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Child safety is a paramount concern of public child welfare systems nationwide and the Center maintains a robust program of research related to child safety. For over a decade, safety research at the Center has examined the effects of safety assessment on maltreatment recurrence in Illinois. Additional research has examined the child, family, and maltreatment characteristics associated with maltreatment recurrence. Current and future safety research builds on our long-standing program to further increase understanding of both the effects of safety assessment on child safety (i.e., maltreatment recurrence) as well as the dynamics of other child protection services (CPS) and their relationship to and role in child safety. Safety
Projects: The CERAP was designed to assess a child’s safety, defined as “the likelihood of immediate harm of a moderate to severe nature.” For the past 11 years, CFRC has collaborated with the Department and the CERAP statewide advisory committee to evaluate various aspects of the reliability and validity of the CERAP. Each year, part of the CERAP evaluation has examined the impact of CERAP implementation on the safety of children in Illinois who are involved in a child maltreatment investigation. For the purpose of evaluation, safety has been defined using data from the DCFS Child Abuse and Neglect Tracking System (CANTS) database as “the recurrence of an indicated report of maltreatment within 60 days of an initial report.” To evaluate the impact of the CERAP, researchers at CFRC employ a design called a secular trend study that examines the child safety outcome (e.g., recurrence rates) before and after the point in time when the implementation of CERAP occurred (December 1, 1995). Previous evaluations of the CERAP have confirmed that short-term maltreatment recurrence rates have consistently declined following implementation of the CERAP safety protocol. Past evaluations are available in the publications section of the site. The 2008 evaluation is expected during the fourth quarter of the fiscal year. The CERAP reports are available online in Publications & Reports, Publications. Safety and Risk Assessment Program Evaluation The Center continues to examine issues related to the reliability and validity of safety and risk assessment in Illinois. Acquisition of safety and risk assessment data from the Statewide Automated Child Welfare Information System (SACWIS) will allow the Center to explore these issues in more detail than is possible using DCFS administrative data alone. The results of this research will help guide CPS best practice in Illinois by providing administrators and policy-makers with comprehensive information about safety assessment and outcomes.
Maltreatment Recurrence Research Center research efforts to better understand maltreatment recurrence is ongoing. Over the years the CFRC has completed a number of studies that looked at various facets of maltreatment recurrence. For example, the Center has completed studies that examine child safety at reunification, the impact of CERAP on short term recurrence rates, predictors of maltreatment recurrence at case milestones, the impact of targeted safety protocols on reducing recurrence and recurrence rates in cases where alcohol and other drug involvement exist. A closer examination of recurrence patterns among neglect cases, to identify the characteristics of families who escalate into more serious allegations of abuse, is one area of recurrence inquiry the Center plans to investigate in the future. Past recurrence studies can be found on the menu under ‘Publications’ in the 'Publications & Reports' section.
Post-Investigation Services and Child Safety The Center explores the role of post-investigative services in preserving child safety following a maltreatment report. Little is known about the types of services that are provided to families following a maltreatment investigation, how such services are linked to safety issues identified during the investigation, whether families participate in services that are offered, which services are most effective, and how service provision relates to the risk of future maltreatment. Child Death Report The Center continues to collaborate with DCFS and the Child Death Review Team Executive Council, analyze data contained in the DCFS Child Death Review Team database, and compile a report on child deaths that occur in Illinois. As in previous years, two sets of analyses will be completed during FY 2008: 1) an examination of all child deaths reported to DCFS during 2005 and 2) an examination of those child deaths mandated for review by the CDRT. Child death review is required for all child deaths in which there was prior family involvement with DCFS within the year prior to the child’s death. Each group will be examined by child gender, age, and race, as well as the manner and cause of death. The recommendations made by the CDRTs to DCFS to prevent child deaths will also be included in the report. The primary deliverable for this project will be the CDRT 2005 Annual Report that is sent to the Illinois General Assembly, the Governor, and other interested parties. | ||||
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