Faculty and Student Fellowships in Child Abuse and Neglect

Project Title:	Faculty and Student Fellowships in Child Abuse and Neglect
Grant/Contract Number:	90CA1574
Type of Project:	Research
Funding Agency:	Office on Child Abuse and Neglect
Agency Contact Person:	Sally M. Flanzer, Ph.D. (202) 205-8914
Principal Investigator:	John Schuerman, Stephen Budde, Penny Ruff Johnson, Kristen Shook, Brenda Smith
Mailing Address:	University of Chicago 5801 South Ellis Avenue Chicago, IL 60637
Total Project Duration:	09/30/96 to 09/28/98
FY 98 Total Costs:	$59,688
Total Project Budget:	$59,688
Child Maltreatment Focus:	Not specified
Type of Abuse:	Not specified
Sample Size:	Not specified
Age of Subjects:	Not specified
Child Abuse and Neglect Focus of This Project:	Not specified
Summary

The four projects covered in this grant focus on agency decision making and possible antecedents to child maltreatment. The first study focuses on decisions made on 19 cases involving substance-exposed infants (SEI). To better understand initial investigative decision making in SEI cases, important dimensions of decision making, as well as characteristics of cases and professionals that influence decision making, will be examined. The study will also provide information about targeting referrals to family preservation services. The second study uses expert systems methodology to build decision models that reflect current best practice and will test these models on actual cases. The results of the study will identify gaps in reunification decision making theory and practice and will examine the use and effectiveness of current interventions. The third study examines the relationship between child maltreatment and income loss due to welfare sanctioning. Event-history analysis techniques will be used to identify the poverty-related and demographic correlates of substantiated reports of child maltreatment and of substitute care entry. Two groups of AFDC recipients will be interviewed. The final study develops and tests the theory suggesting that drug use stems from social and environmental factors and that neighborhood factors have independent effects on families and individuals. The study will involve both quantitative and qualitative components. Findings will contribute to child welfare policy, practice, and research regarding mothers who use drugs.