The intersection of child welfare services and public assistance: An analysis of dual-system involvement and successful family preservation completion on a maltreatment re-report. (August 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Simon, James David; D'Andrade, Amy; Hsu, Hsun-Ta
• Is Part Of: Children and youth services review. Volume 127(2021)
• Publication Date: 2021-08
• Subjects: Dual-system families AKA dually involved families -- Maltreatment re-report -- Family preservation services -- Public assistance -- TANF AKA CalWORKS -- Child welfare services/child protective services; Social work with children -- Periodicals; Social work with youth -- Periodicals; Adolescent -- Periodicals; Child Welfare -- Periodicals; Social Work -- Periodicals; Service social aux enfants -- Périodiques; Service social à la jeunesse -- Périodiques; Electronic journals; 362.705
• DOI: 10.1016/j.childyouth.2021.106075
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0190-7409

Abstract

Highlights: We compared dual-system families to those only receiving child welfare services. Dual-system families varied by mother's age, child race/ethnicity, and child age. Dual-system involvement was associated with increased risk of a re-report to CWS. Successful completion of Family Preservation (FP) decreased risk of a re-report. After controls, successful FP completion decreased re-report risk for both groups. Dual-system families are vulnerable, and FP may buffer future re-report risk. Abstract: Families involved in child welfare services (CWS) and public social services simultaneously, known as dual-system families, have been shown to be at higher risk for repeat child abuse and neglect compared to CWS-only families, yet few studies have examined these families' characteristics and whether programs like Family Preservation (FP) might help protect their children from a re-report to CPS. Using administrative data on families receiving FP between January 2013 and December 2014 (including a subset of dual-system families), we examined the effect of demographic characteristics and successful FP completion on a maltreatment re-report between 2013 and 2017. Dual-system families differed from CWS-only families on demographics including mother's age, child race/ethnicity, and child age. Controlling for demographics, multivariable survival analyses revealed that dual-system involvement was associated with increased risk of a re-report while successful FP completion was associated with decreased risk of a re-report. An interaction effect of dual-system involvement by FP completion was tested but not significant, and the effect of FP completion was similar for CWS-only families and dual-system families. Our findings highlight the vulnerability of dual-system families and suggest that successful FP completion can help protect against the risk of a maltreatment re-report for both dual-system families and CWS-only families.