Chapter 6
Services
Child Maltreatment 2001
Child protective services (CPS) agencies provide services to prevent future instances of child abuse and neglect and to remedy conditions that have come to the attention of child welfare agencies. Preventive services are provided to parents whose children are at risk of abuse or neglect. These services are designed to increase the child-rearing competence of the parents or caretakers and their level of understanding of the developmental stages of childhood.
Remedial services (postinvestigation services) are offered on a voluntary basis by child welfare agencies or ordered by the courts to ensure the safety of children. These services address the safety of the child and are usually based on an assessment of the family's strengths, weaknesses, and needs.
This chapter examines the number of children who received preventive services and the number who received postinvestigative services. It also examines factors that may influence the provision of services.
Preventive Services
Almost 28.0 children per 1,000 in the population received preventive services.1 This compares with a rate of 25.8 children per 1,000 for 2000. A total national estimate of two million children received preventive services during 2001.2
Examples of preventive services include respite care, parenting education, housing assistance, substance abuse treatment, day care, home visits, individual and family counseling, homemaker help, and transportation. Such services are funded through a variety of Federal and State programs. Data were collected regarding children and families who received preventive services funded by the following Federal programs.
- Section 106 of Title I of the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA), as amended [42 U.S.C. 5106 et seq.] —The Child Abuse and Neglect State Grant (Basic State Grant), provide funds to States to improve CPS systems. The grants serve as a catalyst to assist States in screening and investigating child abuse and neglect reports, improving risk and safety assessment protocols, training CPS workers and mandated reporters, and improving services to infants disabled with life-threatening conditions.
- Title II of CAPTA, as amended [42 U.S.C. 5116 et seq.] —Community-Based Family Resource and Support Grants assist each State in preventing child abuse and neglect and in promoting healthy parent-child relationships by developing, operating, expanding, and enhancing a network of community-based, prevention-focused resource and support programs that coordinate resources among a broad range of human services organizations.
- Title IV-B, Subpart 2, Section 430, of the Social Security Act, as amended Promoting Safe and Stable Families [42.U.S.C. 629 et seq.] —This legislation has the goal of keeping families together by funding such services as preventive intervention so that children do not have to be removed from their homes, services to develop alternative placements if children cannot remain safely in the home, and reunification services to enable children to return to their homes, if appropriate.
- Title XX of the Social Security Act, Social Services Block Grant (SSBG), [42 U.S.C. 1397 et seq.] —States may use these funds for preventive services such as child day care, child protective services, information and referral, counseling, and employment, as well as other services that meet the goal of preventing or remedying neglect, abuse, or exploitation of children.
Some States were able to estimate the number of recipients of services by funding source.3 Variations in use of Federal funds are due to each State's flexibility in determining who will receive services, what services will be offered, and how the services will be provided. Approximately 22.7 percent of children received preventive services under Promoting Safe and Stable Families grants and 23.1 percent under Social Services Block Grants. Community-Based Family Resource and Support Grants and the Child Abuse and Neglect Basic State Grant provided the other identified preventive services for 11.7 percent and 5.7 percent of children, respectively.
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Postinvestigation Services
Postinvestigation services include individual counseling, case management, family-based services (services provided to the entire family, such as counseling or family support), in-home services (such as family preservation), foster care services, and court services.4
Approximately 58 percent of the child victims (an estimated 528,000) received postinvestigation services. Of the children who were not found to be victims of maltreatment, 28.8 percent or an estimated 629,000 children received such services.5 This compares to 55.4 percent of child victims and 18.7 percent of child nonvictims who received services in 2000. The increased number of nonvictims who received postinvestigation services was due, in part, to increased accuracy in reporting. The weighted average time from the start of investigation to provision of service was 48 days.6
Children may be removed from their homes during or after an investigation. Some children who are removed on an emergency basis may spend a short time in foster care, while other children may spend a longer time. About one-fifth of victims (19.0%) were placed in foster care as a result of an investigation or assessment. In addition, 4.7 percent of the children who were not victims of child abuse or neglect were removed from their homes. For 2000, the percentages of children placed in foster care were 20.8 for victims and 3.5 for nonvictims. Nationally, it is estimated that 275,000 children were removed from their homes as a result of a child abuse investigation or assessment.7
Court proceedings to determine temporary custody of the victim, guardianship of the victim, or disposition of State dependency petitions were initiated for 17.5 percent of victims.8 Court-appointed representatives were appointed for 18.3 percent of child victims in 23 States.9 Almost one-fifth of child victims (19.4%) had received family preservation services and 4.2 percent had received family reuniting services within the previous 5 years.10
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Factors Influencing the Receipt of Services (Child File)
A multivariate analysis was used to examine whether or not the characteristics of a child's case affect how the child is served by the child welfare system, the factors influencing the receipt of services, and the factors influencing the removal of victims from their homes. Future research in this area may include a closer look at how these factors affect specific types of services.
Receipt of Postinvestigation Services
There are several reasons why only some children and families receive postinvestigation services on family reunification services. For example, there may not be enough services available for families or the waiting lists may be very long. It has been hypothesized that the characteristics of a child's case may also influence the receipt of services. This hypothesis has been explored by using the case-level data submissions to examine which factors influence whether a child received postinvestigation services. Highlights of the findings are listed below:11
- Victims of multiple maltreatments were more than twice as likely to receive services than victims of only physical abuse. Victims of sexual abuse were less likely than victims of any other type of maltreatment to receive services.
- Victims of prior maltreatment were 87 percent more likely to receive services than children with no prior victimizations.
- American Indian/Alaska Native, African American, and Asian-Pacific Islander children were respectively 29 percent, 29 percent, and 19 percent more likely to receive services than White children. Hispanic children were less likely to receive services than White children.
- Children reported by medical personnel were 18 percent more likely to receive services than children reported by social and mental health professionals.
- Children younger than 4 years old were more likely to receive services.
- Children maltreated by their mothers were the most likely to receive services.
Receipt of Foster Care Services
The factors associated with children being removed from the home and placed in foster care were very similar to the factors associated with children receiving services. The characteristics of a child's case —maltreatment type, prior victimization, and age —had the same influence on the decision to remove a child from the home as on the decision to provide services.
- Prior child victims were twice as likely to be placed in foster care.
- Sexual abuse victims were the least likely to be placed in foster care.
- Children younger than 4-years-old were most likely to be placed in foster care.
- American Indian/Alaska Native and African American children were respectively 55 percent and 42 percent more likely to be placed in foster care than White children. Hispanic children and Asian/Pacific Islander children were less likely to be removed.
- Child victims reported by educational personnel were less likely to be removed than other children.
- Children maltreated by their mothers were most likely to be removed.
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Supplementary Tables
The following pages contain the tables referenced in Chapter 6. Unless otherwise explained, a blank indicates the State did not submit usable data, and a number in bold indicates either a total or an estimate.
Chapter Six: Figures and Tables
Notes
1 Supporting data
are provided in supplementary table
6-1, which is located at
the end of this chapter. Back
2 Based on data from
Child Maltreatment 2000, an additional 1,200,000 children may have
received preventive services through programs that only reported
families that received preventive services. Children who received
services through more than one program may have been counted more
than once. Back
3 See
supplementary table 6-2. Back
4 Data are reported
for services provided within 90 days of the disposition date and,
therefore, the number of service recipients may be an undercount.
Back
5 See
supplementary table 6-3. Back
6 See supplementary
table 6-4. Back
7 See
supplementary table 6-5. Back
8 See
supplementary table 6-6. Back
9 See supplementary
table 6-7. Back
10 See supplementary
table 6-8. Back
11 See
supplementary table 6-9. Back
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