Should Child Protection Services Respond Differently to Maltreatment, Risk of Maltreatment, and Risk of Harm?

• NCJ Number: 234600
• Journal: Child Abuse & Neglect Volume: 35 Issue: 4 Dated: April 2011 Pages: 236-239
• Author(s): Barbara Fallon; Nico Trocme; Bruce MacLaurin
• Date Published: April 2011
• Length: 4 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

Based on data obtained from large-scale North American datasets on child abuse and neglect, this study examined the complexities of classifying child-protection cases and discusses whether child protection services should respond differently to cases classified as maltreatment, risk of maltreatment, and risk of harm.

Abstract

The study found that children and families identified as being at risk of maltreatment present with as many household and caregiver concerns as investigations that are substantiated. In practice, child protection workers investigate and intervene in many situations in which children have not yet been harmed, but rather live in environments and with caregivers whose risk factors increase the likelihood that they will experience maltreatment. A further complication is the lack of a consensus in the field about the definition of "risk." Thus, the conceptual validity of risk assessment tools is still debated, with no single "gold" standard having been developed. Evaluations in the United States have provided some clarification on the relative merits of differential response services compared to traditional protection investigations. Families using differential response programs reported greater satisfaction with services as well as with workers, greater engagement and cooperation in service planning and decisionmaking, and more significant contact. A review of short-term outcomes for families who have received differential response services show a decreased number of placements, lower rates of recurrent maltreatment reports, and increased reunification with families. Although these initial reports are promising, the authors advise that more research is needed to identify which families are best served by an alternative response. The datasets reviewed for this study included the Canadian Incidence Study of Reported Child Abuse and Neglect, the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System, and the National Incidence Studies of Reported Child Abuse and Neglect. 41 references