The Prevalence of Children With Disabilities in the Child Welfare System: An Analysis of State Administrative Data

Background and Purpose: Children with disabilities experience maltreatment at an estimated 1.7 to 3.4 times that of children without disabilities (Crosse et al, 1993; Sullivan et al., 1997). Although there has been exploration into the factors related to these higher maltreatment rates (AAP, 2001; Westcott & Jones, 1999), there is little known about how children with disabilities are served within the child welfare system (Lightfoot & LaLiberte, 2005). There is not currently national data on prevalence, characteristics, or the out-of-home placement status of children with disabilities within the child welfare system, and many states do not collect disability-related child welfare data at all (Bonner, Crow, & Hensley, 1997). The purpose of this study is to explore the prevalence and characteristics of children with disabilities within the child welfare system within one state that collects disability data, and to compare the characteristics of children with disabilities with those of children without disabilities, focusing particularly on ethnicity, gender, age, and out-of-home placement rates.

Methods: This study uses administrative data consisting of records of all children with maltreatment reports in 2005 from a Midwestern state child welfare agency (n=6270). Descriptive statistics were used to examine characteristics of children with (n=1383) and without disabilities (n=4887) with substantiated maltreatment reports in the child welfare system. Logistic regression analyses were used to compare characteristics of children with and without disabilities, and to examine placement rates of children, controlling for child's age, race, and gender.

Results: Findings from the analysis indicated that approximately 30% of the children with substantiated maltreatment reports in 2005 had a disability diagnosis in the state's child welfare system. Of the children with disabilities, 64 % were placed in out of home placement, compared with 49% of children without disabilities. The most common disability diagnoses were emotional disturbance (37.5% of children with disabilities) and intellectual/developmental disabilities (10.7% of children with disabilities). Logistic regression found that children with a disability label with substantiated maltreatment reports were more likely to be white (O.R. 752, p<.001) and male (O.R. 1.417, p<.001) than children without a disability label. Logistic regression analysis showed that children with disabilities with a substantiated maltreatment report were 1.87 times more likely than children without disabilities to be in an out-of-home placement (p<.001). For children over the age of 5, children with disabilities with a substantiated maltreatment report were 2.158 more likely than children without disabilities over the age of 5 to be in an out-of-home placement (p<.001).

Implications: This study demonstrates that in one of the few states that collects disability data, a substantial proportion of children with substantiated maltreatment reports have a disability label, and those children with disability labels are more likely to be in out-of-home placements. The findings underscore the critical need for child welfare workers to receive training and support in identifying children with disabilities and in providing appropriate services and supports for these children. Additionally, it points to the need for increased collection of disability data within child welfare to create appropriate policies and services.