An Examination of Past Trends in School Reports to Child Welfare: Considerations for Reported Child Maltreatment

Abstract

This study examines whether increased interaction and observation of young children by school professionals leads to an increase in school-based reports to child welfare authorities and in the identification of child maltreatment victims. Comparing provincial-level data collected before and after full-day kindergarten implementation in Ontario, a doubling in rates of school-referred investigations involving 4- and 5-year-old children was found. There was no significant difference in the rates of maltreatment substantiation, service referrals made or transfers to ongoing services, but the rate of child functioning concerns noted in these investigations tripled. The findings suggest there are differences in how the school and child welfare systems define and respond to suspected child maltreatment. Implications for practice, policy and research are explored.

Children and youth mental health: not all equal in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic

“…Indeed, in general, child maltreatment data suffers from an important limitation, which is to include only cases that are brought to the attention of the authorities and are documented in information systems. Given that school personnel are among the most frequent sources of reports of suspected maltreatment to child protection authorities, school closures were identified as a significant factor involved in the decline of reports noted in child protection services during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic ( Fallon et al., 2020 ).…”