MASSACHUSETTS
Tony Felix
Data Analyst
Office of Management, Planning and Analysis
Massachusetts Department of Social Services
24 Farnsworth Street
Boston, MA 02210
727-3171, ext. 432
(617) 261-7438 Fax
Sources of Data and Data Collection Methods
The source of data is the Department of Social Services Management
Information System, ASSIST (Area-Based Social Services Information
System Technology). Department of Social Services staff enter
client information via terminals at service offices across the
State. The terminals are linked to the State's mainframe computer
system in Boston.
Level of Evidence Used To Substantiate a Report
Some credible evidence.
Comments on Specific Items
Item 3: "Other" includes "other mandated
reporters."
Item 5:The unduplicated count for "Children Subject of a Completed Investigation" is 46,320; the unduplicated number of "Families Subject of a Completed Investigation" is 26,330. The unduplicated child count does not equal the unduplicated number of children with substantiated investigations plus the unduplicated number with unsubstantiated investigations, because some investigated children appear in both the substantiated and unsubstantiated data sets.
Item 6:The unduplicated counts are as follows: 24,895 children with "Substantiated" dispositions; 24,695 children with "Not Substantiated" dispositions. A child with both "Substantiated" and "Not Substantiated" dispositions is counted more than once.
Item 7:Children subjected to more than one maltreatment are counted in each type. Medical neglect is included in "Neglect." "Other" includes congenital drug addiction (55) and failure to thrive (24).
Items 11 and 13: These are duplicated counts.
Item 14: The number of fatalities represents only those children from families known to the Department of Social Services either as open cases or cases closed less than 6 months.
