NCJ Number
190005
Journal
Child Maltreatment Volume: 6 Issue: 3 Dated: August 2001 Pages: 207-218
Editor(s)
Mark Chaffin
Date Published
August 2001
Length
12 pages
Annotation
This study summarized the impact of the child safety assessment protocol of the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) in reducing recurrence rates during the initial stages of an investigation.
Abstract
In response to a 1994 legislative mandate, the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) introduced the decision-making protocol (a risk and assessment tool), the Child Endangerment Risk Assessment Protocol (CERAP). This article focused on and summarized the impact of this safety protocol on the short-term recurrence of confirmed abuse or neglect of children during the first 60 days following an initial report. The approach used in this study was the use of data from Illinois DCFS Child Abuse and Neglect Tracking System (CANTS). The CANTS data set detailed case-level data on approximately 400,000 child records with reports of alleged abuse from December 1994 through November 1997. The recurrence of indicated maltreatment for at-risk children in Illinois was significantly reduced following the implementation of the CERAP safety assessment in 1995 and continued 2-years post-implementation. The overall reduction at the end of the 2-year post-implementation was 28.6 percent. Results indicated that a coordinated effort by a State design, train for, and implement a safety protocol that could have a positive impact on the safety of children seen in child abuse and neglect investigations. Further evaluations were recommended to review recurrence over longer periods and for children who have had multiple previous abuse or neglect reports. Appendix and references