Differential Response in Child Welfare

Mapping Intimacies ◽

10.1093/obo/9780195389678-0302 ◽

2021 ◽

Keyword(s):

Child Abuse ◽

Child Welfare ◽

The United States ◽

Differential Response ◽

Protective Services ◽

Alternative Response ◽

Flexible Response ◽

Alternative Approach ◽

Central Registry ◽

Services And Supports

In the late 1990s, child welfare jurisdictions in the United States and other countries began to implement an alternative approach to allow for a more flexible response to differing needs and circumstance of families reported to child protective services (CPS). This alternative approach to structuring child welfare services is commonly referred to as differential response (DR); it is also called alternative response (AR), family assessment response (FAR), multiple response (MR), or dual track. Currently, thirty-two states have legislation to enact or pilot-test a DR approach. DR is not a practice model but rather a policy orientation that focuses on broadly assessing the family’s situation to identify underlying needs and issues. DR consists of practice reforms intended to provide families involved with the child welfare system with the concrete services and supports needed to provide a safe environment for their children. In jurisdictions with DR, accepted reports (i.e., reports to CPS that meet a legal definition of abuse or neglect) are assigned to either an investigation response (IR) or an alternative response, depending on the type of allegation and factors such as safety concerns, risks, prior reports of abuse or neglect, the victim’s age and relationship to the alleged perpetrator, reports of domestic violence, and substance use. The IR involves a forensic approach to gather the evidence needed to formally determine whether an incident of child abuse or neglect occurred, as defined by state law. Cases assigned AR are accepted reports of child abuse and neglect that are generally low- and moderate-risk cases, With AR cases, social workers conduct a comprehensive assessment and work to meet families’ needs with concrete services and supports. In addition, AR cases do not require a formal determination of child abuse or neglect, and the names of alleged perpetrators are not entered into a central registry. The track assignment for AR families can change if new information is discovered or if the family’s situation changes, necessitating an IR.

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Child Protective Services Guidelines for Substantiating Exposure to Domestic Violence as Maltreatment and Assigning Caregiver Responsibility: Policy Analysis and Recommendations

Child Maltreatment ◽

10.1177/10775595211002639 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 107755952110026

Author(s):

Bryan G. Victor ◽

Ashley N. Rousson ◽

Colleen Henry ◽

Haresh B. Dalvi ◽

E. Susana Mariscal

Keyword(s):

Domestic Violence ◽

Child Welfare ◽

Child Protective Services ◽

Adult Survivors ◽

The United States ◽

Protective Services ◽

Child Exposure ◽

Exposure To Domestic Violence ◽

Welfare Systems ◽

Child Welfare Systems

The purpose of this study was to examine the range of policy approaches used by child welfare systems in the United States to guide workers in classifying and substantiating child exposure to domestic violence (CEDV) as an actionable form of maltreatment. To that end, we conducted a qualitative document analysis of child protective services (CPS) policy manuals from all state-administered child welfare systems in the U.S. ( N = 41). Our findings indicate that a majority of state-administered systems (71%) have adopted policy requiring workers to demonstrate that children have endured harm or the threat of harm before substantiating CEDV-related maltreatment. Many state systems (51%) also include policy directives that require workers to identify a primary aggressor during CPS investigations involving CEDV, while far fewer (37%) provide language that potentially exonerates survivors of domestic violence from being held accountable for failure to protect on the basis of their own victimization. Based on our findings and identification of policy exemplars, we offer a recommended set of quality policy indicators for states to consider in the formulation of their policy guidelines for substantiating children’s exposure to domestic violence that promotes the safety and wellbeing of both children and adult survivors of domestic violence.

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Child abuse in the United States

Perinatal Psychiatry ◽

10.1093/oso/9780199676859.003.0030 ◽

2014 ◽

Author(s):

Margaret Spinelli

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Child Abuse ◽

Disease Control ◽

Child Abuse And Neglect ◽

The United States ◽

Alternative Response ◽

The Us ◽

Abuse And Neglect ◽

Control And Prevention ◽

Centers For Disease Control

Child abuse is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in the United States and other countries. It is the second leading cause of death among children in the US. All 50 States, the District of Columbia, and the US Territories have mandatory child abuse and neglect reporting laws that require certain professionals and institutions to report suspected maltreatment to a child protective services (CPS) agency. Four major types of maltreatment are considered: neglect, physical abuse, psychological maltreatment, and sexual abuse (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 2010). Once an allegation or referral of child abuse is received by a CPS agency, the majority of reports receive investigations to establish whether or not an intervention is needed. Some reports receive an alternative response in which safety and risk assessments are conducted, but the focus is on working with the family to address issues. Investigations involve gathering evidence to substantiate the alleged maltreatment. Data from reports on child abuse is derived from the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System (NCANDS), which aggregates and publishes statistics from state child protection agencies. The first report from NCANDS was based on data for 1990. Case-level data include information about the characteristics of reports of abuse and neglect that are made to CPS agencies, the children involved, the types of maltreatment that are alleged, the dispositions of the CPS responses, the risk factors of the child and the caregivers, the services that are provided, and the perpetrators (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 2010). During 2010, the NCANSDS reported that an estimated 3.3 million referrals estimated to include 5.9 million children were received by CPS agencies. Of the nearly 2 million reports that were screened and received a CPS response, 90.3% received an investigation response and 9.7% received an alternative response (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 2010). Of the 1,793,724 reports that received an investigation in 2010, 436,321 were substantiated; 24,976 were found to be indicated (likely but unsubstantiated); and 1,262,118 were found to be unsubstantiated. Three-fifths of reports of alleged child abuse and neglect were made by professionals.

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Differential Response and Children Re-Reported to Child Protective Services: County Data From the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System (NCANDS)

Child Maltreatment ◽

10.1177/1077559518816381 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 24 (2) ◽

pp. 127-136 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

John D. Fluke ◽

Nicole Harlaar ◽

Brett Brown ◽

Kurt Heisler ◽

Lisa Merkel-Holguin ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Child Abuse ◽

Child Protection ◽

Child Abuse And Neglect ◽

Differential Response ◽

Data System ◽

Percentage Increase ◽

County Level ◽

Family Needs ◽

Alternative Response ◽

Abuse And Neglect

Child protection systems that implement differential response (DR) systems screen to route referrals to an investigation response (IR) or alternative response (AR). AR responses emphasize family engagement, assessment of family needs, and service linkage. Usually, AR state-level policy does not require child welfare staff to make a maltreatment determination. Jurisdictions implement DR systems differently, leading to variations in the proportion of AR cases, risk levels of cases served, and the ways families access and use services. County data from the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System were analyzed for six states from 2004 to 2013 that implemented DR. Variation in county-level AR rates were associated with county-level re-report rates using regression models with risk adjustments for socioeconomic and other county characteristics. Counties had 3% fewer re-reports overall for each percentage increase in AR use; higher levels of AR use are related to lower levels of re-reporting. When county AR and IR cases were analyzed separately, increasing rates of AR were associated with lower re-report rates for IR cases, but higher re-report rates for AR cases. Findings for the AR and IR subgroup must be interpreted with caution as a number of technical factors may be driving these results.

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The Scope, Nature, and Causes of Child Abuse and Neglect

The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science ◽

10.1177/0002716220969642 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 692 (1) ◽

pp. 26-49

Author(s):

Sarah A. Font ◽

Kathryn Maguire-Jack

Keyword(s):

Child Abuse ◽

Child Welfare ◽

Child Maltreatment ◽

Scientific Evidence ◽

Child Abuse And Neglect ◽

The United States ◽

Complex Problem ◽

Incidence Rates ◽

Use Of Data ◽

Abuse And Neglect

Child maltreatment is a complex problem affecting millions of children in the United States every year. This article examines existing knowledge on the scope, nature, and causes of child abuse and neglect. First, we review the discordant definitions and conceptualizations of child maltreatment and consider the implications of broad and narrow definitions for the size and scope of the child welfare system and for child safety. Second, we provide an assessment of the quality and comprehensiveness of existing data for understanding the incidence rates and trends in child abuse and neglect. Third, we review theory and evidence on the causes of child maltreatment, with particular attention to whether and how social policy can reduce its prevalence. Last, we provide recommendations for improving the use of data and scientific evidence in child welfare policy and systems.

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