Maltreatment recidivism at the perpetrator level: Analysis of child welfare service use

The primary goal of in-home child welfare intervention is to protect the child(ren) in the home from future maltreatment (Courtney, 2000). The focus of such services is, therefore, on changing the behavior of the perpetrator so that s/he may provide adequate care. Despite this service focus, research on perpetrators of maltreatment is scant compared to child-level investigations. Most studies of recidivism focus on the child or case (family) level (DePanfilis & Zuravin, 2002; English, Marshall, Brummel, & Orme, 1999). This study attempts to fill this gap by examining maltreatment report recidivism at the perpetrator level. This study analyzed statewide administrative data collected by child protection caseworkers in a Midwestern state to assess the rate at which maltreatment perpetrators were re-reported to the child protection system. Maltreatment perpetrators who received intensive child welfare services (FPS) were compared to those who received prevention services (FCS) and no child welfare services, to learn whether recidivism rates differed. Recidivism was analyzed separately by type of maltreatment at the index event (i.e., sexual abuse, physical abuse, neglect). The sample for the current study was selected from the time frame between 1/1/93 and 12/31/95. Those perpetrators included in the study (N = 31,667) were followed through a period of up to 10 years, through 2003. The total sample was primarily female (65.2%) and Caucasian (72.9%), and the mean age was 32 years (SD = 9.2). The majority of these perpetrators were related to the child they maltreated as birth parent (84.8%). Eleven percent of perpetrators in this sample participated in only family-centered services, 0.8% participated in any family preservation services, and the majority of the perpetrators (87.9%) received no child welfare services. There were differences in the risk for maltreatment recidivism for perpetrators according to the level of in-home services received (55% for FPS and 54% for FCS) compared to no services (43%), and these differences also varied by initial maltreatment type. These bivariate findings held true even after controlling for demographic characteristics, substantiation status at the index event, and neighborhood characteristics. Overall, perpetrators had high rates of recidivism, regardless of the initial maltreatment type or type of services received. This study also analyzed the proportion of perpetrators whose recidivism event included a new child victim not included on the index event. The 19% of perpetrators whose recidivism involved a new child indicates the importance of studying child abuse at the perpetrator level rather than the child level since re-report at the child level would have missed these children's victimization. This poster presentation will be of interest to child welfare professionals and researchers.

References

Courtney, M. E. (2000). Research needed to improve the prospects for children in out-of-home placement. Children & Youth Services Review, 22, 743-761.

DePanfilis, D., & Zuravin, S. J. (2002). The effect of services on the recurrence of child maltreatment. Child Abuse & Neglect, 26, 187-205.

English, D. J., Marshall, D. B., Brummel, S., & Orme, M. (1999). Characteristics of repeated referrals to child protective services in Washington State. Child Maltreatment, 3, 297-307.