Correlates of intake and disposition decisions by child protective services professionals.

Abstract

This study examined intake and post-investigative disposition decision making among professionals engaged in child protective services to understand disproportionality and disparities in the child welfare system. Using child welfare, decision making, and attribution theories as a framework, a multivariate 2x2x2 factorial vignette design was used to examine intake and post-investigative disposition decision making among 400 child protective caseworkers and supervisors employed in a Midwestern state. Data were gathered through an online self-administered survey. Among the key variables of interest-race, socioeconomic status, and family structure-only the family's socioeconomic status was found to influence the intake decision but none were associated with the disposition decision. As expected, participants in this study who endorsed the child's removal were more likely to attribute the cause of the maltreatment to a parent's internal characteristics rather than any external circumstances; and this was more so when the family was described as either two-parent or middle socioeconomic status. Plus, prior involvement of a family with CPS was found to be a key predictor of both screen-in and removal. Implications of these findings iv for practice and future research to understand disproportionality and disparities in the child welfare system are discussed. v

The context‐bound phenomenon of decision‐making on referrals: A scoping review

“…For example, trained social workers made decisions similar to colleagues educated in different fields (Howell, 2008). In another study by Johnson (2010), respondents' educational level as well as attitudes towards race, poverty and family structure varied, but no significant differences were found in intake decision‐making. Similar results were seen in McCormack et al (2020).…”

“…In addition, other vignette‐based studies indicate that signs of domestic violence (i.e. bruises) are viewed as a serious risk factor (Skiveness & Stenberg, 2015) and associated with the decision to screen‐in the case (Johnson, 2010). Analysing state‐level CPS data and population‐based data in the USA, Fisher et al (2019) concluded that children with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) were less likely than children without ASDs to have referrals screened in for further action (62% vs. 91.6%, respectively).…”

“…Light is somewhat shed on decision‐maker factors concerning referrals in social services, mainly through vignette‐based studies, with only five studies included (Howell, 2008; Johnson, 2010; McCormack et al, 2020; Platt & Turney, 2014; Wilkins, 2015).…”

“…Interestingly, race as a factor appears to be somewhat inclusive. In a study applying a multivariate vignette‐based design, Johnson (2010) found that the decision to screen in a hypothetical case was not affected by race. However, analysing data from large, national‐and state‐level studies, Mumpower (2010) concluded that African–American families are disproportionally represented in rates of referrals in the system and found a higher rate of referrals, leading to unsubstantiated findings (false positives) for African–American families—indicating that the system is less accurate for African–Americans than for other ethnic groups.…”

“… 5 5 Only Lauritzen et al (2018) and Damman et al (2020) are defined as reviews in Table 5. As seen in Table 4, Johnson (2010) is also listed as a review. Johnson (2010) is a Ph.D. dissertation comprising both a review and a study.…”