State Child Welfare Research Articles

Performance evaluation of child welfare departments using Data Envelopment Analysis: A comparative study across US states

Public child welfare agencies play a pivotal role in safeguarding the well-being of children and thus, the future of our society. While the performance of child welfare agencies is of critical importance, limited previous research relying on operations research and advanced analytics appears to exist in the analysis of their performance. We conduct a multi-criteria analysis for benchmarking the performance of the United States child welfare system, using Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) to evaluate the performance of public child welfare agencies across different US states. We select as outputs various statewide data indicators from the Child and Family Services Review (CFSR), while our inputs include the total annual expenditure by each state on the child welfare system. We use clustering to differentiate agencies based on the presence of the “Alternative Response” policy, which provides for preventive and support options for families, and apply DEA to each homogenous cluster. We identify best-practice agencies and provide benchmarks for the remaining agencies to enhance their performance. Our study offers data-driven directions for child welfare agencies to improve safety and permanency outcomes for children.

Legal protections for sexual and gender minority youth in foster care: A review of Preventing Sex Trafficking and Strengthening Families Act (Normalcy Standards)

The aim of this study was to investigate legal protections for sexual and gender minority (SGM) youth population who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex (LGBTQ+), or any nonheterosexual orientation, gender identity, or expression (SOGIE) within the context of the United States (US) publicly administered state child welfare foster care system through federal Public Law 113–183 (Preventing Sex Trafficking and Strengthening Families Act – Prudent Parenting for short). SGM youth are identified in foster care 2.5 times higher than their heterosexual peers and often report worse outcomes. There are some federal recommendations for SGM youth, but it does not include normalcy or other activities that are federally supported. A state-by-state analysis of legislation, policy, implementation policy and youth bill of rights was conducted. While there was significant variance across the USA, many states provided levels of support in their legislation, policy implementation and youth bill of rights that could assist SGM youth impact normalcy efforts. More research is needed to investigate if SGM youth in foster care experience protections in the states that have legal protections.

State Implementation of Congregate Care Reforms for Children in Foster Care.

The Family First Prevention Services Act (FFPSA) allows states to use federal Title IV-E funds to provide time-limited, clinically appropriate use of congregate care, including Qualified Residential Treatment Programs (QRTPs), for youth in foster care. October 1, 2021 marked the deadline for states to begin implementing these FFPSA congregate care reforms. From June to September 2022, we conducted a mixed-methods study to obtain a baseline understanding of implementation barriers, successes, and recommendations to inform congregate care policy and practice. We fielded a national survey with state child welfare agency directors and conducted focus groups with youth with QRTP experiences, child welfare agency administrators, and QRTP executive leaders. We integrated a descriptive analysis of survey data with focus group themes to summarize state implementation progress. A total of 47 states (90%) responded to the survey. Most states reported ongoing congregate care reforms aligned with FFPSA, reducing the use of congregate care and increasing kinship foster care. QRTPs have become the primary congregate care setting. Top implementation barriers concerned workforce resource and capacity constraints, funding, and access to therapeutic foster care models and foster families. Focus group themes converged on the lack of tailored treatment, quality staff, coordinated aftercare, and a need for QRTP outcome evidence. Early implementation lessons of FFPSA congregate care reforms call for additional funding and technical assistance, oversight of congregate care, professionalization and investment in QRTP staff, youth advisory boards to promote youth-driven treatment, and performance- and outcome-based monitoring of QRTPs.

Predictors of Identity Crime Victimization of Adolescent Youth in Foster Care

ABSTRACT Identity crimes pose serious risks and challenges for youth in foster care. As young people move through various out-of-home placements and schools, their personal data are often widely disseminated, difficult to secure, and thus vulnerable to theft and misuse. When they transition from foster care to adulthood, identity crime victims with compromised credit histories may be denied loans, employment, and/or housing during the already-precarious period of emerging adulthood. Even though federal law requires state child welfare agencies to conduct annual credit checks for adolescent youth in foster care, little is known about the factors contributing to risk of identity crime victimization among foster care-involved youth, either before or after their initial entry into care. To address this knowledge gap, we analyze linked child welfare and consumer credit records for a population cohort of 4,670 youth (age 14 to 17) in foster care in a southeastern state who received credit checks from November 2015 through December 2021. Using gradient boosted machine learning, we find that prior identity crime victimization before the youth first entered care is the strongest predictor of victimization while in foster care. Implications of these findings for policy and practice are discussed.

State-level policies and reunification: A multi-level survival analysis

BackgroundA growing body of research has focused on the relationships of policies and other macro factors and child welfare outcomes. However, to date, few studies have examined state child welfare policies and reunification, despite reunification being the priority case goal among children in foster care. ObjectiveThis study examined the relationship between state child welfare policies and other macro factors and reunification, while controlling for child factors. Participants and settingData came from the 2016–2019 Adoption and Foster Care Analysis Reporting System (AFCARS), which contains case-level information on all children in foster care during each fiscal year. MethodsWe conducted a series of multi-level survival analyses to observe the fixed effects of state-level factors and child-level factors on time to reunification among children who entered foster care in 2016. ResultsIn the unadjusted model, children in states with Title IV-E stipend programs for caseworkers had higher hazards of reunification (HR = 1.21, 95 % CI = 1.01–1.44) as did children in states with statewide in-home post-reunification services (HR = 1.63, 95 % CI = 1.16–2.28). Children in states that required a master's degree for caseworkers had lower hazards of reunification (HR = 0.72, 95 % CI = 0.59–0.95). ConclusionsFindings from this study highlight the importance of considering state policies and their impact on reunification. Implications for policy, practice, and research are explored.

Cost–Benefit of Treatment Foster Care Oregon (TFCO) Versus Residential Care in Illinois

Purpose: This pilot study evaluated the cost–benefit of research-based Treatment Foster Care Oregon (TFCO) as an alternative treatment setting to residential care for children in the Illinois child welfare system. Methods: Using secondary analysis of child welfare administrative data, this study observed, for 2 years, 52 children enrolled in TFCO and 67 children who were eligible for TFCO but remained in or entered residential care. Results: Over the 2-year period, the average daily cost of care for children in TFCO was $249, compared to $320 for children in residential care, resulting in cost-savings of $51,058 per child and an overall net benefit of $94,294 per child. Conclusions: The promising cost–benefit evidence of TFCO as implemented in a state child welfare system has implications on social work services and placement decision-making, and system capacity in scaling up short-term therapeutic foster homes for children who might otherwise languish in residential care.

Contextual determinants of re-reporting for families receiving alternative response: A survival analysis in a Midwestern State

Differential response (DR) has been widely adopted in over 30 states to address shortcomings of the traditional approach to child maltreatment reports in complex family and case circumstances. However, despite continued evaluation efforts, evidence of the effectiveness of DR remains inconclusive. The current study aims to assess the impact of a DR program and potential predictors, including service match and number of family case workers, on maltreatment re-reports in a Midwestern state. The study utilized a randomized control trial and assigned eligible families to either the Alternative Response (AR) track or Traditional Response (TR) track. The enrollment was implemented in a phased rollout covering all counties in the state. Data were drawn from state child welfare administrative datasets and case worker surveys. The probability and time to re-reporting was calculated using survival analysis, while adjusting for case-level covariates. Prior ongoing case (HR = 3.24, p < 0.001), high risk level (HR = 1.43, p < 0.05), and having only one worker (HR = 1.92, p < 0.001) serve the case were strong predictors of re-reporting. The effect of service match within each level of prior ongoing case (No, Yes) was also a significant predictor of re-reporting (p < 0.05). AR had limited, but nonsignificant, impact on preventing re-reporting after adjusting for these factors, as there was no difference in terms of re-reporting between DR tracks. However, findings suggest that matching child welfare service with family needs is an important component of child welfare practice. Implications for DR policy and practice are discussed.

Engaging Victims of Child Sex Trafficking: Training for Child Welfare Workers

Abstract Child sex trafficking (CST) is the exploitation through commercial sex of a minor under 18. Federal law requires state child welfare agencies to respond and provide services to victims of CST. Social workers report lacking an understanding of state and federal law related to human trafficking, as well as resources for victims, and are often inadequately trained for identifying and serving survivors. As part of a CST awareness training including lecture, discussion, and game-based learning, child welfare workers were surveyed on their knowledge about CST and their self-efficacy in serving and engaging with survivors. Regression analyses showed that the training was associated with a positive change from pre- to posttest, on both knowledge (R2 = .472) and self-efficacy (R2 =.381), even when controlling for gender, race, experience, pretest knowledge, and position. Interactive trainings for child welfare workers on child trafficking survivor engagement that use a victim-centered, strengths-based lens are a promising practice.

Every state for itself: A comparison of states’ visitation guidelines with research studies

Contact between children in care and their families and affiliates is an important component of child welfare practice. Depending on how visitation is handled and the readiness of the parties to interact, contact can result in positive or negative effects. However, scholars find that workers who supervise and arrange visitation often lack the requisite skills and knowledge to conduct visits in the most beneficial ways. As agency policies, particularly when they are research-informed, influence practice, this study analyzes the guidelines on visitation collected from the state child welfare agencies in the United States of America (USA) and compares them with research findings and researchers’ recommendations for best practices. The materials analyzed were collected from 43 states and included pages from policy manuals or administrative standards, tip sheets for case workers, brochures developed for families, stand-alone guidelines, and documentation forms. The guidelines vary widely in terms of the amount and specificity of information they contain, but their overall coverage of topics is sparse and not always in line with research findings. A need exists to update and expand the guidelines, which could then function as one tool to improve practice.

Study: Massachusetts mandate to report MOUD use in pregnancy harms families

A Massachusetts policy that mandates child abuse/neglect reporting when a mother has taken medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD) during her pregnancy causes tangible harms to these women and their families, a newly published analysis suggests. The report's gripping comments from women who were subjected to child protection system (CPS) investigations illustrate the sharp contrast between the medical advice they had received during their pregnancy and the way that state child welfare officials treated them.

Feasibility of the NCTSN breakthrough parenting curriculum: A pilot study of an online trauma-informed training for birth parents involved in the child welfare system

Unresolved trauma can negatively impact parenting and increase chances of child maltreatment. With the passing of the Family First Prevention Services Act (FFPSA) in 2018, new attention has been focused on strengthening family connections and expanding the community-based service array focused on preventing maltreatment and out of home placement. The purpose of this paper is twofold: (1) to describe preliminary outcomes from a pilot evaluation of a new curriculum teaching parents trauma-informed strategies to address and resolve their own trauma while supporting healthy attachment; and (2) assess the feasibility of conducting a large scale study. Forty parents involved in the state child welfare system were recruited to participate. Statistical analyses included T-tests, propensity score analysis, and repeated measures MANOVA. Assessments, which occurred at Pre and Post for the intervention group and comparable times for the quasi-waitlist group, indicated the following: A high retention rate (72%) for the intervention group, an increase in parent knowledge of trauma, skills to address trauma behavior, and parent well-being for the intervention, relative to the waitlist comparison group; and a decrease in child problem behavior in the intervention, relative to the waitlist group. Fidelity data was strong, with trainers completing 100% of activities for each module. Parental satisfaction in the intervention group was also high and costs to implement the training were reasonable. The findings of this pilot study provide strong support for evaluating the BPC in a large-scale outcome investigation.

Youth Dually-Involved in the child welfare and juvenile justice systems: Varying definitions and their associations with trauma exposure, posttraumatic stress, & offending

Recently, scholars have placed increasing effort on better understanding the unique needs of youth involved in both the child welfare and juvenile justice systems. This study drew from the Developmental Cascade of Multisystem Involvement Framework to examine group differences in trauma exposure, posttraumatic stress symptoms, and offending among youth solely involved in the juvenile justice system and youth with varying degrees of dual-system involvement, including crossover youth (i.e., youth with a history of maltreatment and offending regardless of system involvement), dual-contact youth (i.e., youth who had a history of a substantiated CW maltreatment petition prior to their involvement in the current study), and dually-involved youth (i.e., youth under the care and custody of the state's child welfare system at the time of study participation). Four-hundred adolescents (25% girls, Mage = 15.97) who were recruited from a detention center and completed self-report measures assessing trauma exposure, posttraumatic stress, and offending. Juvenile justice and child welfare records also were collected. Results indicated that, compared to youth solely involved in the juvenile justice system, crossover youth reported significantly more exposure to traumatic events, more severe posttraumatic stress symptoms, and more self-reported offending. In contrast, results indicated few differences between dual-contact youth and youth solely involved in the juvenile justice system; these groups only differed in age and in recidivism charges. There also were few differences between dually-involved youth and youth solely involved in the juvenile justice system; these groups only differed in age and exposure to non-Criterion A traumatic events. The current results suggest that categorizing youth as crossover youth based on their own self-reported history of child maltreatment exposure resulted in more observed differences between dual-system youth and youth solely involved in juvenile justice. The present results have valuable implications for how we operationalize youth’s system involvement and highlight the importance of examining child maltreatment as a point of prevention and intervention efforts for these youth.

Family, mental health, and placement outcomes of a low-cost preventive intervention for youth in foster care

This study assessed secondary outcomes of Connecting, a low-cost, self-directed, family-based prevention program for families with youth placed in their care by state child welfare agencies. Families caring for youth aged 11 to 15 years within Washington State were recruited and randomly assigned into either the Connecting program (n = 110) or a treatment-as-usual control condition (n = 110). The program included a 10-week sequence of self-directed family activities and DVDs with video clips. Survey data were collected from caregivers and youth at baseline, immediately post-intervention, and at 12 and 24 months post-intervention; placement data was collected from the child welfare department as well. Intention-to-treat analyses focused on 5 classes of secondary outcomes at 24 months post-intervention: caregiver-youth bonding, family climate, youth risk behavior attitudes, youth mental health, and placement stability. There were no intervention effects in the full sample. In subgroup analyses, among older youth (ages 16–17) but not younger youth (ages 13–15), the Connecting condition (vs. controls) yielded more frequent caregiver-reported bonding communication, bonding activities, warmth, and positive interactions, as well as less favorable youth attitudes towards early initiation of sexual behavior and substance use, and fewer youth self-injurious thoughts. Consistent with the social development model, the divergent outcomes between younger and older youth suggests Connecting’s driving mechanisms involve social processes that undergo critical shifts between early and mid-adolescence. Overall, the Connecting program showed promise in older youth for long-term promotion of caregiver-youth bonding, healthy behaviors, and mental health, but did not demonstrate long-term efficacy in facilitating stable or permanent placement of youth in care.

Investing in Infants: Child Protection and Nationalism in Transylvania during Dualism and the Interwar Period

AbstractThe high infant mortality rate of illegitimate children in Dualist Hungary urged politicians to create a modern state child welfare system for the protection of abandoned children whose upbringing became a national matter. Their main concern was providing adequate nutrition for infants and increase their chances of survival. The article examines how demographical concerns and national-political ideals influenced the evolution of the child welfare system in multi-ethnic Transylvania, first as part of the dual monarchy and after the First World War as a province of Romania. The Hungarian state children’s asylums offered a variety of nursing programs for abandoned infants, where the foster-care system often resulted in their Magyarization at a later age. During the First World War, the new objective was the protection of infants together with mothers and the promotion of breastfeeding in order to ensure the viability of the Hungarian nation. National arguments were used in both time periods to support infant protection initiatives. In interwar Transylvania, the urban-rural ethnic distribution influenced the development of infant protection facilities: all state investments were channeled toward the “authentic” Romanian countryside, while in the “foreign” urban environment ethnic minorities focused on their own institutions.

American Indian and Alaska Native overexposure to foster care and family surveillance in the US: A quantitative overview of contemporary system contact

Following a long history of forced assimilation through family separation, American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) children continue to be separated from their families by state child welfare agencies at exceptionally high rates. This study identifies those states with high levels of contemporary AIAN family separation through non-tribal state and local foster care systems. We describe how these risks vary over childhood and vary in magnitude relative to white children. We then examine three states with exceptionally high rates of AIAN foster care placement, Minnesota, Alaska, and Montana, in detail. We evaluate how child maltreatment reporting contributes to upstream inequalities in family separation through an examination of sources of maltreatment reports and types of alleged maltreatment across childhood. We conclude by arguing that child welfare scholars should understand contemporary AIAN child welfare system contact in the context of historical and ongoing settler colonialism. In order to reduce AIAN inequalities, child protective services should observe tribal sovereignty by deferring to the authority of tribes in caring for Native children and families and increasing the capacity tribes have to help their communities.

The influence of Decision-making ecology on placement into foster care

In recent years, the U.S. Administration for Children and Families has shifted policy and practice guidance to encourage state child welfare agencies toward efforts that strengthen family connections, increase primary prevention, and decrease unnecessary removal of children from their parents. However, the field lacks an understanding of the factors influencing removal decisions. Framed by the Decision-making Ecology, the purpose of this study is to explore the individual, organizational, and external variables associated with worker orientation toward family preservation versus child safety. Two hundred and sixty-six child welfare professionals participated in a survey. Findings showed significant differences between the family preservation and child safety/removal groups within individual decision-maker factors (age and STS) and organizational factors (collaboration with family support providers). No differences were found in measured external/community factors. Findings from multivariate logistic regression analysis indicated that regardless of the years of job experience of the worker, being a child welfare worker without clinically significant STS increased the odds of being in the family preservation group by 2.7 times as compared to the child safety/removal group. In addition, participants who reported collaboration with other child-serving community professionals had 4.4 greater odds of being in the family preservation group. Implications for workforce recruitment and development are discussed.

Development and Implementation of State and Federal Child Welfare Laws Related to Drug Use in Pregnancy.

Amid increasing drug use among pregnant individuals, legislators have pursued policies intended to reduce substance use during pregnancy. Many states have utilized child welfare mechanisms despite evidence that these policies might disincentivize treatment-seeking. Recent federal changes were intended to facilitate care for substance-exposed infants and their families, but implementation of these changes at the state level has been slowed and complicated by existing state policies. We seek to provide a timeline of state child welfare laws related to prenatal drug use and describe stakeholder perceptions of implementation. We catalogued child welfare laws related to prenatal drug use, including laws that defined child abuse and neglect and established child welfare reporting standards, for all 50 states and the District of Columbia (DC), from 1974 to 2019. In the 19 states that changed relevant laws between 2009 and 2019, qualitative interviews were conducted with stakeholders to capture state-level perspectives on policy implementation. Twenty-four states and DC have passed laws classifying prenatal drug use as child abuse or neglect. Thirty-seven states and DC mandate reporting of suspected prenatal drug use to the state. Qualitative findings suggested variation in implementation within and across states between 2009 and 2019 and revealed that implementation of changes to federal law during that decade, intended to encourage states to provide comprehensive social services and linkages to evidence-based care to drug-exposed infants and their families, has been complicated by existing policies and a lack of guidance for practitioners. Many states have enacted laws that may disincentivize treatment-seeking among pregnant people who use drugs and lead to family separation. To craft effective state laws and support their implementation, state policymakers and practitioners could benefit from a treatment-oriented approach to prenatal substance use and additional state and federal guidance.

The Case of Eckerd Connects: An Exploration of Factors Contributing to Organizational Resilience

Eckerd Connects (EC) is a youth-focused nonprofit organization begun by the proprietor of a once-major drug store chain, Eckerd Drug, and his spouse. Otherwise known as “Eckerd Kids” in its earlier days, and legally chartered still today under the Eckerd Youth Alternatives name, the organization’s innovative outdoor-emphasis programming achieved high regard in 1968 and most of the next four decades that followed, helping children displaced from their parents to be better positioned to become well-adjusted adults. Shortly after the turn of the century, enthusiasm for the outdoor-emphasis model began to wane as funding sources (primarily state child welfare offices) became more interested in community-based options offering similar, and sometimes better, results at a lesser cost. Hard choices became necessary spurred by financial pressures, and the EC board of directors’ hire in March 2007 of someone with reputation as a “turnaround guy” signaled a new acquiescence to the possibility of change—though virtually no one anticipated the magnitude. That decision ultimately precipitated EC’s evolution into a substantially different organization in terms of strategy, though the original youth development mission remained intact. Insights and lessons to be gained from that transition are the focus of this case.

Association between U.S. state prenatal drug use laws and child welfare reporting in Alabama, Maryland and Utah.

Over the past decade, states have passed several laws on prenatal drug use, including "maltreatment laws" deeming prenatal drug use child maltreatment, "reporting laws" requiring providers to report prenatal drug use to Child Protective Services (CPS) and "criminalization laws" that criminalize prenatal drug use. We examined the association between a 2012 Utah maltreatment law, a 2013 Alabama maltreatment and criminalization law, and a 2014 Maryland reporting law on the rate of infant CPS reports using 2010-2017 National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System data. We conducted an event study comparing CPS reporting pre/post law in each treatment state with reporting in a pool of control states over the same period. Regression models included state and year fixed effects and state-level demographics. We triangulated quantitative results with qualitative interviews of 11 state leaders whose professional responsibilities included implementation of the state law. We found no association between Alabama's simultaneous maltreatment and criminalization laws and infant reporting. Maryland's reporting law (28.2 fewer reports per 1000 infants, 95%CI: [-42.9, -13.6], 4-years post-law) and Utah's maltreatment laws (31.0 fewer CPS reports per 1000 infants, 95%CI: [-61.2, -0.8], 6-years post-law) were associated with declines in infant CPS reports. Qualitative results suggest that the reduced reporting associated with Maryland's reporting and Utah's maltreatment laws may be due to increased perceived stigma resulting from the law, and health providers' distrust of CPS and/or confusion about reporting to CPS. Future research should characterize differential policy implementation across states and counties and identify policy impacts on treatment seeking behavior.

Child Sexual Abuse in India under POCSO Act, 2012: A Critical Analysis

When an adult or a more mature child or adolescent engages in sexual behaviour with a youngster, this is considered sexual abuse. On the other hand, the POCSO Act defines a "child" as anyone under the age of 18. Abuse of a kid can be defined as any action or inaction that causes injury to, or places a child at danger of harm from, another person. Abuse of children can take many forms, including sexual, emotional, and physical. Failure to meet a child's basic requirements constitutes neglect, another kind of maltreatment. Children who have been abused typically experience more severe emotional harm than physical harm. Depression is a common symptom of child maltreatment. It's possible he or she will retreat, entertain suicidal thoughts, or snap. A child who has reached adulthood may experiment with drugs or alcohol, attempt to run away, or abuse others. Abuse of children is a terrible issue. Call the authorities or your state's child welfare department if you have any reason to believe a child is being mistreated or neglected. The prevention of child sexual abuse is the focus of this paper, as are recent amendments to the POCSO Act and related provisions.