Differentiating between child protection and family support in the Canadian child welfare system's response to intimate partner violence, corporal punishment, and child neglect

When Child Welfare Caseworkers Intervene, Do Women Surviving IPV Obtain Recommended Services?

This study looked at 991 women surviving intimate partner violence (IPV), exploring several factors in their receipt of IPV services through the child welfare system. A secondary data analysis, the research used longitudinal data from the National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being II, was conducted to evaluate the relationship between receiving IPV services and child welfare intervention and between such receipt and demographic characteristics. Women in the sample had been substantiated for maltreatment and had lifetime experience of IPV; 15% of these women had received IPV services. Generalized estimation equation results showed likelihood of receiving services increased when the case plan specified needed IPV services. Biological/adoptive mothers retaining custody of children were relatively unlikely to receive IPV services, as were lower income women. Receipt of services was relatively unlikely at the third-wave interview compared with the first-wave interview, but no difference in likelihood of receiving services was found between first- and second-wave interviews. In addition, likelihood of receiving services was not associated here with the number of recent IPV episodes, IPV maltreatment, mother's perceived engagement with caseworker, and mother's race/ethnicity, employment, and education. Some implications for practice are discussed.

Major findings from the Ontario Incidence Study of Reported Child Abuse and Neglect 2018

BACKGROUND

The Ontario Incidence Study of Reported Child Abuse and Neglect (OIS) is the only source of province-wide statistics on families investigated by child welfare.

OBJECTIVE

This paper presents key findings from the 2018 cycle of the OIS (OIS-2018) and highlights select policy and practice implications of these findings.

PARTICIPANTS AND SETTINGS

The OIS-2018 captured information directly from investigating child protection workers about children and families who were the subject of a child protection investigation sampled for inclusion in the study.

METHODS

The OIS-2018 sample was drawn in three stages: first, a representative sample of child welfare agencies in Ontario was selected, then cases were sampled over a three-month period within selected agencies, and, finally, investigations that met the study criteria were identified from the sampled cases. The data collected for the OIS-2018 were weighted in order to derive provincial, annual incidence estimates.

RESULTS

An estimated 158,476 child maltreatment-related investigations were conducted in Ontario in 2018. In the majority of investigations, there was no documented physical or emotional harm to the child. The overall incidence of investigations remains unchanged between 2008 and 2018. The only statistically significant difference during this time period is an increase in risk investigations between 2013 and 2018.

CONCLUSIONS

Data from the OIS gives Ontario child welfare policymakers and practitioners an empirical basis for making evidence-informed decisions. Findings are compared to the United States and Australia.

Promoting Protective Factors in Environments of Risk for Young Children: An Organizing Framework for Practice, Policy, and Research

Early childhood is an important developmental period, which lays the foundation for future learning, behaviour, physical and mental health and gene expression. The most vulnerable children in society are often referred to and receive services from the child welfare system because of a concern of abuse and neglect and/or a poor developmental trajectory. This paper presents an organizing framework for how the child welfare system, in concert with allied partners, can support interventions for young children and families by acknowledging its crucial role in improving their development and well-being. The framework is informed by research amassed from numerous disciplines, including child welfare, development, neuroscience, neurobiology and epigenetics. Although the notions of protection and well-being are central considerations in child welfare legislation in Ontario, Canada, the operationalization of wellbeing has proven challenging in child welfare practice, policy and research. The framework proposes ten key indicators and priorities for identifying and promoting optimal child development. Findings from the 2013 cycle of the Ontario Incidence Study of Reported Child Abuse and Neglect (OIS-2013), the only provincial source of aggregated child welfare investigation data, are presented to articulate the divide between the environmental context of a population of at-risk children and the conditions that both protect children and increase the likelihood that they will thrive in adulthood. This paper argues there are different points of entry and intervention across sectors and provides a foundation for further discussion on how to promote well-being for society's most vulnerable children.

Responding to safety concerns and chronic needs: trends over time

BACKGROUND

For the past 20 years, the Ontario child welfare sector has made significant legislative and policy changes. Changes to legislation and policy can impact the public and sector's response to child maltreatment and inform identified trends. Using an investigative taxonomy of urgent protection and chronic need this paper examines the shift in the nature of investigated maltreatment over time.

METHODS

Data from five cycles of the Ontario Incidence Studies of Reported Child Abuse and Neglect (1993, 1998, 2003, 2008 and 2013) were used. Provincial incidence rates were calculated by dividing the weighted estimates by the child population 15 years of age and under and then multiplying by 1000 in order to produce an annual incidence rate per 1000 children. Investigations were divided into urgent (severe physical harm, sexual abuse, neglect and physical abuse of children under 4) and chronic (risk only, exposure to intimate partner violence, emotional maltreatment, neglect and physical abuse of children four or over). Tests of statistical significance were calculated to assess changes in subtypes between cycles.

RESULTS

Between 1993 and 2013, the rate of child maltreatment related investigations completed in Ontario has increased from 20.48 per 1000 children to 53.27 per 1000 children. Overall there has been a decline in the incidence of urgent investigations from 9.31 per 1000 child maltreatment investigations in 1993 to 5.94 per 1000 maltreatment investigations in 2013. There has been a fourfold increase in the incidence of chronic investigations from 11.18 per 1000 child maltreatment investigations in 1993 to 47.33 per 1000 maltreatment investigations in 2013.

CONCLUSION

The nature of child protection work using the urgent-chronic taxonomy shows a dramatic shift in the types of concerns identified without a corresponding shift in the way families are assessed for need. The provision of a forensic investigation to all families does not distinguish between urgent safety concerns and needs that may require prolonged engagement. Effective service provision requires more precision in our response to these diverse concerns.

Infants and the decision to provide ongoing child welfare services

BACKGROUND

Infants are the most likely recipients of child welfare services; however, little is known about infants and families who come into contact with the child welfare system and factors that are associated with service provision. Investigations involving infants and their families present an unparalleled opportunity for the child welfare sector to enhance infants' safety and well-being through early identification, referral and intervention. Understanding how the child welfare system responds to the unique needs of infants and caregivers is critical to developing appropriate practice and policy responses within the child welfare sector and across other allied sectors. This study examines maltreatment-related investigations in Ontario involving children under the age of one to identify which factors are most influential to predicting service provision at the conclusion of a child welfare investigation.

METHODS

A secondary analysis of the fifth cycle of the Ontario Incidence Study of Reported Child Abuse and Neglect (OIS) for 2013 was conducted. The OIS is a cross-sectional child welfare study that is conducted every 5 years. The most influential factors that were associated with the decision to transfer a case to ongoing services were explored through a multivariate tree-classification technique, Chi square automatic interaction detection.

RESULTS

There were an estimated 7915 maltreatment-related investigations involving infants in 2013. At least one caregiver risk factor was identified in approximately three-quarters (74%) of investigations involving infants. In the majority of investigations (57%), at least one referral for specialized services was provided. Primary caregiver with few social supports was the most highly significant predictor of the decision to provide ongoing child welfare services. Primary caregiver risk factors were predominant in this model. The analysis identified subgroups of investigations involving infants for which the likelihood of being transferred to ongoing services ranged from approximately 11-97%.

CONCLUSION

Caregivers of infants are struggling with numerous challenges that can adversely compromise their ability to meet the unique developmental needs of their infant. The findings underscore the importance of community and social supports in decision-making.

Building research capacity in child welfare in Canada

There is a surprising dearth of information about the services provided to the children and families being reported to Canadian child welfare authorities, little research on the efficacy of child welfare services in Canada, and limited evidence of new policies and programs designed to address these changes. This paper reports on a research capacity building initiative designed to address some of these issues. By fostering mutual co-operation and sharing of intellectual leadership, the Building Research Capacity initiative allows partners to innovate, build institutional capacity and mobilize research knowledge in accessible ways. The model rests on the assumption that by placing the university's research infrastructure at the service of community agencies, robust research partnerships are developed, access to agency-based research is significantly enhanced and community agencies make better use of research findings which all equate in greater research utilization and research capacity building.

Abuse survivor perspectives on trauma inquiry in obstetrical practice

PURPOSE

The objective of this study was to explore abuse survivor perspectives on optimal physician approaches to trauma inquiry in prenatal care.

METHODS

Focus group involving six adult female abuse survivors.

RESULTS

Five themes emerged for framing "safe" trauma inquiry: (1) a clear definition of trauma, (2) clear purpose for inquiry, (3) reassurance that inquiry was routine, (4) confidentiality, and (5) mention of helpful resources other than psychiatric therapy.

CONCLUSIONS

Explaining the purpose of trauma inquiry may be important for effectively engaging abuse survivors in obstetrics.

Exploring alternate specifications to explain agency-level effects in placement decisions regarding Aboriginal children: Further analysis of the Canadian Incidence Study of Reported Child Abuse and Neglect Part C

A series of papers using data from the Canadian Incidence Study of Reported Child Abuse and Neglect (CIS) explored the influence of clinical and organizational characteristics on the decision to place Aboriginal children in out-of-home placements at the conclusion of child maltreatment investigations. The purpose of this paper is to further explore a consistent finding of the previous analyses: the proportion of investigations involving Aboriginal children at a child welfare agency is associated with placement for all children in that agency. CIS-2008 data were used in the analysis, which allowed for inclusion of previously unavailable organizational and contextual variables. Multi-level statistical models were developed to analyze the influence of clinical and organizational variables on the placement decision. Final models revealed that the proportion of investigations conducted by the child welfare agency involving Aboriginal children was again a key agency-level predictor of the placement decision for any child served by the agency. Specifically, the higher the proportion of investigations of Aboriginal children, the more likely placement was to occur for any child. Further, this analysis demonstrated that structure of governance, an organizational-level variable not available in previous cycles of the CIS, is an important agency-level predictor of out-of-home placement. Further analysis is needed to fully understand individual and organizational level variables that may influence decisions regarding placement of Aboriginal children.

Family identification: a beneficial process for young adults who grow up in homes affected by parental intimate partner violence

Exposure to parental intimate partner violence (parental IPV) is a complex trauma. Research within social psychology establishes that identification with social groups impacts positively on how we appraise, respond to and recover from traumatic events. IPV is also a highly stigmatized social phenomenon and social isolation is a major factor for families affected by IPV, yet strong identification with the family group may act as a beneficial psychological resource to young people who grew up in homes affected by IPV. The current study, an online survey of 355 students (M_age = 20, 70% female), investigated if a psychosocial process, specifically identification with the family, may influence the relationship between the predictor, exposure to parental IPV, and outcomes, global self-esteem and state anxiety. Mediation analysis suggests that identification with the family has a positive influence on the relationship between exposure to parental IPV and psychological outcomes; exposure to parental IPV results in reduced family identification, but when family identification is strong it results in both reduced anxiety and increased self-esteem for young people. The findings highlight the importance of having a strong sense of belonging to the extended family for young people who were exposed to parental IPV, thus has implications for prevention, intervention, and social policy.

Subtypes of exposure to intimate partner violence within a Canadian child welfare sample: associated risks and child maladjustment

Children exposed to intimate partner violence (IPV) are at increased risk of experiencing behavioral difficulties including externalizing and internalizing problems. While there is mounting evidence about mental health problems in children exposed to IPV, most of the research to date focuses on IPV exposure as a unitary, homogeneous construct. The purpose of this study was to examine the association between subtypes of IPV exposure on child functioning and presence of harm within a child welfare sample. Given the evidence of the "double whammy" effect, co-occurring IPV exposure was also examined. Using data from the Canadian Incidence Study of Reported Child Abuse and Neglect - 2008 (n=2,184) we examined whether specific IPV exposure subtypes or their co-occurrence resulted in a greater risk of child maladjustment. Information was obtained from child welfare workers' reports. Caregiver and household risk factors were also examined. Co-occurring IPV exposure resulted in the greatest risk for reported child maladjustment. Exposure to emotional IPV and direct physical IPV were significantly associated with increased risk of internalizing problems and presence of harm. Caregiver mental health and lack of social support emerged as significant risk factors for behavior problems. This study adds to the evidence that exposure to subtypes of IPV may be differentially related to child functioning. Given that risk factors and child functioning is part of the decision-making framework for case worker referrals, this study provides important preliminary evidence about how the child welfare system operates in practice with respect to sub-types of exposure to IPV. These findings suggest that intervening with children exposed to different types of IPV may require a tailored approach.