Children’s exposure to intimate partner violence as a form of child maltreatment in Canada: Analysis of the Canadian incidence study of reported child abuse and neglect (CIS)

Introduction

Countries around the world have established child welfare systems to protect children from child maltreatment, prevent future maltreatment, and promote optimal child well-being. A better understanding of children’s child welfare involvement can aid in decision-making around policy directives, allocation of resources, and practice guidelines. In Canada, the Canadian Incidence Study of Reported Child Abuse and Neglect (CIS) is the only source of nationally aggregated data about investigations conducted by child welfare organizations. Methods: We analyze the increase in child welfare investigations in Canada from 2008 to 2019 using data from the CIS-2008 and CIS-2019. Results: The rate of investigations in Canada for children’s exposure to IPV has increased from 6.84 per 1,000 children in 2008 to 9.50 in 2019. The rate of substantiation for children’s exposure to IPV has also increased between 2008 and 2019, from 4.86 per 1,000 to 6.51 per 1,000 children in Canada. When controlling for clinical characteristics of the child, primary caregiver, and household, investigations focused on exposure to IPV were nearly six times as likely to be substantiated compared to all other investigations (Odds Ratio [OR] = 5.789, 95 % CI [5.429, 6.590]). Conclusions: The more we widen the reasons for child welfare investigations, the more we investigate families experiencing other hardships that are not maltreatment, and likely better served by other sectors. The response going forward must be balanced with the tragic outcomes in cases of IPV, and the majority of cases seen by child welfare where there is no harm and the investigation is closed with no further child welfare services offered.