1. Overview of California’s Child Welfare Indicator Data Barbara Needell, MSW, PhD Center for Social Services Research School of Social Welfare University of California, Berkeley The California Child Welfare Indicators Project (CCWIP) is a collaboration of the California Department of Social Services and the School of Social Welfare, University of California at Berkeley, and is supported by the California Department of Social Services and the Stuart Foundation

2. counterbalanced indicators of system performance permanency through reunification, adoption, or guardianship length of stay stability of care rate of allegations/ substantiated allegations home-based services vs. out of home care positive attachments to family, friends, and neighbors use of least restrictive form of care Source: Usher, C.L., Wildfire, J.B., Gogan, H.C. & Brown, E.L. (2002). Measuring Outcomes in Child Welfare. Chapel Hill: Jordan Institute for Families reentry to care Tracking Child Welfare Outcomes

13. Thinking about Prevention

14. Birth Record Linkages: Selected Findings 14% of children in birth cohort were reported to CPS by age 5 – lower bound estimate…could not match 16% of CPS records – 25% of these children were reported within the first 3 days of life – 35% of all reported children were reported as infants 11 of 12 variables were significantly associated with CPS contact – crude risk ratios >2 were observed for 7 variables Contact with CPS is hardly a rare event for certain groups – 30% of black children reported – 25% of children born to teen mothers

15. sex female male birth weight 2500g+ <2500g prenatal care 1 st trimester 2 nd trimester 3rd trimester no care birth abnormality present none maternal birth place US born non-US born race native american black Hispanic white asian/pacific islander maternal age <=19 20-24 25-29 30+ maternal education <high school high school some college college+ pregnancy termination hx prior termination none reported named father missing named father # of children in the family one two three+ birth payment method public/med-cal other Birth Record Variables

16. Assessing Risk at Birth? Full Birth CohortChildren Reported to CPS

17. Recognizing the Risk Associated with the Presence Of Multiple Risk Factors… High Risk on Every Modifiable Risk Factor: 89% probability of CPS report Low Risk on Every Modifiable Risk Factor: 3% probability of CPS report

18. Questions? Comments? Barbara Needell 510 290 6334 bneedell@berkeley.edu http://cssr.berkeley.edu/ucb_childwelfare