A Retrospective Examination of Child Protection Involvement Among Young Adults Accessing Homelessness Services

Abstract

Childhood maltreatment is associated with a variety of young adult adversities including homelessness. This study used linked administrative records to develop a population-level, epidemiological characterization of the child protection histories of young adults accessing homelessness services. The records of all 17- to 24-year-olds receiving homeless services between 2011 and 2014 in San Francisco County, California (n = 2241) were probabilistically linked to statewide child protective service (CPS) records. Findings document that 50.0% of young adults had been reported for maltreatment at least once during childhood, yet the prevalence of past CPS involvement varied across demographic and child welfare characteristics. Homeless female youth were significantly more likely to have a CPS history than male youth (58.1% vs. 41.5%). Nearly twice as many Black clients accessing homelessness services had a CPS history as did White clients (59.8% vs. 31.8%). Roughly half (47.3%) of those with a childhood history of reported maltreatment had been last reported for maltreatment in another California county. Targeting services that address past trauma and instability among homeless young adults may be justified given the prevalence of CPS history in this population.

Adverse childhood experiences and related outcomes among adults experiencing homelessness: a systematic review and meta-analysis

“…The one other study used administrative data to ascertain documented early trauma through records from child protective services in California, USA. 50 Of the included studies, 14 (48%) studies ascertained ACE exposure by use of the CDC-Kaiser Permanente ACE scale, seven (24%) studies used the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire Short Form, and eight (28%) studies used other instruments or scales (appendix p 6). The specific ACE categories that were measured by included studies are reported in table 3.…”

“…The one large study that reported a relatively lower prevalence than other studies ascertained ACEs through administrative records. 50 This method of ACE measurement has been shown to underestimate true ACE prevalence given that administrative data capture only reported cases of early trauma. 67 The three smaller studies that reported a relatively higher prevalence than other studies recruited homeless young adults with mean ages ranging from 19•6 years to 22•2 years.…”

Focusing on Basic Needs as a Mechanism to Address Threats to Adolescents’ Personal Security

“…Triage should include a determination of which of these efforts should be prioritized, in what order they should be prioritized, and feasibility of the adolescent's proactive engagement in choosing service options. Standardization in record-keeping and communication systems would help to address geographic mobility so that adolescents with high geographic mobility can access interventions across systems and sectors (Putnam-Hornstein et al 2017). Funding mechanisms (public assistance and Medicaid, private insurance, parent support payments, food stamps, and other assistance) should be delinked from diagnosis in favor of a guaranteed minimum income approach that is specific to adolescents who lack financial support.…”

Housing and Child Well Being: Implications for Research, Policy, and Practice

“…The next three papers leverage unique datasets to understand youth homelessness and inadequate housing in the transition to adulthood. Linked administrative records provide population‐level and prospective data to explore the intersection between child welfare involvement and homelessness (Putnam‐Hornstein, Lery, Hoonhout, & Curry, ; Shah et al., ). Ethnographic data collection embedded within a representative and longitudinal survey of low‐income families illuminates how young Latina mothers navigate housing instability (Elliott, Shuey, Zaika, Mims & Leventhal, ).…”