Journals > Journal: Preventing Child Maltreatment > Article: Prevention and the Child Protection System
Journal Issue: Preventing Child Maltreatment Volume 19 Number 2 Fall 2009
Introduction
Every state in the United States has a public child protection system (commonly known by the acronym CPS) that receives and responds to reports of child abuse and neglect. Funding for CPS agencies comes from federal, state, and sometimes county or local sources. Although these state systems vary considerably, they do share some common elements. In particular, all CPS agencies have staff and procedures in place to respond to reports of suspected child abuse and neglect, with some agencies also accepting other types of referrals or applications for services. Although CPS agencies work in partnership with other state agencies as well as community-based agencies, some core functions—in particular, receiving and responding to reports of abuse or neglect—are carried out mainly by CPS agency staff, while other functions—such as services for families or foster or group care—may be contracted out or purchased from other agencies.
Historically, the child protection system has focused most of its limited resources on preventing maltreatment and promoting permanency and well-being among children who are identified as having already been the victims of abuse or neglect. A sizable share (more than a third) of families who come to the attention of CPS are screened out at the time of the initial referral, while others have their cases closed after an investigation. The cases that receive services from CPS on an ongoing basis constitute a minority of those referred—a minority made up of families who are judged to be at highest risk.
States and localities, however, also invest some resources into services to prevent maltreatment among lower-risk families—families whose cases do not meet the criteria to be screened in, substantiated, or kept open for ongoing protective services with CPS but whose children nevertheless are at risk of becoming victims of abuse or neglect. Such services may be delivered by the CPS agency (with the case kept open on a voluntary or preventive basis) but are more commonly delivered by community-based agencies. Indeed, since the reauthorization of the federal Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA) in 2003, CPS agencies have been required to develop procedures to refer children in lower-risk families to community-based agencies or voluntary preventive services.
In this article I examine the effectiveness of both types of prevention efforts. For those focusing on families whose cases are opened for ongoing services with CPS, I describe the services provided, explore their effectiveness in preventing repeat maltreatment, and ask whether other approaches might do a better job. For efforts focused on lower-risk families whose cases are not opened or kept open for services by CPS, I consider what types of services are provided and to what types of families, how widespread the services are, how the services are funded and delivered, and how effective they are in preventing maltreatment. I conclude with suggestions for further research and policy.
