Overview of California’s Child Welfare Indicator Data

Barbara Needell, MSW, PhDCenter for Social Services Research

School of Social WelfareUniversity of California, Berkeley

The California Child Welfare Indicators Project (CCWIP) is a collaboration of the California Department of Social Services and the School of Social Welfare, University of California at Berkeley, and is supported by the California Department of Social Services and the Stuart

Foundation

counterbalancedindicators of system

performance

permanencythrough reunification,

adoption, orguardianship

lengthof stay

stability of care

rate of allegations/substantiated allegations

home-based services vs.

out of home care

positive attachments to family, friends, and neighbors

use of leastrestrictive

form of care

Source: Usher, C.L., Wildfire, J.B., Gogan, H.C. & Brown, E.L. (2002). Measuring Outcomes in Child Welfare. Chapel Hill: Jordan Institute for Families

reentry to care

Tracking Child Welfare Outcomes

Thinking about Prevention

Birth Record Linkages: Selected Findings

• 14% of children in birth cohort were reported to CPS by age 5– lower bound estimate…could not match 16% of CPS records– 25% of these children were reported within the first 3 days of life – 35% of all reported children were reported as infants

• 11 of 12 variables were significantly associated with CPS contact– crude risk ratios >2 were observed for 7 variables

• Contact with CPS is hardly a rare event for certain groups– 30% of black children reported– 25% of children born to teen mothers

sex• female• male

birth weight• 2500g+• <2500g

prenatal care

• 1st trimester• 2nd trimester• 3rd trimester• no care

birth abnormality

• present• none

maternal birth place

• US born• non-US born

race

• native american• black• Hispanic• white• asian/pacific islander

maternal age

• <=19• 20-24• 25-29• 30+

maternal education

• <high school• high school• some college• college+

pregnancy termination hx

• prior termination• none reported

named father• missing• named father

# of children in the family

• one• two• three+

birth payment method

• public/med-cal• other

Birth Record Variables

Assessing Risk at Birth?

15% 50%

Full Birth Cohort Children Reported to CPS

Recognizing the Risk Associated with the Presence Of Multiple Risk Factors…

High Risk on Every Modifiable Risk Factor: 89% probability of CPS report

Low Risk on Every Modifiable Risk Factor: 3% probability of CPS report

Questions? Comments?

Barbara Needell510 290 6334

bneedell@berkeley.edu

http://cssr.berkeley.edu/ucb_childwelfare