State Child Welfare Policies and the Measurement of Child Maltreatment in the United States

Abstract

State-level child welfare policies and practices affect what can be referred, investigated, and substantiated as child maltreatment, and these institutional factors vary across states and over time. Researchers typically have not accounted for these factors in analyses, confounding institutional features with the underlying construct they seek to study. The present study addresses this limitation by demonstrating how changes in specific state child welfare policies and practices influence reported and substantiated maltreatment in the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System (NCANDS). Using negative binomial models with state and year fixed-effects to analyze data from 2005 to 2018, we found significant influence of state policy and practice changes on state-level rates of reported and substantiated maltreatment over time. If a state implemented three of the most common policy changes—adding mandated reporters, centralized intake, and staff—its maltreatment reports were an estimated 32% higher than they would have been in the absence of these changes. By contrast, most state policy changes decreased the number of reports that were substantiated—by 24% if they implemented both differential response and higher standards of proof. Implications for future research and policy are discussed.

Research to Consider While Effectively Re-Designing Child Welfare Services

“…Indeed, only a small subset of neglect referrals (perhaps one in four) are due to material needs, and those cases are only about a quarter as likely to be substantiated as other neglect cases (Jonson-Reid, Drake, & Zhou, 2013; Kang, Bae, & Fuller, 2015). There are well-founded critiques regarding the variability of child neglect laws across the country (Milner & Kelly, 2020; Wald, 2014); efforts to clarify and narrow these definitional frames for certain forms of intervention are warranted (Day et al, 2021). On the other hand, it is not clear how such clarifications should be implemented.…”

State Child Maltreatment Policies and Disparities in Substantiation: A Study of State-Administered Child Welfare Systems in the U.S.

“…Limited prior literature has indicated that a broadened scope of child maltreatment is associated with increased substantiations (Day et al, 2022). Our current study has made significant advancement in this area.…”

Exploring State Level Factors Associated with Short-Stays in Child Welfare: The Role of Systemic Risk and Surveillance

“…The finding that centralized reporting is associated with lower odds of short-stays signals that a more coordinated and systematic approach to child welfare services may prevent these brief out-of-home removals from occurring as frequently. Though there is little previous research on the relationship between centralized reporting systems and report patterns, a recent study found that states who shifted to a centralized reporting system saw significant increases of child maltreatment reports, but decreases in the number of substantiated reports (Day et al, 2021). Therefore, though there are concerns that centralized reporting systems may be another element of “state surveillance” (Roberts, 2002; 2008), our findings suggest that centralized reporting systems may not portend this level of risk for the short-staying population.…”

“…Other areas of variation in child welfare administration include centralized reporting and mandated reporting policies. States with more centralized systems tend to have more uniform statewide policies and procedures for child welfare services (Day et al, 2021). In contrast, states that employ more decentralized systems tend to make policy at a more localized, level, generally by county (McCray, 2019).…”