The Prevention Initiative Demonstration Project, funded by the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS), is a community-specific strategy delivered through eight regional networks designed to address the full spectrum of community-based prevention. This article summarizes a strong and meaningful pattern of improvements…

Psychological maltreatment (PM) is a widespread form of child maltreatment, both in high-risk and maltreating parents, yet there are no intervention programs that target it directly. In this study, the content of parenting programs for high-risk and maltreating parents was assessed to determine whether the program manuals include content on PM.…

Many children in the child welfare system (CWS) have histories of recurrent interpersonal trauma perpetrated by caregivers early in life often referred to as "complex trauma". Children in the CWS also experience a diverse range of reactions across multiple areas of functioning that are associated with such exposure. Nevertheless, few CWSs…

Youth in foster care face significant life challenges that make it more likely that they will face negative outcomes (i.e., school failure, homelessness, and incarceration). While the reason(s) for out-of-home placement (i.e., family violence, abuse, neglect and/or abandonment) provide some context for negative outcomes, such negative outcomes…

The number of people identifying as biracial is rapidly growing, though little is known about the experiences of interracial families. Previous work indicates that biracial children may be at elevated risk of entering the child welfare system. This could underscore additional risks faced by these families. This document includes data from the…

A media strategy was developed to disseminate Canadian child maltreatment surveillance data. Print media were systematically searched and 29 articles reporting on the data were retrieved. Using content analysis, the articles were analyzed to assess informational accuracy and to understand how the media framed the issue of maltreatment. This…

Many child welfare systems are unable to effectively identify and address co-occurring domestic violence and child maltreatment. In response, the Dependency Court Intervention Program for Family Violence implemented a protocol to identify indicators of domestic violence in families involved with child protection proceedings. This article…

Despite continuing improvements in risk assessment for child protective services (CPS) and movement toward actuarial prediction of child maltreatment, current models have not adequately addressed child sexual abuse. Sexual abuse cases present unique and ambiguous indicators to the investigating professional, and risk factors differ from those…

Offers an overview of the development of risk assessment and its purpose and goals, a summary of research on risk assessment to date, and suggestions regarding future research. Notes the research on risk assessment confirms the lack of conceptual clarity and the difficulty of incorporating it into the child protective services system. (TJQ)

Discusses the benefits and shortcomings of three systems for assessing risk factors affecting children: the Illinois CANTS 17B; the Washington Assessment of Risk Matrix; the Child at Risk Field System. Although these systems are used in 23 states, the lack of staff knowledgeable about human development and the uncertain reliability and validity of…

During in-depth, individual interviews, seventeen battered women involved in the public child welfare system discussed the effects of domestic violence on their children, and their strategies for protecting and supporting them. Most mothers articulated the detrimental effects of domestic violence on their children and coherent strategies to…

Examines what is known regarding Homebuilders-type family preservation programs and identifies gaps in knowledge. Proposes a knowledge development framework for appropriate future research that emphasizes the importance of theory, of focusing on specific problems, and of testing hypotheses that link conceptualization of problems, their causes, and…

Some studies suggest lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) teens are at higher risk than peers for violence at home, in school, and in the community. That can bring them into the child welfare system or services for runaway and homeless teens. This study compared self-reported experiences of sexual and physical abuse based on sexual orientation and…

Examined feasibility of linking administrative data sets for evaluation of home visiting as a strategy for reducing incidence of child abuse and neglect. Also examined associations between family characteristics and subsequent child maltreatment. Found home visiting efforts were targeted to the populations most at-risk for child maltreatment.…

Children in child welfare are especially likely to have unmet mental health needs. The role of family factors in children's use of mental health services was examined in a longitudinal sample of 1,075 maltreated or at-risk children. Vulnerable family environment (poor family functioning, low social support, and caregiver psychological distress) is…