Session: Child Violence, Injuries, and Maltreatment: Patterns, Risks, and Systemic Responses (Society for Social Work and Research 30th Annual Conference Anniversary)

Violence and injury are the leading causes of death among children and adolescents in the United States. Notably, a report to child protective services (CPS) has been identified as a risk factor for injury-related death, underscoring the connections between various forms of violence in children's lives. The impacts of violence on children are profound and long-lasting, affecting both their immediate and long-term health and well-being. Despite its critical importance as a public health issue, significant gaps remain in understanding children's experiences of violence, injuries, and CPS. Therefore, rigorous research that informs prevention and intervention strategies is essential to mitigate these occurrences and its impacts.

The five papers in this symposium leverage population-based datasets to examine the important intersection between violence, injury, and child maltreatment. The first paper examines how CPS agencies identify and respond to reports of children harming other children, with a focus on child-initiated sexual abuse within households. The second paper explores the associations between drug overdose deaths and CPS involvement using population-based linked administrative data from California and a case-control study design. The third paper analyzes national CPS report data (NCANDS) to determine the frequency and characteristics of investigations involving domestic violence. The fourth paper assesses the relationship between community-level measures of safety net accessibility and rates of CPS reports for physical and sexual abuse. The fifth paper uses national infant mortality data from the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) to assess state-level variation in how infant deaths are identified and classified, including those related to child maltreatment.

Collectively, these studies contribute crucial insights into the urgent issue of violence, injuries, and child maltreatment. This symposium will present various methodologies and study designs to advance knowledge on this critical topic. The implications for policy, practice, and future research will be thoroughly discussed.