Liwei Zhang, Patricia L Kohl, Jana Leigh Woodiwiss, Joyce Joy Wanjiru Ndungu
{"title":"County variations in child maltreatment risk and service responses during and post the COVID-19 pandemic: a mixed-methods study.","authors":"Liwei Zhang, Patricia L Kohl, Jana Leigh Woodiwiss, Joyce Joy Wanjiru Ndungu","doi":"10.1080/15548732.2026.2645868","DOIUrl":"10.1080/15548732.2026.2645868","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Using a mixed-methods design, this study examines changes in child maltreatment risk and service delivery from pre- to post-pandemic, focusing on county-to-county variations. Administrative data from Missouri were analyzed to assess county-level differences, with interviews of service providers (<i>n</i> = 15) and parents (<i>n</i> = 9) to contextualize the quantitative findings. Reports and service delivery declined during COVID-19 and, despite some rebound, remained below pre-pandemic levels. Declines were greatest in high-poverty counties, those with larger Black/African American populations, and rural areas. Qualitative data highlighted disrupted surveillance systems, expanded supports reducing reports, and concerns about disproportionate reporting of Black/African American families.</p>","PeriodicalId":16907,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Public Child Welfare","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2026-03-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13148370/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147839373","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Development of the Family Engagement in Residential Care Measure.","authors":"Kayla Herbell, Nathan P Helsabeck, Sophie Berger","doi":"10.1080/15548732.2025.2593872","DOIUrl":"10.1080/15548732.2025.2593872","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Family engagement in residential treatment (RT) improves relationships, treatment participation, and behavior, yet standardized measures are lacking. This study developed and piloted the Family Engagement in Residential Care Measure through a multi-phase process: item generation with family input, small group reviews, and pre-pilot testing for clarity. A cross-sectional pilot at an RT-focused conference retained 29 items across five subscales, each showing high internal consistency. Participant feedback informed wording revisions and structure. Stakeholder involvement throughout the process ensured the measure's relevance and clarity. The Family Engagement in Residential Care Measure shows promise; however, it requires further validation in future research.</p>","PeriodicalId":16907,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Public Child Welfare","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2025-11-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12700601/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145756802","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Stakeholder Perspectives on Acceptability of Implementing a Child Mental Health Intervention in Child Welfare Services: A Pilot Study.","authors":"Kerry A Lee, Caterina Pisciotta, Geetha Gopalan","doi":"10.1080/15548732.2025.2518370","DOIUrl":"10.1080/15548732.2025.2518370","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This pilot study sought to examine the acceptability of implementing a modified behavioral parent training program, the 4Rs and 2Ss intervention, within a Child Welfare (CW) placement prevention service. CW staff (<i>n</i>=12; caseplanners (<i>n</i>=6), supervisors (<i>n</i>=4), and administrators (<i>n</i>=2)) and CW-involved families (<i>n</i>=12) completed surveys which were followed by semi-structured interviews and a focus group to explore the acceptability of implementing the modified 4Rs and 2Ss in the CW setting. All quantitative benchmarks for high acceptability were met (i.e., treatment satisfaction; acceptability and appropriateness of the intervention; attitudes towards evidence-based practices [EBP]). CW staff reported acceptability of the program based on the characteristics of the intervention, overall support received, and appropriateness of the intervention, but had mixed perceptions related to the consultation time commitment and the training received, while role conflict posed as a barrier to acceptability. For CW-involved families, acceptability was enhanced by the recruitment and eligibility process, logistical support (e.g., childcare, transportation, meal), group environment, and child and family wellbeing. Caregivers' acceptability was hindered by the lack of separation between parent and children during group sessions, group size and duration, some session activities, and the voluntary versus crises-oriented focus of caregivers' participation in the program.</p>","PeriodicalId":16907,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Public Child Welfare","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2025-06-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12410692/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145015635","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Lindsey Palmer, Tenesha Littleton, Sarah Font, Eunhye Ahn
{"title":"Beyond Child Abuse: The Array of Family Problems brought to the Child Welfare System.","authors":"Lindsey Palmer, Tenesha Littleton, Sarah Font, Eunhye Ahn","doi":"10.1080/15548732.2024.2421272","DOIUrl":"10.1080/15548732.2024.2421272","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The majority of children who encounter the child protective services (CPS) system are referred for reasons other than suspected physical or sexual abuse. Yet, specific concerns or risks, typically falling under the umbrella of neglect, remain poorly documented in academic and public debate. Using population-based data for 145,745 children referred to the Pennsylvania child welfare system in 2021 for reasons other than physical or sexual abuse, this study describes the types and overlap of family concerns documented. Parental substance use was the most frequent allegation (28% of referrals), followed by child behavioral concerns (24%) and unmet material needs (23%). There was a high degree of comorbidity, with half of referrals including allegations in multiple categories. Yet, only 34% were found valid, indicating service intervention. Of all allegation types, child's behavioral health was most likely to appear alone, with 14% of referrals reporting a concern about the child's behavior with no co-occurring allegations. Findings suggest that there is no single driver of the high volume of CPS referrals. However, a focus on increasing access to effective mental health and substance use treatment for parents and adolescents may reduce reliance on CPS to address these crises.</p>","PeriodicalId":16907,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Public Child Welfare","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2024-11-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12338491/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144958482","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"According to their own accounts: former child welfare involved youth recalling their participation in child protective services interviews that occurred at school","authors":"Jeffrey McCabe, Hannah Hagan","doi":"10.1080/15548732.2024.2396094","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/15548732.2024.2396094","url":null,"abstract":"This qualitative study collected the first-known responses from former child welfare-involved youth detailing their experiences of participating in child welfare interviews at school. Ten participa...","PeriodicalId":16907,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Public Child Welfare","volume":"6 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2024-08-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142223433","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Lauren H. K. Stanley, Melissa Radey, Sophia Lutz, Dina J. Wilke
{"title":"CaseAIM: child welfare workers’ experiences using information and communication technology for case management services","authors":"Lauren H. K. Stanley, Melissa Radey, Sophia Lutz, Dina J. Wilke","doi":"10.1080/15548732.2024.2386268","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/15548732.2024.2386268","url":null,"abstract":"The use of information and communication technologies (ICT) to enhance child welfare services provides innovative tools and support for child welfare workers to manage caseloads effectively. This s...","PeriodicalId":16907,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Public Child Welfare","volume":"11 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2024-08-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141948237","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
L. Sanchis-Giménez, M. Viera-Abelleira, C. Pérez-Campos, V. Prado-Gascó, A. Tamarit
{"title":"How to protect those who protect: psychosocial risks in child welfare workers during the pandemic","authors":"L. Sanchis-Giménez, M. Viera-Abelleira, C. Pérez-Campos, V. Prado-Gascó, A. Tamarit","doi":"10.1080/15548732.2024.2373953","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/15548732.2024.2373953","url":null,"abstract":"Child welfare professionals face elevated psychosocial risks, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, yet they are often overlooked in specialized literature, especially for Spanish workers. Most ...","PeriodicalId":16907,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Public Child Welfare","volume":"48 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2024-07-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141612923","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Marlene Matarese, Elizabeth Greeno, Angela Weeks, Paige Hammond, Lyndsay K. Smith, Bianca D.M. Wilson
{"title":"The Cuyahoga youth count: one county’s prevalence of and experience data from LGBTQ+ youth in out-of-home placements","authors":"Marlene Matarese, Elizabeth Greeno, Angela Weeks, Paige Hammond, Lyndsay K. Smith, Bianca D.M. Wilson","doi":"10.1080/15548732.2024.2375309","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/15548732.2024.2375309","url":null,"abstract":"This study aimed to better understand the experiences of LGBTQ+ youth in foster care in the Midwest. Of the youth who participated in the study, 32.2% indicated they were LGBTQ+. LGBTQ+ youth were ...","PeriodicalId":16907,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Public Child Welfare","volume":"99 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2024-07-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141614892","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Integrating trauma-informed practices in child welfare: a process study of graduate education","authors":"Maria Lotty, Noreen Kearns, Margarita Frederico","doi":"10.1080/15548732.2024.2372725","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/15548732.2024.2372725","url":null,"abstract":"This study explored the experiences of child welfare professionals who participated in a graduate level Trauma-informed Care program in Ireland. Through three focus groups, thematic analysis reveal...","PeriodicalId":16907,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Public Child Welfare","volume":"26 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2024-06-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141885006","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Ryan Hanlon, Abigail Lindner, Katherine V. Garcia-Rosales
{"title":"Examining the impact of participation in a foster parent support program on child welfare outcomes in Georgia","authors":"Ryan Hanlon, Abigail Lindner, Katherine V. Garcia-Rosales","doi":"10.1080/15548732.2024.2372728","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/15548732.2024.2372728","url":null,"abstract":"This study compared the child welfare outcomes for families who participated in a private foster care support program, Promise686, compared to all other families in Georgia’s foster care system. Us...","PeriodicalId":16907,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Public Child Welfare","volume":"52 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2024-06-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141585153","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}