NCJ Number
231992
Journal
Child Abuse & Neglect Volume: 34 Issue: 8 Dated: August 2010 Pages: 563-569
Date Published
August 2010
Length
7 pages
Annotation
Using data from records of the Oklahoma Child Death Review Board for all children who died due to maltreatment in the years 1993-2003, this study identified social-ecological factors that influenced the likelihood that surviving siblings of the victims would be removed from their homes.
Abstract
The study determined that there were 392 child maltreatment fatalities in the years 1993-2003, and 299 (76.3 percent) of these children had siblings. Data on sibling removal from the home were available for 250 families (83.6 percent of families with siblings). Logistic regression analyses found that being a younger sibling, the number of previous family reports to child welfare, and type of maltreatment (physical abuse rather than neglect) predicted a greater likelihood of siblings of the victims being removed from the family home. Few caregiver and family variables were predictive of sibling removal from the home, despite evidence that such variables are related to child maltreatment fatalities. These findings are consistent with the relevant research literature. Future research should investigate siblings' return to their home and subsequent child protection services referrals; this would assist in determining whether decisions about sibling removal from the home were useful in protecting siblings of child fatality victims from future maltreatment. The study recommends that child welfare workers consider more caregiver and family factors in making decisions about the removal of a sibling of the victim of a child maltreatment fatality from the home. Data sources examined were medical examiner reports, child welfare investigative reports, law enforcement investigative reports, and reviews by the Child Death Review Board. Variables reviewed pertained to characteristics of the surviving siblings, caregiver characteristics, alleged perpetrator characteristics, family characteristics, community characteristics, and maltreatment characteristics. 3 tables and 26 references