Entryway into the child protection system: The impacts of child maltreatment reporting policies and reporting system structures

Factors associated with the decision to investigate child protective services referrals: A systematic review

“…Of the remaining eight studies, six collected county, regional, or agency level data using case file (open or closed), administrative, or interview data (Carlson, 1988; Giovannoni, 1987; Jones, 1996; Östberg, 2014; Schwab, Baumann, & Gober, 1997; Silva, 2011). Two studies examined screening at a policy or system level using NCANDS data, in addition to other data sources (Jagannathan & Camasso, 2013; Steen & Duran, 2014). The assessed quality of studies was variable, with studies ranging from poor to good quality.…”

“…Final sample sizes ranged from 100 to 2,905 children or child referrals, with the exception of Steen and Duran (2014) where U.S. states ( n = 44) were the unit of analysis. Four studies used single sites (Carlson, 1988; Gilbert et al, 1997; Karski, 1999; Silva, 2011), and the remaining studies involved multiple sites, ranging from two to 12.…”

“…The decision to assign the referral for investigation (i.e., the screening decision) is generally made based on whether concerns meet definitional or threshold criteria as described by policy to warrant investigation (Child Welfare Information Gateway [CWIG], 2016). If a referral meets the criteria and is ‘screened in’, an assessment of risk then determines the response priority (CWIG, 2017; Steen & Duran, 2014). Reports may be ‘screened out’ at this stage if referral information is insufficient or if another authority is deemed most appropriate to respond to concerns (Children's Bureau, 2019).…”

Empirical evidence on legal levers aimed at addressing child maltreatment

“…Results found that states with a hybrid system had significantly higher substantiated reports than states with decentralized systems. States with centralized systems screened-in a higher percentage of referred reports than states with decentralized or hybrid systems (Steen & Duran, 2014). The authors suggest that the reporting system affected employee's decisions regarding investigations and assessments but did not affect an individual's decision to report.…”

“…A fourth study examined how state-level policies were correlated with the volume of referrals received and the quality of reports received in 44 states with mandatory reporting statutes (Steen & Duran, 2014). This study examined state variation in three policies: (a) whether substance exposure among infants was identified as a form of child maltreatment; (b) whether the mandate to report was limited to professionals or included all citizens; and (c) whether the state treated failure to report as a criminal offense.…”