NCJ Number
153337
Date Published
1994
Length
38 pages
Annotation
Risk assessment in child protective services is discussed with respect to its goals, issues involved in the development of risk assessment, approaches used in the development of models, validity and reliability of models, risk assessment training and evaluation, and recommendatiosn for research and practice.
Abstract
Risk assessment has been part of decisionmaking in child protective services since the field began. The goals of risk assessment vary according to whether the user is a researcher, agency administrator, or caseworker. Three crucial purposes are prediction/classification, decisionmaking, and resource management. The basic focus of risk assessment is usually on the probability that child maltreatment will recur. Approaches include empirically based models, consensus-based models, and blended consensus/empirical models. Training is crucial to the implementation of risk assessment and its integration into an existing practice model. Evaluation focuses on the instrument itself and on its implementation. Research is needed regarding goals and purposes, implementation, and effective leverage points for controlling resources in child protective services. 47 references