse and Neglect‐2018. The Ontario Incidence Study of Reported Child Abuse and Neglect‐2018 sample data were weighted to derive an annual incidence estimate of 155 649 maltreatment‐related investigations conducted in Ontario in 2018. Child, caregiver, household, and investigation characteristics were compared across three age groups: children (0–10), younger adolescents (11–15), and older adolescents (16–17). Characteristics and differences in the likelihood of a service response (referral to nonchild welfare services, transfer to ongoing child welfare services, or placement in out‐of‐home care during the investigation) were examined descriptively and using chi‐square automatic interaction detection. Half of investigations involving older adolescents received a service response, and they were more likely to receive a service response when there were concerns about future risk of harm, where there were concerns about the relationship between the adolescent and their caregivers, where internalizing or externalizing symptoms were noted, where caregivers had few social supports, and where the household experienced economic hardship. These findings suggest that older adolescents are being triaged for circumstances that reflect concerns about their vulnerability, including mental health needs, attachment concerns, and caregiver isolation.

Impacts of race on family reunification: A longitudinal study comparing exits from Quebec's child welfare system

BackgroundIn the United States, Black children spend more time in out-of-home placement than other children and are less likely to experience family reunification following involvement with child welfare services. Within Canada, very few studies have examined Black children's exits from the child welfare system and factors influencing their service trajectory. ObjectiveThis study, the first of its kind in Canada, uses longitudinal clinical administrative data to examine reunification outcomes for Black children following placement in out-of-home care. Participants and settingThe study population includes 1395 children receiving ongoing child welfare services in Quebec between April 1, 2002 and March 31, 2011. MethodsA longitudinal research design from anonymized clinical administrative data extracted from a single child welfare agency in Montreal. Survival analysis using a Kaplan Meier and Cox proportional hazard regression examined the trajectory and chances of family reunification from the point of each child's initial placement. ResultsBlack children spend longer lengths of time in out-of-home placement and are less likely to experience family reunification when compared to other children. Poorer reunification outcomes for Black children were associated with placement instability, the age of the child and reasons for child welfare involvement. ConclusionsWhile we tend to prioritize prevention services for vulnerable communities, this study indicates that attention must be given to services all throughout Black children's service trajectory to ensure that these children are able to exit the child welfare system in a timely manner.

Investigations involving urgent protection concerns vs. chronic needs: are there differences in post-investigation service decisions?

ABSTRACT Previous research has proposed an urgent-chronic taxonomy of maltreatment investigations to better understand how child welfare services across Canada operationalized the dual mandate of child safety and well-being. Data from the Ontario Incidence Study of Reported Child Abuse and Neglect (OIS-2013a) were used to examine post investigation service decisions using this taxonomy. Logistic regression and chi-square automatic interaction detection (CHAID, a non-parametric classification tree) assessed the characteristics associated with the decision to provide ongoing child welfare services for investigations involving urgent vs. chronic concerns. Of an estimated 123,162 child protection investigations, approximately 11% were considered urgent and the other 89% involved chronic need. A quarter of investigations were transferred to ongoing services for both groups, and an assessment that there was future risk of maltreatment and caregiver mental health issues were significant and substantial factors, along with economic hardship and housing problems. Uniformity in the investigative response suggests that the decision to provide more intensive child welfare services is based more on the circumstances of the family than the nature of the primary protection concern. Since child protection investigations are oriented toward addressing urgent maltreatment, greater precision about the purpose of child welfare involvement in Ontario is needed.

The role of risk in child welfare decision-making: A prospective cohort examination of families transferred to ongoing child protection services after an investigation

BackgroundCross-sectional analyses have identified factors associated with the decision to provide continued child welfare services. Determinations that children are at risk of maltreatment have been found to influence investigative decision-making in Ontario, over and above all other family and case characteristics. PurposeThis study uses longitudinal administrative data to assess the decision to transfer a family to ongoing child welfare services within twelve months of an initial investigation. MethodsWe developed an entry cohort from administrative data held in the Ontario Child Abuse and Neglect Data System (OCANDS), which included all families investigated during 2013 in participating agencies. We conducted descriptive comparative analyses and used results to generate a generalized linear model to determine predictors of transfer. ResultsOf the 34,397 families investigated in 2013 by participating agencies, 23% were transferred to ongoing child welfare services within 12 months. Rates of transfer were highest when the primary caregiver was under 25; caregiver-child conflict or caregiver capacity were the primary reason for the investigation; immediate safety was a concern; and future risk of maltreatment was high. In the multivariable model, families considered high or very high risk were more likely to be transferred (RR: 2.13; 95% CI: 2.04, 2.22, p < 0.001), as were families investigated for caregiver-child conflict (RR: 2.53; 95% CI: 2.34, 2.77; p < 0.001). ConclusionsConcerns about risk of harm appear to drive decision-making from the point of referral through the decision to transfer to ongoing services in a sample of agencies in Ontario. It is unclear whether child welfare services are the appropriate mechanism for effectively addressing circumstances that may put children at risk, particularly when the structure and delivery of services have been designed to intervene when children have already been harmed.

Infants and Toddlers: Factors for Ongoing Child Welfare Services in Ontario, Canada

Young children are particularly susceptible to the deleterious consequences of maltreatment to their survival and well-being. Previous research suggests that there are age-specific differences with respect to how the child welfare system responds to children and their families. Caregivers of young children are among the most likely to receive child welfare services following an investigation; however, little is known about the child, family, household and case factors associated with service provision decisions. Data from the sixth cycle of the Ontario Incidence Study of Reported Child Abuse and Neglect (OIS) for 2018 was analyzed. Of the 158,476 estimated maltreatment-related investigations of children 0–17 years of age, approximately 5% involved infants (less than one year) and approximately 14% involved toddlers (1–3 years). The most influential factors associated with the decision to transfer a case to ongoing services were explored for both infants and toddlers through a multivariate tree-classification technique, Chi square automatic interaction detection (CHAID). For both models, worker assessment and determination that the child was at significant risk of future maltreatment and caregiver mental health were influential and significant predictors. Differences did emerge between groups. For infant investigations, caregiver risk factors interacted with the child’s household running out of money for basic necessities; whereas, for toddler investigations, child characteristics interacted with caregiver risk factors. A better understanding of the child welfare system’s response to young children is crucial to the development of innovative practice and policy strategies within the field of child welfare and across allied child- and family-service systems.

Exploring subtypes of children’s exposure to intimate partner violence

Background and purposeExposure to intimate partner violence (IPV) is the most investigated form of maltreatment in Ontario, Canada. Given the potential for negative outcomes for children exposed to IPV, a better understanding of these cases is needed to provide the most optimal service response. The purpose of this paper is to examine the the increase in exposure investigations between 2008 and 2013. Three forms of exposure to IPV are considered in this study: (1) direct witness to physical violence, (2) indirect exposure to physical violence, and (3) exposure to emotional violence. Methods: The study used the Ontario Incidence Study of Reported Child Abuse and Neglect (OIS) data from 2008 and 2013. The OIS is a cyclical, cross sectional provincial child welfare study conducted every five years. Changes in the characteristics of IPV were examined by exploring key variables including the incidence of the specific form of IPV, referral source, and decisions made by child protection workers. Results: There were an estimated 22,347 investigations for exposure to IPV in 2008 and an estimated 31,300 investigations 2013. The overall substantiation rate for this type of investigation also increased with some important variations between subtypes. The number of substantiated investigations for exposure to emotional violence increased significantly between 2008 and 2013, from a rate of 4.21 investigations per 1000 children to 7.16 investigations per 1000 children. There was also a slight increase in the rate of investigations for direct witness to physical violence, but this increase was not statistically significant. In 2013, cases for exposure to emotional violence were 1.6 times more likely to be opened for ongoing child protection services than in 2008, while the rate of transfer to ongoing child welfare services for other exposure subtypes remained unchanged. The main sources of referral for IPV exposure investigations were police (59%), custodial parents (12%), and schools (9%). The proportion of police referrals has remained relatively stable between 2008 and 2013, but referrals by schools and custodial parents have changed within subtypes. Referrals by custodial parents for exposure to emotional violence investigations have doubled. Referrals by schools for direct witness to physical violence investigations have grown by a factor of 2.2. Conclusions and Implications: The continued increase in investigations referred for children’s exposure to IPV is concerning given that the service response remains unchanged. Custodial parents appear to be one of the primary sources of this increase. These results have important policy and practice implications and suggest that a true differential service response is needed for child protection cases referred for exposure to IPV, particularly exposure to emotional violence. These cases would benefit from a more comprehensive response by professionals, including police, shelter and support services, child protection, and schools. Better service coordination and inter-agency collaboration may also prevent families from being re-referred to child protection services.

Young Children and Ongoing Child Welfare Services: A Multilevel Examination of Clinical and Worker Characteristics.

There is a growing body of research that underscores that young child welfare-involved children are a unique vulnerable subgroup of children. The decision to provide postinvestigation child welfare services is consequential to children's safety and well-being and has fiscal implications for organizations. Despite the potential ramifications of the decision, there is little known about the factors associated with the ongoing services provision for young children. This study uses secondary data analysis of the Canadian Incidence Study of Reported Child Abuse and Neglect 2008 to explore what case and worker factors predict the provision of ongoing child welfare services. Multilevel modeling was used to assess the relationship between independent variables and the decision to provide ongoing services; analyses included 2,296 children and 555 workers. Case and worker characteristics, including worker training and worker position, predicted ongoing child welfare services suggesting that further research examining the role of what worker characteristics impact child welfare decisions is warranted and essential.

The intersection of child welfare, intimate partner violence and child custody disputes: secondary data analysis of the Ontario incidence study of reported child abuse and neglect

ABSTRACT Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to understand child welfare investigations that involve child custody disputes in Ontario, Canada. Methods: The study used data from the Ontario Incidence Study of Reported Child Abuse and Neglect. The OIS is a cyclical, cross sectional provincial child welfare study conducted every five years. Characteristics of investigations involving child custody disputes were examined by conducting chi-square tests on key variables, and a logistic regression was performed to examine the influence of child custody disputes on transfers to ongoing services. Findings: In 2013 approximately 12% of child welfare investigations involved a child custody dispute. These investigations were predominantly referred by a custodial parent, and the primary maltreatment concern was exposure to emotional violence. Investigations involving custody disputes when controlling for all other predictors of maltreatment, were less likely to be transferred to ongoing child welfare services. Implications: There is a complicated relationship between child custody disputes and investigations involving intimate partner violence. Policy and practice implications are discussed.

First Nations children and disparities in transfers to ongoing child welfare services in Ontario following a child protection investigation

First Nations children are overrepresented in the Ontario child welfare system and there are disparities across decision points in the investigation process (Ma, Fallon, & Richard, Child Abuse & Neglect, 90 (2019), 52–65). The current study comprises a secondary analysis of the 2013 Ontario Incidence Study of Reported Child Abuse and Neglect and focuses on the decision to provide ongoing child welfare services. Specifically, identifying the drivers of the decision to transfer a case to ongoing services, and how these factors vary between investigations involving First Nations children and investigations involving White children. Overall, the results indicate that caregiver functioning concerns were the main drivers for workers' decisions to transfer cases to ongoing services. The functioning concerns identified for First Nations children and their caregivers are a result of colonization and the legacy of the residential school system. In the current study, ethno-race was not found a predictive factor; rather, it may affect service provision through differential decision-making for specific groups of children and youth. Cases involving First Nations children were more likely to have been previously opened and re-opened for investigation sooner. It appears that First Nations families are not receiving the services necessary to prevent re-entry into the system.

The overrepresentation of First Nations children and families involved with child welfare: Findings from the Ontario incidence study of reported child abuse and neglect 2013.

While there are national studies on the overrepresentation of First Nations children in the Canadian child protection system, there is a dearth of provincial/territorial studies. The objectives are to: 1) estimate the rate of overrepresentation of First Nations children and youth involved in child welfare investigations in the Ontario child welfare system and, 2) determine which factors drive the overrepresentation of First Nations children in child welfare at the investigation stage compared to White children. Child welfare workers completed a three-page data collection form at the conclusion of a child protection investigation. A secondary analysis of the Ontario Incidence Study 2013 was conducted. Incidence rates were calculated and bivariate analyses were conducted, comparing investigations involving First Nations children to investigations involving White children. First Nations children represent 2.5% of the child population; however, they represent 7.4% of child maltreatment related investigations in Ontario. The rate of investigations for First Nations children was approximately three times higher than the rate for White children. Overrepresentation was most pronounced for investigations of neglect and exposure to intimate partner violence. Rates of substantiation, ongoing child welfare services, child welfare court, and placement in care were higher for the First Nations child population. The findings provide a foundation for further research and analyses examining the compounding of disparities across the investigation process. Research is needed to disentangle factors that influence decision-making in the child welfare system and how these vary based on a child's race.

Exposure to domestic violence as abuse and neglect: Constructions of child maltreatment in daily practice.

Research finds that exposure to domestic violence can adversely affect the emotional, behavioral, and physical health of children. These effects have led some child advocates and policymakers in the United States to conclude that child exposure to domestic violence (CEDV) is a type of child maltreatment warranting state intervention. However, few states have defined CEDV as a type of maltreatment in statute and little is known about how child welfare agencies respond to allegations of CEDV in the absence of other safety threats. This study considers that CEDV itself might prompt an initial child welfare referral and may be construed by workers as a type of statutory maltreatment. Using a random sample (n = 295) of case records, this study analyzed one large child welfare agency's response to referrals alleging CEDV between 2011 and 2012. Findings indicate that CEDV itself did trigger investigation. At time of referral, workers used statutory maltreatment typologies to construe alleged CEDV as a type of maltreatment; however, CEDV was not consistently construed as a safety threat and few allegations were substantiated. Instead most families were referred to community-based domestic violence services. Findings indicate that CEDV was not consistently construed as a type of statutory maltreatment and infrequently resulted in ongoing child welfare services. Findings suggest that training is needed to help workers better assess CEDV-related safety threats. Findings also raise questions about what types of interventions are needed to protect children from domestic violence and which types of agencies are best positioned to deliver those interventions.

Ongoing child welfare services: Understanding the relationship of worker and organizational characteristics to service provision

Ongoing child welfare services are put in place after completion of the initial maltreatment investigation when there is a perceived need to mitigate the risk of future harm. The knowledge of how clinical, worker, and organizational characteristics interact with this decision to provide ongoing child welfare services is not well integrated in the research literature. Using secondary data from the Canadian Incidence Study of Reported Child Abuse and Neglect-2008, this study’s primary objective is to understand the relationship of clinical, worker, and organizational characteristics to the decision to transfer a case to ongoing child welfare services and their relative contribution to the transfer decision in Canada. Findings indicate that several clinical level variables are associated with families receiving ongoing services. Additionally, organizational factors, such as type of services offered by the organization and the number of employee support programs available to workers, significantly predicted the decision to transfer a case to ongoing services. While no worker factors, such as education, amount of training, experience, or caseload, were associated with ongoing service receipt, the intraclass correlation coefficient of the final three-level parsimonious model indicated substantial clustering at the worker level. Results indicate that Canadian child welfare workers make decisions differently based on factors not available in the current study and that what would be deemed as important worker characteristics do not necessarily predict this outcome. Findings and implications for future research are discussed.

Troubled teens and challenged caregivers: Characteristics associated with the decision to provide child welfare services to adolescents in Ontario, Canada

Although studies have documented the pronounced and negative impact of adolescent maltreatment on short and long-term development, there is limited research about the risk factors and experiences of adolescents who are reported to the child welfare system. This study addresses this knowledge gap by using data from the provincially representative Ontario Incidence Study of Reported Child Abuse and Neglect (OIS-2013) to identify the characteristics of the alleged maltreatment, functioning concerns, caregiver risk factors, and socioeconomic conditions associated with the decision to provide ongoing child welfare services to adolescents and their families. In 2013, there were an estimated 34,968 investigations of maltreatment-related concerns involving adolescents and 26.5% of these cases were transferred to ongoing services. A number of factors were associated with this decision, including: adolescents' race/ethnicity, internalizing problems, and difficulties in the quality of the relationship with their primary caregiver; investigations involving potential abandonment, exposure to intimate partner violence, and co-occurring maltreatment; and caregivers' social isolation, mental health concerns, and substance abuse. A multivariable tree-classification found that the presence of internalizing problems was a primary factor influencing the decision to provide ongoing child welfare services, followed by caregiver social isolation, relationship difficulties between the caregiver and the adolescent, caregiver mental health concerns, and co-occurring maltreatment. The results suggest that adolescents investigated by Ontario child welfare authorities are experiencing troubling circumstances coupled with their caregivers' challenges, which may be impacting their relationships to the point that it determines their need for ongoing child welfare services.

Child welfare involvement and academic difficulties: Characteristics of children, families, and households involved with child welfare and experiencing academic difficulties

Children involved in child welfare experience academic difficulties more than any other functioning concern. This study used data from OIS-2013, a large representative sample of child welfare investigations (n = 4033), involving children aged 4–15. The following research questions were answered: 1) Do children with maltreatment histories and academic difficulties differ from those with maltreatment histories but no academic difficulties; and 2) Does the presence of academic difficulties influence ongoing child welfare services. Frequencies, cross-tabulations, and Chi-square tests assessed the relationships between academic difficulties and child characteristics, caregiver functioning concerns household characteristics, and maltreatment. Transfer to ongoing child welfare services was the outcome variable in a multiple logistic regression analysis. Being an adolescent, male, Indigenous, and having additional child functioning issues, notably externalizing behaviour, suicidal thoughts, and self-harm were each related to academic difficulties. Academic difficulties were significantly related to households where a caregiver had a cognitive impairment or low social supports, that were overcrowded, unsafe, or of lower income. Children who have academic difficulties are more likely to have recurrent involvement in child welfare, significant risk of future maltreatment, to experience physical harm, and to be placed in out of home care. Unsafe housing was the most significant predictor of a decision to transfer a case to child welfare services, followed by caregiver functioning, maltreatment type, then academic difficulties, when controlling for child gender, age, and ethnicity. Difficulties are likely to compound over time, and ultimately increase cost and frustration across systems.

Educational neglect: Understanding 20 years of child welfare trends

Educational neglect is an understudied phenomenon that is difficult to define and also to address. While it is clear that attending to children’s academic needs is important to child development, few studies focus on educational neglect and therefore little is known about its associated risk factors and the outcomes following this form of maltreatment. The purpose of this research was to (a) determine the rate at which child welfare service providers investigate educational neglect in Canada and identify any trends in rates over time, (b) better understand educational neglect and its distinction from other types of neglect and truancy, and (c) understand how child welfare services respond to allegations of educational neglect. Data from five cycles of the Ontario Incidence Studies of Reported Child Abuse and Neglect were examined. A trend analysis was conducted followed by a mixed-method examination of educational neglect investigations. Results indicate that rates of investigated educational neglect in Ontario have been consistently low over time. However, these investigations are significantly more likely to be substantiated and to be transferred to ongoing child welfare services compared to investigations of other subtypes of neglect. Educational neglect investigations involving younger children are more likely to note risk factors for caregivers whereas those involving adolescents are more likely to note functioning issues for youth. The findings are discussed in relation to international trends in educational neglect and policy and practice implications are explored.

Infants and the decision to provide ongoing child welfare services

BackgroundInfants are the most likely recipients of child welfare services; however, little is known about infants and families who come into contact with the child welfare system and factors that are associated with service provision. Investigations involving infants and their families present an unparalleled opportunity for the child welfare sector to enhance infants’ safety and well-being through early identification, referral and intervention. Understanding how the child welfare system responds to the unique needs of infants and caregivers is critical to developing appropriate practice and policy responses within the child welfare sector and across other allied sectors. This study examines maltreatment-related investigations in Ontario involving children under the age of one to identify which factors are most influential to predicting service provision at the conclusion of a child welfare investigation.MethodsA secondary analysis of the fifth cycle of the Ontario Incidence Study of Reported Child Abuse and Neglect (OIS) for 2013 was conducted. The OIS is a cross-sectional child welfare study that is conducted every 5 years. The most influential factors that were associated with the decision to transfer a case to ongoing services were explored through a multivariate tree-classification technique, Chi square automatic interaction detection.ResultsThere were an estimated 7915 maltreatment-related investigations involving infants in 2013. At least one caregiver risk factor was identified in approximately three-quarters (74%) of investigations involving infants. In the majority of investigations (57%), at least one referral for specialized services was provided. Primary caregiver with few social supports was the most highly significant predictor of the decision to provide ongoing child welfare services. Primary caregiver risk factors were predominant in this model. The analysis identified subgroups of investigations involving infants for which the likelihood of being transferred to ongoing services ranged from approximately 11–97%.ConclusionCaregivers of infants are struggling with numerous challenges that can adversely compromise their ability to meet the unique developmental needs of their infant. The findings underscore the importance of community and social supports in decision-making.