Child Welfare: Connecting Research, Policy, and Practice

6. Differential Response in Child Welfare A New Early Intervention Model?

6 Differential Response in Child Welfare A New Early Intervention Model? Brad McKenzie This chapter reviews the development of differential response systems in child welfare since the late 1990s, with particular attention to Australia, the United States, and Canada. It describes the nature and scope of differential response systems, reviews some of the findings from early efforts to evaluate results, and discusses implications for research, policy, and practice. Over the past two decades child and family welfare systems in North America and other English-speaking countries have faced continuing challenges in responding to the needs of both children and families. Problems include significant growth in the number of referrals for child protection investigations, more children in care, related increases in costs, and growing concerns about the effectiveness of the current child protection model.With respect to increases in referrals for child maltreatment, in Australia both notifications of suspected child abuse and neglect and costs doubled between 1999 and 2005 (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2005; Steering Committee for the Review of Commonwealth/State Service Provision, 2006). In Canada, the rate of investigated children increased by 78% between 1998 and 2003; excluding Quebec, the rate of substantiated maltreatment cases increased by 125% (Chapter 1). As indicated in Chapter 1, the rate of children in care increased by 58% over this five-year period. As to effectiveness, there are persistent concerns about the mixed outcomes for children in care, and whether or not children from families referred for services are being adequately protected from harm. For example , large numbers of children are referred for investigations, but only a minority receives ongoing services. Yet a significant number of children are re-referred 101 EARLY INTERVENTION AND SUPPORT later. In the Australian state of Queensland in 2003–4, 15% of children where a finding of maltreatment was unsubstantiated and 25% of all children where maltreatment was substantiated were harmed again within 12 months (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2006). Similar trends have been observed in the United States (Shusterman, Hollinshead, Fluke, & Yuan, 2005) and New Zealand (Waldegrave & Coy, 2005). In Canada, 52% of substantiated child maltreatment investigations in 2003 had been previously investigated (Chapter 1). Faced with increased referrals for service, and families with multiple, complex problems, child protection services have become more bureaucratic, standardized , and legalistic (Farrow, 1997). These trends are consistent with some criticisms of the child protection system raised by Waldfogel (1998): • overinclusion – some families are unnecessarily referred to child protection services; • capacity – the number of families referred exceeds the system’s capacity to respond appropriately; • underinclusion – some families who should receive services do not; • service delivery – some families are referred appropriately and receive services , but not necessarily the right types of services; and • service orientation – the authoritative approach of child protection services is not appropriate for many families who are referred. Defining Differential Response Differential response (DR) systems, also labelled as“alternative response”(AR), allow for more than one service path or method of response to reports of child abuse and neglect (Child Welfare Information Gateway, 2008). Definitions and approaches vary significantly across jurisdictions, but two service pathways are normally established: • an investigation track which assesses safety and risk to determine whether neglect or abuse is substantiated, and then whether placement and/or other types of intervention are required; and • an assessment track or approach which focuses more deliberately on an assessment of family strengths and needs and the offer of voluntary family support services. In general, the alternative response of assessment and family support services occurs in cases where risk is assessed as low or moderate.Although substantiation of child maltreatment may occur in some cases, the level of need is the MCKENZIE 102 primary criterion for opening a case. Normally, an AR response is not used when more serious allegations of maltreatment, such as sexual abuse or serious harm, are received (Child Welfare Information Gateway, 2008). Although it is more common for child welfare agencies to remain involved with AR cases, in some U.S. jurisdictions these services are provided solely by community agencies. The intervention hypothesis in differential response is that both families who require investigation services and families who need more voluntary support -oriented services will benefit. Families not requiring investigation services will be referred quickly to an AR stream where more appropriate services may prevent repeated referrals, and investigation services will be more clearly targeted where necessary with related benefits for the children...