Differential Response in Child Protection Services: A Comparison of Implementation and Child Safety Outcomes

The primary mission of child protection services (CPS) agencies is to prevent the recurrence of child maltreatment by offering families services designed to prevent future maltreatment. This study focuses on how different methods of implementing differential response (DR) programs by CPS impact families' successful engagement in services as indicated by long-term child safety outcomes. Child safety is measured by re-reporting of the child to CPS.;This study employs a pre-post design to examine the re-reporting rates of children whose cases were assigned to the alternative/assessment response (AR) in three DR states compared to similar groups of children drawn from an earlier period in the DR state and from a matched non-DR state during the same pre-post periods. Re-reporting rates are also compared between children assigned to the AR and those assigned to the traditional/ investigation track (TR) within each of the thirteen states which had implemented DR statewide as of 2012. The analyses use propensity score matching and Cox proportional hazards regression.;Data for this observational study are drawn from the 2000-2012 data in the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System (NCANDS) child files. Data regarding implementation are gathered from a survey of DR administrators, and review of state policies and statutes. Data include information about track assignment as well as the length and nature of CPS involvement with families on the AR track.;The theoretical model underpinning the study is McCurdy and Daro's (2001:113) Integrated Theory of Participant Involvement (ITPI) which outlines a conceptual model of parental engagement in services.;This study found that implementation methods which resulted in a lower risk profile of cases on the AR track had a greater impact on child safety outcomes than methods hypothesized to increase engagement in services. States with the best child safety outcomes for children assigned to the AR vs. TR track were those assigning less than 33% of reports to the AR. The results suggest that policy makers should review the criteria and information used to make track assignments to ensure that only low risk cases are assigned to the AR.