Post-Investigation Family Support: Aligning Social Work Research with Practice to Improve Child Welfare through Community Response Prevention Services

Background and Purpose
Each year, child protective services (CPS) agencies across the U.S. investigate millions of reports of suspected maltreatment. Following these investigations, nearly 40% of children receive community-response prevention (CRP) services aimed at reducing the risk of future maltreatment (USDHHS, 2025). While prior research has explored the link between CRP and recidivism, many studies lack robust comparison groups or focus on only one outcome. This study addresses these gaps by comparing families who received CRP to a matched group of families who were investigated but did not receive CRP, examining two key CPS outcomes to assess CRP’s effectiveness in reducing recidivism on re-reports and substantiation.

Methods
This study analyzed data from 3,109 children whose families received CRP services following a maltreatment allegation between January 2014 and December 2018. These were matched with 3,109 children from similar families who were investigated during the same period but did not receive CRP. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to estimate the effect of CRP on two outcomes: CPS re-report and substantiation. Models controlled for demographic and case-related variables associated with recidivism, including child age, race/ethnicity, median-family income per zip code, type of allegation, investigation disposition, Structured Decision-Making (SDM) risk level, CPS history, and CRP completion status. Outcome data were tracked through February 2025, allowing for follow-up periods ranging from 6 to 10 years.

Results
Families who received CRP showed significantly lower rates of both re-referrals and substantiated re-reports compared to the control group. Multivariate analyses confirmed that CRP participation was associated with reduced odds of both outcomes, even after controlling for case and demographic characteristics. Notably, families who successfully completed CRP experienced the greatest reductions in recidivism.

Conclusions and Implications
Findings highlight the potential of community-response services to reduce maltreatment re-referrals and substantiation following CPS involvement. The results underscore the importance of program completion and support the alignment of social work research with practice to improve outcomes. This study also reinforces the need for rigorous evaluation methods—including the use of comparison groups and multiple outcome measures—to strengthen evidence for policy and practice innovation in child welfare.