Investigations and Outcomes
Although CPS has a common end goal of keeping families together as much as possible, the investigative process can take several paths. A variety of factors go into the determination of what should happen during an investigation. According to Child Welfare Information Gateway, the following things occur during an investigation for child abuse:
• A check of agency records to determine any prior involvement of the family with CPS
• A visit to the child’s home • An interview or observation of the child victim, other children in the home, the child’s parents, caregivers, or others living in the child’s home
• Risk and safety assessments and an evaluation of the home environment • Checks of criminal records and central registry records for adults in the home • Medical and mental health evaluations
The first question for an investigation is whether the child is in immediate and direct harm and in need of removal. The investigator may also determine if there are other immediate remedies for the situation. Let’s consider an example of a child reported to be underfed. There might be a number of reasons why that is so, and it is the task of the investigator to evaluate the situation. For example, if the parents do not have enough money for food, then a CPS social worker can help them get food assistance, help them submit free or reduced-price lunch forms if the child is in school, or provide them access to food pantries to alleviate the problem. In this example, the investigator determined that neglect was taking place, but the reason for the neglect was remedied and the case could be closed.
However, if there is a suspicion that the parents are punishing the child by denying him food, a more in-depth investigation would be warranted. If abuse is found, families will be assigned a case manager and other team members to address the problems that are leading to the abuse because abuse is a symptom of other underlying issues that need to be addressed in order to create a safe home. This can include getting social and financial services to help parents reduce economic stress, especially if they are poor. Parenting and anger management classes or substance abuse treatment may be options, or the family might get mental healthcare, including therapy and medication, if that is needed. Parents can get help applying for daycare vouchers to help with childcare. If the housing is unsafe, team members can also help the family find adequate housing. A caseworker will be assigned to the family to check in regularly on the family’s progress. This type of monitoring can last for years, depending on the child’s situation and outcomes.
If harm is being done and the abuse cannot be immediately mitigated, then the child may need to be removed from the home. Because removal of a child from the home is something to avoid if possible, the conditions must be considered severe. If removed, CPS tries to put the child with a relative or other family member, and unless there are extenuating circumstances, it’s only for 72 hours. In rare cases, the rights of the parent might be terminated, and the child removed from the home permanently. This can be the case if there is severe, significant, and long-term abuse.
The system is far from perfect, and some cases escape detection until it is too late. According to the Children’s Bureau, around 30 percent of children who died in 2016 had prior contact with CPS within the three years prior to their death.
Like many social services, CPS often has a high caseload. Working for CPS is a stressful job, with starting salaries between $35,000 and $50,000 annually (Calder, 2016). Many CPS agencies have high turnover rates, both because of more fruitful opportunities in less stressful positions in other agencies, as well as because of burnout (Salloum, Kondrat, Johnco, & Olson, 2015). The turnover in personnel can cause gaps in case management, which is problematic for people of any age,but especially for children and their families who need protection and services in order to create a safe home (Jonson-Reid et al., 2015).