Child Welfare: Connecting Research, Policy, and Practice

Part I: Insights from the Canadian Incidence Study of Reported Child Abuse and Neglect

PART I Insights from the Canadian Incidence Study of Reported Child Abuse and Neglect Introduction Part I provides information from the Canadian Incidence Study about the child welfare landscape in Canada. The first province-wide incidence study of abuse and neglect in Canada was completed in Ontario in 1993, and the Canadian Incidence Study (CIS) in 1998 was the first national study to document the incidence of reported maltreatment in Canada. A second cycle was completed in 2003. This research describes the characteristics of children reported to child welfare agencies across Canada, as well as characteristics of workers serving them. Data derived from this research focus provide opportunities to study trends which have emerged from existing policies and which have implications for the development of future policies and practices in child welfare. The CIS–1998 collected data on the incidence and characteristics of child maltreatment from 51 child welfare sites across Canada, with a final sample of 7,672 child maltreatment investigations pertaining to children under the age of 16. The CIS–2003 obtained data from 63 sites, with a final sample of 14,200 child maltreatment investigations. Data collection for the third cycle of the study, the CIS–2008, has been completed, and major findings from this cycle were released in October 2010 (Public Health Agency of Canada, 2010). The original study was an important milestone in Canadian child welfare, and now, with planned repetitions at five-year intervals, these studies are invaluable sources of information collected about child protection in this country. 19 In addition to examining trends and the related consequences of various policy choices, the data has other important uses. First, it provides national information that can be compared with similar studies in other countries, notably the United States. Second, it provides important baseline information on the Canadian child welfare field, including data on staff characteristics. Finally, it provides a database that permits continuing analysis of the complex nature of child protection services. One major limitation of the CIS is the sampling methodology, which is described in Chapter 1. The CIS–1998 also acknowledged a serious limitation with respect to its ability to report on services provided by First Nations child and family service agencies, as its sample included only three mandated First Nations child welfare sites. Special efforts were made in 2003 to address this limitation.The CIS–2003 sample included Aboriginal children served by the random sample of provincial/territorial agencies, but also those investigated by a convenience sample of eight First Nations agencies. Aboriginal children comprised 15% of the CIS-2003 sample; 12% were First Nations children (status or non-status) and 3% were Métis or Inuit. However, this does not yet reflect population estimates of Aboriginal children and families served by child welfare agencies. Since Aboriginal children were estimated to represent between 30% and 40% of all children in care in 2002 (Chapter 22), one would assume that the percentage of Aboriginal children being investigated in 2003 would be significantly greater than 15%. Findings from CIS-2003 with respect to First Nations children are presented in chapter 21 of this book. The first four chapters in Part I provide very important snapshots of patterns in reported cases of neglect and abuse in 1998 and 2003. Chapter 1 provides a summary of the study’s methodology and major findings, including major differences between 1998 and 2003. Chapter 2 focuses on neglect in Ontario, the type of maltreatment behind referrals to child welfare agencies for the majority of children who come under the aegis of provincial and territorial child welfare services. This is timely, as research over the years has demonstrated that chronic neglect can be as damaging to children’s development as the more serious forms of abuse. The focus on this one province is deliberate, as it allows for discussion of the characteristics of the children and families, and the provincial response, over a 10-year period. Chapter 3 summarizes results from an analysis of the degree to which agency and worker characteristics may affect decision- making. In Chapter 4, Fallon and her research team examine the qualifications of child protection workers, how their profile is changing, and some of the general effects on service delivery. Together, these chapters provide a useful analysis of incidence, service response, and the characteristics not only PART I 20 of children and families, but also of workers and the agencies involved in the...