Navigating Child Protective Services Involvement: Perceptions of Mothers with Experiences in the Criminal Legal System

Background/Purpose: Women represent the fastest growing segment of the incarcerated population and more than 80% identify as mothers. It is well established that parents who are incarcerated are more likely to engage with child protective services (CPS) given the overrepresentation of socially and economically disadvantaged individuals across both systems; however, little is known about the ways in which incarcerated parents perceive their family’s experiences with CPS. Even less is known about the perspectives of mothers who have engaged in both systems. Recognizing the value of women’s lived experience across these complex systems towards the goal of more equitable and just strategies and solutions, this study aims to explore the unique perspectives of women with a history of criminal legal system involvement who were also involved with CPS in their role as a mother.

Methods: This secondary data study analyzed narratives of women recruited for an exploratory study aimed toward co-creating knowledge around the impact of legal system practices and how women envisioned a better system that would provide support rather than simply criminalize them. Participants were recruited from an urban women’s drop-in center in the western US. To be eligible for the study, participants had to be women, over the age of 18, have at least one felony arrest, speak fluent English, and understand the parameters of the study. Researchers interviewed women three separate times using semi-structured interview protocols as a way to build trust between the researchers and participants. Participants were also given gift cards after each interview. Rigor and trustworthiness were enhanced through collective analysis of interview transcripts (reaching team consensus on codes) and an open forum hosted at the drop-in center to guide the framing of research findings and dissemination processes.

Results: Eighteen women completed all three interviews. Through the words and stories from the participants, several themes emerged related to women’s past experiences with CPS, including concerns regarding the wellbeing of their children, navigating multiple complex systems, unfair treatment, frustrations with the seemingly impossible challenges of CPS requirements, and the long-lasting impact of CPS involvement for both parents and children. For many women who recounted their experiences, CPS involvement was felt as the primary source of harm inflicted on the parent-child relationship.

Conclusions/Implications: The intersection of incarceration and CPS involvement are well documented. By collaborating with women as the experts that they are of their own lived experiences, this study provides valuable insights into the ways in which CPS involvement is perceived by mothers who have experienced the criminal legal system and what this kind of research can look like. Findings add to the emerging understanding of the ways in which the CPS system has the potential to criminalize poverty and exacerbate—rather than resolve—existing family stressors. As research informing the CPS system and child welfare policy continues to strive toward family preservation, the narratives shared by these participants provide crucial insights into what kinds of reforms and changes might best address the specific challenges and needs of families involved in the CPS system.