This study used quantitative measures to explore child abuse reporting trends for early career school counselors and to examine factors influencing their decisions to report suspected child abuse. Thematic coding was used to analyze recommendations for additional training needs regarding child abuse reporting and for the challenges school…

The opioid epidemic has led to a dramatic increase in the number of infants and toddlers being removed from their homes and placed in foster care. Doing so places these vulnerable young children at high risk for attachment issues, postnatal medical problems, and development delay. Early Childhood Courts have been found to be a very effective…

This study examines the comparative effectiveness of using law enforcement agencies for child protective investigation (CPI), in contrast with the traditional approach of CPI conducted by the public child welfare agency. The analysis uses 2006-2007 data from a natural experiment conducted in Florida to show modest differences in performance and…

This study examined the severity of externalizing symptomology among adopted boys with preadoptive histories of child sexual abuse, physical abuse, neglect/abandonment, or no abuse. The study was based on data collected across a three-year period from parents who adopted children from Florida's child welfare system. The sample consisted of 1,136…

This report compares the circumstances and characteristics of Black immigrant mothers in Palm Beach County, Florida, to those of Latina immigrant and Black native-born mothers, focusing on those living in distressed areas. The study also compares the early developmental outcomes of their children. When controlling for parental and child…

Abuse, neglect, or both often result in removing children from their homes and placing them in foster care. As a result of these experiences, many children learn unhealthy behaviors. These "behavioral challenges" often lead to a cycle of multiple placement disruptions and progressively more restrictive placements. The philosophy,…

This qualitative study explored school social workers' relationships during instances of abuse and neglect reporting, focusing on reports made for children and adolescents already receiving school social work services. Although school social workers frequently file abuse and neglect reports, little is known about how they manage clinical and…

This study examined the extent of violence toward children and factors associated with child maltreatment in Florida using a cohort of children (N = 499,330) who were adjudged to be victims of maltreatment between July 1, 1996, and June 30, 2003. To assess the extent of maltreatment, five indicators were proposed and examined. Multivariate…

This study of the reporting practices of 91 Guardians Ad Litem to Florida judges in child abuse and neglect cases found that information reported most often concerned the child's physical safety, interaction between parent and child, and parents' personality characteristics. Less frequently reported was information regarding conflict in the home…

Objective: The purpose of this study was to (a) describe the timing of maltreatment recurrence and (b) measure associations between child demographics and characteristics of initial reports with recurrent maltreatment. Method: Using administrative data from the Florida Department of Children and Families, case histories of 189,375 children with an…

Examines four innovative staff training programs in Florida, Tennessee, Ohio, and Washington: four states with varying human service traditions and social needs. Maintains that those involved with the design and development of child protective services training programs should take into account the significant strides made by these four programs.…

This report summarizes accomplishments of the ESCAPE (Eastern Stream Child Abuse Prevention and Education) Project over its final two years and identifies products developed under its auspices during this period. An introduction describes the project which was initiated in 1982 to establish and reduce the incidence of child maltreatment in the…

The report examines the operation of Florida's child protective service system based on analysis of 2,889 representative cases of child abuse or neglect received by the State of Florida Child Abuse Registry from 1970 thru midsummer of 1977. Associations were investigated between antecedent variables (child's sex, race and age, and family structure…

This Kids Count report presents information on the status of Florida's children. A statistical profile is presented for the state and for each county, based on demographic data and 19 indicators of child well being: (1) per capita income; (2) county population; (3) number of white and nonwhite children under 18 years; (4) number of births in 1993…

This KIDS COUNT report presents information on the status of Florida's children. This edition presents data in a format different from previous Florida Kids Count publications. In addition to the familiar format of individual county data on key indicators, users are provided with an overview of the state that allows for comparison among the 67…