Chapter 7
Additional Research Related to Child Maltreatment
Child Maltreatment 2004
This chapter describes additional research activities related to child maltreatment including those using data from the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System (NCANDS). The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), other Federal and State agencies, and private organizations have sponsored these studies. Ideas and suggestions for future research also are included.
Reports on Key Indicators, Outcomes, and National Statistics
Child Welfare Outcomes
The Children's Bureau is preparing Child Welfare Outcomes 2003: Annual Report, the sixth annual report in the series. The report contains information, by State, on key child maltreatment indicators, including the two measures of reducing recurrence of child abuse and neglect, and reducing the incidence of child abuse and neglect in foster care. As part of the Child and Family Services Reviews, the following national standards have been set.
- "Of the children who were victims of substantiated or indicated child abuse or neglect during the first 6 months of the period under review, 6.1 percent or fewer children had another substantiated or indicated report within 6 months."
- "Of the children in foster care during the period under review, 0.57 percent or fewer were the subject of substantiated or indicated maltreatment by a foster parent or facility staff member."
These key measures, as well as other contextual data on child victims, are based on data submitted to NCANDS. The report presents data for the outcome measures for those States that submit the NCANDS Child File. The report also contains data on foster care and adoption and information derived from the Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS) as well as from the Child and Family Services Reviews. This report will be available on the Children's Bureau Web site at http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cb/stats_research/index.htm#cw.
For further information about Child Welfare Outcomes 2003: Annual Report, contact:
Sharon Newburg-Rinn, Ph.D.
Social Science Research Analyst
Children's Bureau/ACYF/ACF
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Portals Building
1250 Maryland Avenue, Room 8378
Washington, DC 20024
202-205-0749
snewburg-rinn@acf.hhs.gov
Statistical Abstract of the United States
The Statistical Abstract, prepared by the U.S. Census Bureau, contains a collection of statistics on social and economic conditions in the United States. Selected international data also are included. For many years, two tables using NCANDS data have been published. One table reports the characteristics of child victims by maltreatment, sex, age, and race or ethnicity. The second table reports the number of investigations, the number of children who were subjects of investigations, and the number of victims by State.
The 2004 edition of the Statistical Abstract was published and is available on CD-ROM. An on-line version is available at http://www.census.gov/prod/www/statistical-abstract.html
For further information about the Statistical Abstract, contact:
Glenn W. King
Chief
Statistical Compendia Branch
Administrative and Customer Services Division
U.S. Census Bureau
Washington DC 20233-0001
301-763-4176
glenn.w.king@census.gov
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Studies of the Characteristics of Children in the Child Welfare System
National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being
The National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being (NSCAW) is a nationally representative, longitudinal survey that focuses on the well-being of children who have encountered the child welfare system.
- The NSCAW core sample of 5,501 children represents all children who were investigated for child maltreatment during the 15-month baseline data collection period, which began in October 1999. Children were included whether or not they were found to be victims of maltreatment and whether or not they received child welfare services as a result of the investigation.
- A second sample of more than 727 children represents all children who had been in foster care for about 1 year during the same period.
Direct interviews and assessments were conducted with the children, their caregivers, caseworkers, and teachers, at baseline and again at 18 months and 36 months after a child protective services (CPS) investigation. A 12-month postbaseline followup with caregivers and caseworkers focused on services received during the year after the investigation. More than 80 percent of the children and families interviewed at baseline participated in the 36-month followup interviews.
The NSCAW data sets represent an important resource for researchers interested in child maltreatment, child welfare, child development, and services to high-risk children and families. Information is available on children's health; development; social, emotional, and cognitive functioning; and both children's and caregivers' service needs and service utilization. Contextual information is provided about the children's household characteristics, as well as the child welfare service system.
Data collection has been completed through the 36-month followup. Fieldwork is under way to conduct the followup for children who were infants (ages 0-1) at baseline, as well as young people who have reached age 18, at approximately 54-60 months post baseline. The most recently released report is entitled: National Study of Child and Adolescent Well-Being—CPS Sample Component:Wave 1 Data Analysis Report. It is available on the Internet at http://www.acf.dhhs.gov/programs/opre/abuse_neglect/nscaw/reports/cps_sample/cps_report_revised_090105.pdf
The data from NSCAW are available to researchers through licensing agreements from the National Data Archive on Child Abuse and Neglect (NDACAN) at Cornell University. For more information on accessing the NSCAW data sets, please see http://www.ndacan.cornell.edu.
More information about NSCAW methods and measures, as well as available reports, can be found at: http://www.acf.dhhs.gov/programs/opre/abuse_neglect/nscaw/index.html
For additional information about the National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being, contact:
Mary Bruce Webb, Ph.D.
Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation/ACF
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
370 L'Enfant Promenade SW
Washington, DC 20447
202-205-8628
mbwebb@acf.hhs.gov
Secondary Analysis on Child Abuse and Neglect Three studies using the NCANDS data have been completed by Walter R.McDonald & Associates, Inc., under contract with the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation. They are available online at: http://aspe.hhs.gov/_/topic/topic.cfm?topic=Child%20Welfare
Selected findings from each report are provided below.
- Male Perpetrators of Child Maltreatment: Findings from NCANDS—This study was based on more than 190,000 perpetrators in 18 States during 2002. Almost one-half of all perpetrators of maltreatment were males. Of these, about one-half were biological fathers; an additional onefifth were males in a parental role. Males had more often maltreated older victims and female victims than had females. Differences were found among the different types of male perpetrators. Postinvestigation services more often were provided to female perpetrators than male perpetrators.
- Rereporting and Recurrence of Child Maltreatment: Findings from NCANDS—This study tracked children between the years of 1998-2002 in nine States. Nearly 1,400,000 children were included in the study. Approximately one-third of children were rereported within 5 years; the majority of these rereports occurred within a few months of the initial report. After 3 years, approximately 72 percent of children had no further contact with CPS. Among all victims, approximately 17 percent were revictimized within 5 years.
- Alternative Responses to Child Maltreatment: Findings from NCANDS—This study was based on more than 300,000 children in 6 States during 2002. Alternative response was more likely to be used when the reports were from nonprofessional and school personnel compared with social service personnel, medical personnel, or legal and justice sources. Reports including allegations of sexual abuse were least likely to receive an alternative response. Frequency of rereporting varied from State to State.
For further information on these studies, contact:
Laura Radel, M.P.P.
Senior Social Science Analyst
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
200 Independence Avenue, SW, Room 450-G
Washington, DC 20201
202-690-5938
laura.radel@hhs.gov
Referrals Concerning Alcohol and Drug Use
Alcohol and other drug abuse are commonly cited as a precipitating reason for referral to child welfare authorities. In a study by J. Brooks and Tom McDonald, the reunification outcomes of four groups of children placed in foster care through the Oklahoma Division of Child and Family Services were examined. The groups of children included: those who had a referral reason cited as parental alcohol only abuse, those whose referral reason was for parental drug only abuse, those with both alcohol and drug involvement, and those with neither alcohol nor drug involvement. Following bivariate analysis to examine between group differences, survival analysis was utilized to predict reunification rates. Overall, there were significant differences between the four groups with respect to achieving timely reunification. Those children with neither parental alcohol nor drug involvement had the fastest reunification.
For further information on this study, contact:
Tom McDonald, Ph.D.
University of Kansas
School of Social Welfare, Twente Hall
Lawrence, KS 66045
t-mcdonald@ku.edu
785-864-8959
Fourth National Incidence Study
HHS is conducting the Fourth National Incidence Study of Child Abuse and Neglect (NIS-4). The NIS-4 will measure the incidence and prevalence of child maltreatment by a wide array of demographic characteristics. Like its predecessors, NIS-4 is a Congressionally mandated study. It was mandated by the Keeping Children and Families Safe Act of 2003 (P.L. 108-36). The NIS-4 aims to estimate the current national incidence, severity, and demographic distribution of child maltreatment based on standardized research definitions and to assess changes since the previous NIS data were collected. HHS is conducting NIS-4 through a contract with Westat, a national social sciences research firm that also conducted all three previous NIS cycles. Assisting Westat in study planning and in CPS recruitment and data analysis is Walter R.McDonald & Associates, Inc. (WRMA).
Earlier research has shown that many more children are abused and neglected in a community than are observed at any single agency. To develop a comprehensive picture of the extent of child abuse and neglect, NIS-4 will pull together data from a number of agency sources in each study county. The NIS estimates will begin with data from the local CPS agency concerning the reports they receive and accept for investigation during the study reference period. Building on this foundation, the NIS estimates will also incorporate data on abused and neglected children who are seen by professionals in a number of other community agencies, including the county public health, public housing, juvenile probation departments, and the sheriff or State police. Data also will be gathered from scientifically selected samples of other agencies, including voluntary social service and mental health agencies,municipal police departments, schools, hospitals, daycare centers, and shelters for runaway youth and battered women. Designated professionals in the selected community agencies will be asked to serve as study "sentinels" by staying on the lookout for children who are abused or neglected during the study period and providing descriptive information on the cases they encounter.
Data collection will occur in two phases in a nationally representative sample of 122 counties. These counties have been selected using scientific sampling procedures that ensure the necessary mix of geographic regions, urban and rural areas, and other major community characteristics.
More information about the study and its progress is available at http://www.nis4.org. For additional information about the Fourth National Incidence Study, contact:
Maria Woolverton
Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation/ACF
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
370 L'Enfant Promenade, SW
Washington, DC 20447
202-205-4039
mwoolverton@acf.hhs.gov
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Capacity-Building Initiatives
National Indian Child Welfare Association
The National Indian Child Welfare Association (NICWA) is working on a project to help American Indian/Alaska Native communities develop electronic reporting systems for child abuse and neglect. The project is funded by the Children's Bureau.
Representatives from five tribal sites who worked with staff from NICWA created culturally appropriate definitions of abuse and neglect, revised data elements now in NCANDS to fit tribal communities, added a strength-based component to the reporting system, and identified and met hardware and software needs for the five sites. The five sites are:
- Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde, Grand Ronde, Oregon;
- Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs,Warm Springs, Oregon;
- Muscogee Creek Nation, Okmulgee, Oklahoma;
- Cherokee Nation, Tahlequah, Oklahoma; and
- Kawerak, Inc., Nome, Alaska.
Some of the strength-based data elements in the reporting system under development include the items listed below.
- Extended family support;
- Community support and involvement;
- Access to resources and tribal or community programs;
- Adequate medical services;
- Job skills, earning power, and ability to economically support;
- Religious or spiritual practices;
- Positive self-esteem;
- Positive motivation;
- Alcohol and drug free; and
- Good health practices.
For additional information regarding this project, contact:
Terry Cross, M.S.W.
National Indian Child Welfare Association
5100 Macadam Avenue
Suite 300
Portland, OR 97239
503-222-4044
terry@nicwa.org
or
Jody Becker-Green M.S.W.
National Indian Child Welfare Association
5100 Macadam Avenue
Suite 300
Portland, OR 97239
503-222-4044
jody@nicwa.org
National Working Group to Improve Child Welfare Data
The National Working Group to Improve Child Welfare Data comprises representatives from State child welfare agencies and is facilitated by the Child Welfare League of America. The National Working Group collaborates with researchers, other national organizations, and the Children's Bureau to address data quality and comparability between States.
In the fall of 2005, the National Working Group released a new report on data comparability—Defining Reunification for Consistent Performance Measurement. The group also has initiated an effort to develop common definitions to promote more uniformity in State data reporting, and ultimately more meaningful comparison among State data and outcome measures. Reports can be accessed at http://ndas.cwla.org.
For further information about the National Working Group, contact:
Kristen Woodruff
National Working Group Project Manager
Child Welfare League of America
50 F Street NW, 6th Floor
Washington, DC 20001
202-942-0296
Kristen@cwla.org
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Suggestions For Future Research
Researchers interested in using the NCANDS data can apply to the National Data Archive on Child Abuse and Neglect for access to various data files. A description of the National Data Archive is provided below, as well as some suggestions of topics of potential interest for future research. Although far from comprehensive, these topics are of interest to the field.
National Data Archive on Child Abuse and Neglect
Housed in the Family Life Development Center at Cornell University, the National Data Archive on Child Abuse and Neglect (NDACAN) has been established by the Children's Bureau to encourage scholars to use existing child maltreatment data sources in their research. NDACAN acquires data sets from various national data collection efforts and from individual researchers, prepares the data and documentation for secondary analysis, and disseminates the data sets to researchers who have been licensed to use the data.
The Archive seeks to operate as more than a repository of data by providing resources and technical assistance that contribute to the field. In addition to assisting individual researchers as they work with the data, NDACAN also provides many opportunities for scholarly exchange. For example, NDACAN maintains an active electronic mailing list for discussing a range of research issues. NDACAN is also well known for its annual Summer Research Institute. The Institute brings together a group of researchers who are working on projects using Archive data. During the week, participants consult with experts and attend colloquia designed to further progress on their projects. Group computing sessions provide ample opportunity for participants to conduct their analyses and to work together to resolve questions. Through these and other activities, NDACAN serves as a valuable resource to the research community. Information regarding the Archive, its services, and data holdings can be found on the Internet at http://www.ndacan.cornell.edu.
The Archive serves as the official repository of NCANDS data, providing access to both the State-level and case-level data components. Public-use data sets of the State-level NCANDS data, known as the Summary Data Component (SDC) and the Combined Aggregate File (CAF), are available to researchers for every year since 1990.
Beginning with the 2000 data year, the Archive—in collaboration with the Children's Bureau, the NCANDS Technical Team, and NCANDS State representatives—adopted a new data release plan for the case-level Child File, that strikes a balance between protecting the confidentiality of the data and preserving the utility of the Child File as a research data set. By increasing the contractual responsibilities of researchers wishing to use the Child File data and instituting additional oversight of licensees, the Archive was able to implement a targeted set of confidentiality modifications to the data, focused primarily on elements involving race and Hispanic ethnicity, geography, and dates. This new approach enables the Archive to release comprehensive case-level NCANDS data sets. All but four of the Child File data elements are now available to researchers for data submission years 2000-2004.
In addition to the Child File, the Archive also houses the CAF data sets. These files consist of key indicators, summarized at the State level for years 1990-1999 and 2000-2004.
For more information about access to the NCANDS, researchers may contact:
John Eckenrode, Ph.D.
Director
National Data Archive on Child Abuse and Neglect
Family Life Development Center—Beebe Hall
Cornell University
Ithaca, NY 14853
607-255-7799
jje1@cornell.edu
Analyses at the County Level
As child welfare systems strive to improve their practices and to achieve better results for their children, the critical level of analysis lies increasingly at the county level. Analyses at this level can result in fine-tuning of demographic factors as related to child maltreatment. Furthermore, practices are more consistent within a county than across a State.
Some questions of interest include:
- Which counties in a State have a higher or lower than average recurrence rates?
- What hypotheses can be tested regarding this variation?
- What practices or policies might influence the recurrence rate?
Risk Factors of Children
The analysis of risk factors influencing child maltreatment cases is complicated by the fact that most investigations or assessments do not necessarily include a clinical assessment of a child. The data on risk factors in NCANDS depend on a clinical diagnosis. Children who have been placed in foster care, received services, or had more than one investigation are more likely to have data on risk factors than children who have not been placed, received services, or had multiple investigations. Nevertheless, a more intensive examination of risk factors at the child level and the caregiver level would be informative.
Some questions of interest include:
- Which risk factors are most likely to be reported for child victims and for nonvictims?
- How do the data from NCANDS compare in range and frequency to the data from AFCARS on risk factors of children in foster care?
- What risk factors hypotheses based on the age, race and ethnicity, and living arrangement of children can be tested using NCANDS data?
Services
The importance of services to improve the conditions of children and to prevent further maltreatment is widely recognized. Data from NCANDS and from NSCAW have indicated that the provision of services is associated with recurrent maltreatment. While this observation is largely considered to be related to the effects of increased surveillance, further examination of this association is needed.
Some questions of interest include:
- Are there different service patterns for children of different ages or victims of different types of maltreatment?
- Do service patterns vary by county?
- Who are the reporters of recurrent events when the child or his family has received services?
- What are the implications of services upon recurrence?
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