Examining System Effects of Abuse and Neglect Allegations for Children 0-5

Background and Purpose:

Child welfare investigates roughly 80,000 referrals for child maltreatment between birth and age five each year in California. Neglect is alleged in 81% of these referrals (41% of referrals have an allegation of emotional, physical or sexual abuse and 22% have both neglect and abuse allegations). This paper seeks to examine how differences in allegation types (i.e., neglect versus abuse) lead to different rates of substantiation and ultimately out of home placements, from child level to neighborhood level characteristics.

Methods:

Using administrative child welfare referral records in California from 2015 – 2020, we identified all children from birth to age five. These records were geocoded and linked by census tract to census data on socioeconomic indicators within tracts from the American Community Survey (poverty and food stamps proportions by household) and California Strong Start Index (average assets at birth). Generalized linear models with a Poisson distribution and robust standard errors were used to estimate the incidence rate ratios for substantiation allegations of abuse (no neglect), neglect, and neglect with abuse, and out of home placement for substantiations of abuse (no neglect), neglect, and neglect with abuse.

Results:

When predicting substantiations, children with allegations of abuse and neglect had a significantly higher risk of substantiation (IRR = 1.30, 95%CI = 1.28, 1.31), while those with only abuse allegations (no neglect) had a lower risk of substantiation (IRR = 0.21, 95%CI = 0.20, 0.22). Poverty quintile was associated with an increase in risk (IRR = 1.04, 95%CI = 1.03, 1.05) and the average number of assets at birth by quintile indicated decrease in risk (IRR = 0.97, 95%CI = 0.96, 0.97). Predicting out of home placements among those with a substantiated allegation identified there was still an increase risk for children with abuse and neglect versus neglect only (IRR = 1.32, 95%CI = 1.30, 1.34) and lower risk for children with abuse only versus neglect only (IRR = 0.47, 95%CI = 0.44, 0.49). Poverty quintile again showed increase risk (IRR = 1.03, 95%CI = 1.02, 1.03) and increased birth assets a decrease in risk (IRR = 0.95, 95%CI = 0.94, 0.96).

Conclusions and Implications:

These findings indicate two main points: 1. There is a significant increase in risk for further system interactions for children when neglect is alleged versus other allegations of abuse. That is, neglect is a significant allegation which the child welfare system intervenes when compared to other investigated harms, and these differences exist when child and neighborhood covariates are included. 2. Communities where parents have fewer assets at birth or which are more economically depressed show a higher risk of allegation substantiations and for out of home placements. Community providers should focus efforts on engaging at risk families as early as possible to provide supports and mitigate potential safety concerns leading to allegations of maltreatment. Further work is needed to parse the dynamics neglect investigations and subsequent decisions to remove children when harm is of concern.