A CPS
agency receives reports alleging that a child or children have been
maltreated, determines whether such reports should be investigated
or not, conducts investigations or assessments to determine whether
a child has been maltreated or is at risk of maltreatment, and
decides whether to take any further action on behalf of protecting
the child. This section discusses the activities of the CPS agency
from accepting reports to conducting investigations.
3.1 Screening of Reports
(SDC)
Of the reports alleging child maltreatment that were made to CPS
agencies in 1997, a number were screened out or not investigated.
Twentyfive States were able to provide the number of reports
that were screened out. These States received a total of 1,682,960
reports, of which 517,620 (30.8 percent) were screened out (appendix E, table E1).
One set of standards for deciding whether or not to investigate a report of child abuse was established by the Child Welfare League of America. These standards specify that an accepted report include an alleged victim under the age of 18, the childs parent or caregiver as the alleged perpetrator, an allegation meeting the statutory definition of possible abuse or neglect, and sufficient information for the agency to identify and locate the child. 4
State contacts discussed additional circumstances under which a report might be screened out. For example, one State contact explained that a report related to custody issues, poverty issues, educational neglect or truancy, an unborn child, or juvenile delinquency would be screened out. Another State representative noted that a shortage of available workers could influence the decision to screen out a report.
3.2 Sources of Reports
(SDC)
Based on data from 42 States, professional reporters, including
educators, law enforcement officials, social service personnel,
medical personnel, mental health personnel, child day care
providers, and substitute care providers, accounted for 777,637
reports (53.6 percent) of alleged maltreatment that were referred
for investigation. Other relatives, friends and neighbors, parents,
and alleged victims contributed 382,239 reports (26.4 percent.)
Another 290,523 reports (20.0 percent) originated from anonymous or
unknown sources, other sources, and alleged perpetrators. Educators
initiated 236,719 reports (16.3 percent) and were the largest
single source (figure 31). Law
enforcement personnel constituted the second largest source,
contributing 193,007 reports (13.3 percent). The distribution of
report sources has remained virtually constant since 1990.
Figure 31 Source of Reports, 1997 (SDC)
N=1,450,399 reports from 42 States
3.3 Children in Reports
Referred for Investigation (SDC)
Based on data received from 45 States, it was estimated that
nationwide nearly 3 million children were reported to CPS agencies
as alleged victims of maltreatment.5
Some children may have been reported and counted more than once
during the year.
The national rate of children who were the subjects of reports was estimated to be 42.0 children per 1,000 children in the general population.6 (Throughout this report, "general population" refers to the population of children younger than 18 years of age in the Nation or in the States being discussed; the term "child population" is also used to refer to this group.) This rate is an increase from 39.1 per 1,000 children in the general population (appendix E, table E2) in 1990. More than twothirds of all jurisdictions reported or were estimated to have 1997 rates between 30 and 59 children per 1,000 children.7
The variation in rates may be influenced by differences in definitions of child maltreatment or agency policies and procedures. For example, States that included risk for maltreatment or types of maltreatment not included by other States may have had higher rates of reports accepted for investigation. The factors that influence screening practice will also affect the number of reports accepted for investigation.
3.4 Workers Responsible for CPS
Screening, Intake, Investigation, and Assessment (SDC)
Thirtyeight States reported that a total of 18,843 workers
were responsible for screening, intake, investigation, and
assessment of reports. Typical job titles for these CPS workers
included social worker, family resource specialist, caseworker,
call floor counselor, and hotline supervisor. Twentyfour
States differentiated between the number of workers who conducted
investigations and assessments and the number who did screening and
intake. These 24 States reported that of 9,941 CPS workers, 1,145
(11.5 percent) were responsible for screening and intake.
Fourteen States reported on the number of screenedin and screenedout reports and the number of CPS workers, including those who conducted intake and screening functions. To determine the number of investigation workers, the reported number of screening and intake workers was subtracted from the reported number of all CPS workers. Based on data from 14 States, it is estimated that investigation and assessment workers completed 81 investigations per worker during the course of the year (appendix E, table E3). An investigation may have included more than one child and more than one allegation of maltreatment.
3.5 Conducting Investigations
(SDC)
Most States require workers to respond to reports within specific
time limits. Many States indicated that the response to a "most
serious" or "emergency" report must be made "immediately" or
"within 24 hours." Many States allow workers to respond to less
serious reports within a week.
While several States described such standards, only six were able to provide actual average response times for the different priority standards. A few States reported the percentage of investigations that were initiated within the specified time requirements.
3.6 Investigations of Reports
(SDC)
Fortysix States reported on the dispositions of
approximately 1,486,000 investigations of alleged abuse or neglect.
Figure 32 shows that 502,610
investigations (33.8 percent) resulted in a disposition of either
substantiated or indicated child maltreatment. Another 834,353
investigations (56.2 percent) resulted in a finding that child
maltreatment was not substantiated. In the four jurisdictions that
identified intentionally malicious or false reports in
unsubstantiated investigations, the 1,291 reports constituted
approximately 1.0 percent of the 128,520 unsubstantiated
dispositions. The 28,081 "Closed without a finding" reports
accounted for 1.9 percent of all dispositions. The 120,614 other
investigation dispositions accounted for 8.1 percent of all
dispositions.
Figure 32 Dispositions of Investigated Reports, 1997 (SDC)
N=1,485,658 reports from 46 States. "Other" includes In Need of Services, Unknown, and Other.
3.7 Report Sources and Dispositions
(DCDC)
Based on data from the 16 States that submitted 1997
caselevel data to the DCDC, 129,340 substantiated or
indicated reports (58.8 percent) were referred by legal, medical,
social service, or education professionals (table 31). Legal and medical
professionals had more than half of their reports substantiated or
indicated; the figures were 40,794 (66.1 percent) and 27,717 (57.8
percent), respectively.
Table 31 Reports by Source and Disposition (DCDC)
| Report Source | Disposition | Total | ||||
| Substantiated | Indicated | Unsubstantiated | Closed No Finding | Other/Unknown | ||
| Social Services/Mental Health | >17,992 | >11,056 | >28,809 | 529 | 1,786 | 60,172 |
| % within Report Source | 29.9% | 18.4% | 47.9% | 0.9% | 3.0% | 100.0% |
| % within Disposition | 13.3% | 13.1% | 12.4% | 16.7% | 18.8% | 12.9% |
| Medical Personnel | 19,974 | 7,743 | 19,487 | 153 | 620 | 47,977 |
| % within Report Source | 41.6% | 16.1%> | 40.6% | 0.3% | 1.3% | 100.0% |
| % within Disposition | 14.7% | 9.2% | 8.4% | 4.8% | 6.5% | 10.3% |
| Legal Personnel | 29,105 | 11,689 | 19,935 | 244 | 789 | 61,762 |
| % within Report Source | 47.1% | 18.9% | 32.3% | 0.4% | 1.3% | 100.0% |
| % within Disposition | 21.5% | 13.9% | 8.5% | 7.7% | 8.3% | 13.3% |
| Educational Personnel | 18,806 | 12,975 | 34,918 | 234 | 1,323 | 68,256 |
| % within Report Source | 27.6% | 19.0% | 51.2% | 0.3% | 1.9% | 100.0% |
| % within Disposition | 13.9% | 15.4% | 15.0% | 7.4% | 13.9% | 14.7% |
| Substitute Care Provider/Foster Parent | 1,949 | 1,166 | 4,154 | 27 | 142 | 7,438 |
| % within Report Source | 26.2% | 15.7% | 55.8% | 0.4% | 1.9% | 100.0% |
| % within Disposition | 1.4% | 1.4% | 1.8% | 0.9% | 1.5% | 1.6% |
| Alleged Victim | 1,114 | 1,189 | 2,918 | 31 | 114 | 5,366 |
| % within Report Source | 20.8% | 22.2% | 54.4% | 0.6% | 2.1% | 100.0% |
| % within Disposition | 0.8% | 1.4% | 1.3% | 1.0% | 1.2% | 1.2% |
| Parent | 6,164 | 8,117 | 19,757 | 205 | 745 | 34,988 |
| % within Report Source | 17.6% | 23.2% | 56.5% | 0.6% | 2.1% | 100.0% |
| % within Disposition | 4.5% | 9.6% | 8.5% | 6.5% | 7.8% | 7.5% |
| Other Relative | 7,463 | 7,433 | 18,164 | 471 | 1,082 | 34,613 |
| % within Report Source | 21.6% | 21.5% | 52.5% | 1.4% | 3.1% | 100.0% |
| % within Disposition | 5.5% | 8.8% | 7.8% | 14.9% | 11.4% | 7.4% |
| Friends Neighbor | 5,664 | 7,509 | 18,667 | 177 | 465 | 32,482 |
| % within Report Source | 17.4% | 23.1% | 57.5% | 0.5% | 1.4% | 100.0% |
| % within Disposition | 4.2% | 8.9% | 8.0% | 5.6% | 4.9% | 7.0% |
| Alleged Perpetrator | 261 | 85 | 302 | 1 | 4 | 653 |
| % within Report Source | 40.0% | 13.0% | 46.2% | 0.2% | 0.6% | 100.0% |
| % within Disposition | 0.2% | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.1% |
| Anonymous Reporter | 7,667 | 8,175 | 30,859 | 424 | 1,236 | 48,361 |
| % within Report Source | 15.9% | 16.9% | 63.8% | 0.9% | 2.6% | 100.0% |
| % within Disposition | 5.7% | 9.7% | 13.2% | 13.4% | 13.0% | 10.4% |
| Other | 13,000 | 6,151 | 24,280 | 383 | 1,161 | 44,975 |
| % within Report Source | 28.9% | 13.7% | 54.0% | 0.9% | 2.6% | 100.0% |
| % within Disposition | 9.6% | 7.3% | 10.4% | 12.1% | 12.2% | 9.7% |
| Unknown | 6,383 | 1,010 | 10,922 | 286 | 43 | 18,644 |
| % within Report Source | 34.2% | 5.4% | 58.6% | 1.5% | 0.2% | 100.0% |
| % within Disposition | 4.7% | 1.2% | 4.7% | 9.0% | 0.5% | 4.0% |
| Total | 135,542 | 84,298 | 233,172 | 3,165 | 9,510 | 465,687 |
| % within Report Source | 29.1% | 18.1% | 50.1% | 0.7% | 2.0% | 100.0% |
| % within Disposition | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% |
4 Child
Welfare of America, Inc., Standards of Excellence: CWLA
Standards of Excellence for Services for Abused or Neglected
Children and Their Families, revised edition (Washington, DC:
Author, 199), 30.(back)
5 The national estimate of children reported as alleged
victims was obtained by calculating a weighted average rate based
on all States that reported in a given year, then multiplying the
State population by this average rate for each State that was
unable to provide these data. The national estimate includes the 50
States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands,
and Guam.(back)
6 The State rate of children reported as alleged
victims of maltreatment was obtained by dividing the number of
alleged child victims by the state child population and multiplying
by 1,000. The national rate was obtained by dividing the total
number of allegedchildd victims by the total number of children in
the States that reported these data and multiplying by 1,000.(back)
7 Population and race data on children younger than 18
years of age by State were supplied by the U.S. Bureau of the
Census. Estimates of the population of States by age, sex, race,
and Hispanic origin for 19901997 can be accessed at http://www.census.gov/population/estimates/state/sasrh/sasrh97.txt.
Estimates of the population of Puerto Rico Municipios and
demographic components of population change (PR962) can
be accessed at
http://www.census.gov/population/estimates/puertorico.
Estimates of the population of Puerto Rico Municipios, July 1,
1997, and demographic components of population change for April 1,
1990, to July 1, 1997, can be accessed at http://www.census.gov/population/estimates/puertorico/prunnet.txt.
Data for Guam and the Virgin Islands (International Database, Table
004) can be accessed at http://www.census.gov/ipc/www/idbsum.html.(back)
