Chapter 6
Services
Child Maltreatment 2003
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. The two categories of CPS services are described below.
- Preventive services are provided to parents whose children are at risk of abuse or neglect.1 These services are designed to increase the understanding of parents and other caregivers of the developmental stages of childhood and to improve their child-rearing competencies. Examples of preventive services include respite care, parenting education, housing assistance, substance abuse treatment, daycare, home visits, individual and family counseling, and homemaker help.
- Postinvestigation services (also termed remedial or postresponse services), are offered on a voluntary basis by child welfare agencies or ordered by the courts to ensure the safety of children.2 These services address the safety of the child and are usually based on an assessment of the family's strengths, weaknesses, and needs. These 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.
This chapter presents information about children who received preventive services and who received postinvestigation services. The factors that influence the provision of services also are discussed.
Preventive Services
During 2003, approximately 1.8 million children (1,848,000) received preventive services at a rate of 25.3 per 1,000 children.3 For 2002 approximately 2.4 million children at a rate of 28.0 per 1,000 children received preventive services.
States have flexibility in determining who will receive preventive services, what services will be offered, and how the services will be provided. Preventive services were funded by the following Federal programs, as well as other State 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), provides funds to States to improve CPS systems. The grant serves 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 daycare, 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. Approximately 31.7 percent of child recipients received preventive services funded by Promoting Safe and Stable Families grants and 18.9 percent under the Social Services Block Grant.4 The Child Abuse and Neglect Basic State Grant and the Community-Based Family Resource and Support Grants provided the preventive services for 2.1 percent and 12.6 percent of children, respectively. But one-third of the children (34.7%) were not identified with a specific funding source.
Return to Table of Contents
Postinvestigation Services
More than three-quarters of the States have policies requiring workers to provide short-term services, if needed, during an investigation or assessment. A similar percentage of States require workers to assist with the planning of ongoing services.5 Almost 60 percent (57.1%) of the child victims received postinvestigation services.6 Of the children who were not found to be victims of maltreatment, 25.1 percent of children received such services.
With a few exceptions, the State data on the average number of days to the provision of services appear to fall within the timeframe allowed for an investigation or shortly thereafter. The weighted average time from the start of an investigation to the provision of service was 43 days.
Children may be removed from their homes during or after an investigation. Some children who are removed on an emergency basis spend a short time in foster care, while others spend a longer time. Slightly more than 15 percent of victims (15.1%) were placed in foster care as a result of an investigation or assessment.7 In addition, 2.8 percent of nonvictims experienced a removal. Nationally, an estimated 206,000 children were removed from their homes as a result of a child abuse investigation or assessment.8 Nearly two-thirds (60.6%) of the children who were removed from their homes suffered from neglect and more than 17 percent (17.5%) suffered from multiple types of maltreatment.9
Court proceedings to determine temporary custody of the victim, guardianship of the victim, or disposition of State dependency petitions were reported as being initiated for 12.4 percent of victims.10 Court-appointed representatives were assigned for 7.6 percent of child victims.11 One-fifth of child victims (22.8 %) received family preservation services and 6.4 percent had received family reunification services within the previous 5 years.12
Return to Table of Contents
Factors Influencing the Receipt of Services
A multivariate analysis was used to examine whether or not the characteristics of a child's case affected which factors influenced the receipt of services, and which factors influenced the removal of victims from their homes.
Return to Table of Contents
Receipt of Postinvestigation Services
There are several reasons why only some children and families receive postinvestigation services or family reunification services. For example, there may not be enough services available for families or the waiting lists may be very long. One hypothesis is that the characteristics of a child's case influence the receipt of services. This hypothesis was explored by using the case-level data submissions to examine which factors influenced whether or not a child received postinvestigation services. Highlights of the findings are listed below.13
- Child victims of prior maltreatment were 52 percent more likely to receive services than children with no prior victimization.
- Child victims who were reported with a disability were 89 percent more likely to receive services than children without a disability.14
- When compared to physical abuse victims, victims of multiple types of maltreatment were 73 percent more likely to receive services and sexual abuse victims were 17 percent less likely to receive services.
- Child victims in the age group of birth to 3 years were approximately 25 percent more likely to receive services than child victims older than 4 years.
- Compared to White child victims, victims of "other" or multiple race were 51 percent more likely to receive services. African-American and Hispanic child victims were 23 percent more likely to receive services than White victims.
- If the reporter of the child abuse or maltreatment was categorized as law enforcement or legal personnel, the victim was 31 percent less likely to receive services than if the reporter was categorized as a social or mental health professional.
- Child victims who were abused or maltreated by their father were 45 percent less likely to receive services than child victims who were abused or maltreated by their mother.
Return to Table of Contents
Receipt of Foster Care Services
The factors associated with children being removed from their home and placed in foster care were similar to the factors associated with receiving services. The characteristics of a child's case—maltreatment type, prior victimization, and age—similarly influenced the decision to remove a child from the home and the decision to provide services.
- Prior child victims were 76 percent more likely to be placed in foster care as children with no prior victimization.
- Child victims reported with a disability were more than twice as likely to be placed in foster care as child victims without a disability.
- Sexual abuse victims were 38 percent less likely to be placed in foster care than physical abuse victims.
- Child victims between ages 4 and 11 years were approximately 34 percent less likely to be placed in foster care than victims who were younger than 4 years.
- African-American child victims were 36 percent more likely to be placed in foster care than White child victims.
- If the reporter of the child abuse or neglect was categorized as educational personnel, the child victim was 51 percent less likely to be placed in foster care than if the reporter was categorized as a social or mental health professional.
- Child victims who were abused or neglected by their father only were 49 percent less likely to be placed in foster care than victims who were abused or neglected by their mother acting alone.
Return to Table of Contents
Tables
The following pages contain the tables referenced in Chapter 6. Unless otherwise explained, a blank indicates that the State did not submit usable data. Specific information about State submissions can be found in appendix D.
Return to Table of Contents
Table Notes
Additional information regarding methodologies that were used during table creation are provided below.
Table 6-1
- A national estimate of 1,848,000 children who received preventive services was derived by multiplying the total weighted rate per 1,000 children (25.3) by the national child population (73,043,506) and dividing the total by 1,000. The resulting number was rounded by the nearest 1,000.
Table 6-3
- A national estimate of 517,000 victims who received postinvestigation services was calculated by multiplying the total number of victims (906,000) by the percent of child victims who received postinvestigation services for the 45 States that reported victim postinvestigation data (57.1%) and dividing the total by 100. The resulting number was rounded to the nearest 1,000.
- A national estimate of 614,000 nonvictims who received postinvestigation services was calculated by multiplying the total number of nonvictims (2,447,000) by the percent of child nonvictims who received postinvestigation services for the 40 States that reported nonvictim postinvestigation data (25.1%) and dividing the total by 100. The resulting number was rounded to the nearest 1,000.
- The average number of days to services was rounded to whole days.
Table 6-4
- A national estimate of 137,000 victims who were removed from home was calculated by multiplying the total number of victims by the weighted percent of victims removed from home for the 41 States that reported data (15.1%) and dividing the total by 100. The number was rounded to the nearest 1,000.
- A national estimate of 69,000 nonvictims who were removed from home was calculated by multiplying the total number of nonvictims by the weighted percent of nonvictims removed from home for the 37 States that reported data (2.8%) and dividing the total by 100. The number was rounded to the nearest 1,000.
Table 6-5
- The category neglect includes medical neglect.
Table 6-8
- Weighted percentages were calculated by dividing the total number of victims who received family preservation or reunification services by the total number of victims only for the States that reported each category of data. That number was multiplied by 100.
Table 6-9
- Logistic regression models associate the contribution of the categories within a factor to the outcome of interest (in this case postinvestigation services and foster care placement). Odds ratios indicate the likelihood, relative to the reference group, of the outcome occurring. Odds ratios greater than 1.00 indicate an increased likelihood of occurrence. (E.g., victims of prior abuse or neglect were 52 percent more likely than children with no history of prior abuse or neglect to receive postinvestigation services). Odds ratios less than 1.00 indicate a decreased likelihood of occurrence. (E.g., victims who were age 16 or older were 17 percent less likely than children age birth to 3 to receive postinvestigation services).
- The category neglect includes medical neglect.
Notes
1 Data about preventive services are captured through the Agency File or the SDC Survey. States are not limited to reporting those children who received an investigation or assessment by the CPS agency. back
2 Data about postinvestigation (remedial) services are collected through the Child File or the SDC Survey. States are asked to report only those children who received services by the CPS agency within 90 days of the disposition date. back
3 Supporting data are provided in table 6-1, which is located at the end of this chapter. back
4 See table 6-2. back
5 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Administration for Children and Families/Children's Bureau and Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation. [HHS/ACF and OASPE] National Study of Child Protective Services Systems and Reform Efforts: Review of State CPS Policy. (Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, 2003). back
6 See table 6-3. back
7 See table 6-4. back
8 The national estimate of 206,000 children who were removed from their home is the sum of a nationally estimated 137,000 victims and 69,000 nonvictims who were removed from their homes. back
9 See table 6-5. back
10 See table 6-6. back
11 See table 6-7. back
12 See table 6-8. back
13 See table 6-9. back
14 In general, children with such conditions are undercounted as not every child receives a clinical diagnostic assessment. back
Return to Table of Contents
