Brett Drake

Time to Leave Substantiation Behind: Findings From A National Probability Study

Data from the National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-being, a national probability study of children and families investigated for child maltreatment, were analyzed to answer the question: Do substantiated and unsubstantiated cases differ in rates of recidivism over 36 months? Recidivism was classified as (a) any re-reports, (b) substantiated re-reports and (c) subsequent foster care placements. Bivariate (survivor functions estimated by the Kaplan-Meier method) and multivariate (Cox regression modeling) analyses were conducted. The results revealed that risk of recidivism was similar regardless of substantiation status of the index investigation. We suggest that the substantiation label be removed from field use. Instead, we suggest that agencies record service needs in the families they serve, and also record whether or not the family meets criteria for referral to the family court. These would be far more practical and meaningful ways to measure child welfare services.

A prospective analysis of the relationship between reported child maltreatment and special education eligibility among poor children

This study presents data from the first large-scale longitudinal study to track the involvement of children reported for maltreatment in both the special education and child welfare systems. A range of state and local administrative databases were combined and cross-sector service histories were established for 7,940 children who had received Aid to Families With Dependent Children between 1993 and 1994. The authors address the following questions: (a) Is maltreatment associated with entry into special education after controlling for other factors? (b) among maltreated children, does maltreatment type or child welfare service use predict special education eligibility? and (c) what is the relationship between maltreatment type and type of educational disability? Results indicate that child maltreatment system involvement generally predates special education entry and is predictive of entry even after controlling for other factors. A range of other associations between factors such as child and maternal characteristics, services received, maltreatment type, and special education classification are detailed.

ADOPTING AND TEACHING EVIDENCE-BASED PRACTICE IN MASTER'S-LEVEL SOCIAL WORK PROGRAMS

This article makes specific suggestions for teaching evidence-based practice (EBP) in the masters-in-social-work (MSW) curriculum. The authors use the model of EBP as it was originally conceived: a process for posing empirically answerable questions, finding and evaluating the best available evidence, and applying that evidence in conjunction with client characteristics and practitioner judgment. The authors suggest that EBP, in its original form, is both sufficiently well operationalized and flexible to serve as a primary paradigmatic component of social work education. Furthermore, EBP carries a series of distinct advantages for MSW education that have not been widely recognized to date. These include the provision of a structure for more explicitly recognizing client factors, bridging the micro–macro and researcher–clinician divides, and emphasizing the professionalism of MSW-level practice. Specific curricular components are proposed and discussed.

Substantiation and Early Decision Points in Public Child Welfare: A Conceptual Reconsideration:

This article will overview substantiation in the context of early intervention decision points faced in state child welfare. The conceptual complexities underlying these interventions and how substantiation does or does not play a role in these interventions are explored. Specific attention will be given to the voluntary or involuntary nature of services, the availability of evidence, and the past or future orientation of the decision-making process. The conceptual consistency of recent child welfare policies will be explored, and suggestions for policy and research will be put forward.

Consumer and worker perceptions of key child welfare competencies

Abstract Understanding key competencies in child welfare practice is a necessary prerequisite to improving practice technology and service delivery. Findings are reported from a series of focus groups which were held in Missouri. Two sets of focus groups were held, five groups consisting of consumers of child welfare services and four groups consisting of child welfare workers. Results show a high degree of agreement between workers and consumers regarding essential competencies. The relevance of findings to practice, policy and social work education are discussed.

Associations between reporter type and assessment outcomes in Child Protective Services referrals

Abstract This study examined data collected in 1992 from 42,679 CPS reports in the state of Missouri. It addressed 1. (1) the association between the source of report and the outcome of the investigation; and 2. (2) the variation, by reporter type, in the severity of the maltreatment found in cases where reports were substantiated. All analyses were performed with the types of maltreatment controlled. While anonymous reports were least likely to be substantiated and those from law enforcement officials were most likely to be substantiated, this relationship did not hold for other outcome measures, including the presence of emergency situations and the severity of the maltreatment found. The need for intervention services among reported but unsubstantiated cases was also documented, and the implications of these finding discussed.

Predictors of Preventive Services Provision among Unsubstantiated Cases

The role of child protective services in providing supportive and preventive services in unsubstantiated cases has received scant empirical attention. This article examines unsubstantiated child maltreatment reports where voluntary preventive services were provided by the state of Missouri. Logistic regression is used to isolate case characteristics that predict such services provision. Data are also presented on substantiated cases so that predictors of services provision can be contrasted to predictors of substantiation. Suggestions are provided for incorporating services provision into unsubstantiated cases as an additional dependent variable in future studies of substantiation rates.