The use of risk assessment instruments in child protective services case planning and closures

This exploratory study examined variables expected to predict which caretakers are most likely to reabuse children under child protective services (CPS) supervision. Caretaker variables related to poverty, mental health problems, history as a victim of abuse, substance abuse, and prior CPS reports were evaluated to determine their effectiveness in predicting which children remain at risk of maltreatment. Method: Using a pretested instrument, data were collected from case records of 447 randomly selected children supervised by CPS while residing with parents or relatives for a minimum of six months. These children, in contrast to those in foster family care, were selected because of their more likely exposure to initial abusers. Results: This study offered little support for using variables employed by risk assessment instruments to predict which caretakers were most likely to reabuse because reabusers and non-reabusers shared many features. Importantly, findings in this study indicate that children residing in kinship care are not at significant risk for future maltreatment.