Factors associated with the decision to investigate child protective services referrals: A systematic review

Abstract

Limited resources for child protection create challenging decision situations for child protective services (CPS) workers at the point of intake. A body of research has examined the factors associated with worker decisions and processes using a variety of methodological approaches to gain knowledge on decision-making. However, few attempts have been made to systematically review this literature. As part of a larger project on decision-making at intake, this systematic review addressed the question of the factors associated with worker decisions to investigate alleged maltreatment referrals. Quantitative studies that examined factors associated with screening decisions in CPS practice settings were included in the review. Database and other search methods were used to identify research published in English over a 35-year period (1980-2015). Of 1,147 identified sources, 18 studies were selected for full data extraction. The studies were conducted in the United States,

A critique of virtual court for intimate partner abuse victims in child welfare cases: Another layer of disadvantage for female victims?

“…As discussed previously, there are many factors, including worker beliefs (Damman et al, 2020) that influence CPS investigator decisions. Female IPV victims, such as Ashley, suffer from a “credibility discount” – discounting their believability (Mindthoff et al, 2019) and delegitimizing the experiences of those women (Crowe et al, 2019, p. 1; Overstreet & Quinn, 2013).…”

A Review of Screened-Out Families and Child Protective Services Involvement: A Missed Opportunity to Prevent Future Maltreatment With Community-Based Services

“…Each state develops their own criteria for whether a referral is screened out or screened in for investigation (screened-in referrals are called “reports”), and these criteria depend upon safety thresholds, jurisdictional issues, and organizational factors, which influence this intake decision; this process is sometimes referred to as the decision-making ecology (Baumann et al, 2011; Damman et al, 2020). Many states will only accept calls which meet threshold definitions for particular kinds of maltreatment that have already occurred or for which risk is imminent (CWIG, 2019).…”

“…Referrals may also be screened out for other reasons, such as the referral involving an incident in the distant past or if the issue has been resolved or is a duplicate referral in which no further intervention is warranted (Damman et al, 2020). Prior work in this area has also found that factors such as calls made by non-perpetrating parents, whether a case is already opened, purposely false reports, custody disputes, marital problems, and child behavioral issues can also result in a screened-out referral (Damman et al, 2020; Giovannoni, 1991; Hutchinson, 1989; Wells et al, 1995; Tumlin & Geen, 2000).…”

“…Although this varies by jurisdiction, CPS generally does not accept calls where the perpetrator is not a caregiver (unless the caregiver does not protect the child from the non-caregiving perpetrator), is out of the agency’s service area, or there is insufficient information to locate the child. Referrals may also be screened out for other reasons, such as the referral involving an incident in the distant past or if the issue has been resolved or is a duplicate referral in which no further intervention is warranted (Damman et al, 2020). Prior work in this area has also found that factors such as calls made by non-perpetrating parents, whether a case is already opened, purposely false reports, custody disputes, marital problems, and child behavioral issues can also result in a screened-out referral (Damman et al, 2020; Giovannoni, 1991; Hutchinson, 1989; Wells et al, 1995; Tumlin & Geen, 2000).…”

Social Work Paradigms and Their Effect on Decision Making About Out-of-Home Placement

“…Therefore, the decision-making process that leads to placing a child in foster care was investigated and analyzed. Basically, two models were distinguished in the cases of risk assessment and the need to protect children: technical approaches and cognitive approaches (Damman et al, 2020). The first one was based mostly on the use of psychometric tools, equipping a social worker with tools allowing for better diagnosis and analysis of a given case (Hughes & Rycusa, 2006).…”