Addressing Neglect Among Families Deflected from Formal CPS Services: An Alternative Approach to Child Maltreatment Prevention

Background: Child Neglect is the most common type of maltreatment indicated in child protective service (CPS) referrals and a wealth of research has documented a revolving door effect whereby some families reported for neglect concerns are at significant risk of recurrent reports over long periods of time. The revolving door effect associated with situations of chronic neglect may be a consequence of the inadequacy of traditional CPS approaches to address and serve the needs of such families. This study focuses on the implementation of a voluntary, community based, client-centered intervention, the Family and Community Engagement program (FACE), which aims to provide comprehensive, long-term support to families in order to enhance and expand protective factors within families and communities who have been overlooked and underserved by traditional CPS approaches. Research questions addressed include who is likely to use these services, what challenges are associated with engagement and participation, and to what extent participants have additional contacts with CPS post-enrollment.

Methods: The study sample is composed of 104 primary caregivers meeting the eligibility criteria of 1) residing within specified service areas within and around Madison, Wisconsin, 2) having a child under the age of 18, and 3) having a CPS referral for neglect investigated, but not referred for ongoing CPS services between 2019 and 2020. Research questions are examined using administrative records detailing eligible families’ historical involvement with CPS as well as concurrent involvement while enrolled in the program and sociodemographic information including measures of caregiver race and ethnicity, sex, and family size. Data from unstructured interviews with program workers addressing challenges to implementation, barriers to engagement, and needs identified by families was analyzed using an inductive and iterative process, thematic analysis.

Results: Families who met eligibility criteria had an average of 7 CPS reports associated with the identified caregiver prior to referral to FACE. Of these reports over 50% involved neglect as the primary concern. Eligible families who opted to enroll in FACE had significantly more previous referrals compared to those who did not enroll despite similar sociodemographic profiles at baseline. However, those enrolled in FACE subsequently had significantly fewer contacts with CPS post-enrollment compared to families who were eligible but chose not to participate, over a similar time period. Themes around persistent economic stressors (i.e., housing and employment) and parenting related stress due to COVID-19 restrictions were identified as areas of significant need serving as barriers to program engagement.

Conclusions: Findings suggest that historical involvement with CPS appears to influence the decision to enroll in this voluntary program and that contact with CPS may decrease during participation for those who enroll. Because chronic neglect is exceedingly difficult to address within the confines of contemporary child welfare systems, these results highlight the need to thoughtfully consider how changes to traditional CPS approaches may serve to disrupt the revolving door effect by better addressing the needs specific to families reported for neglect.