This report is part of a series describing findings from the third cohort of the National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being (NSCAW III) baseline data collection. This report provides a summary of the characteristics of the index maltreatment report (e.g., the maltreatment report that brought the child and family into the sampling frame); a description of the reasons for child welfare system (CWS) involvement; caseworker perceived harm and risk to the child and the outcome of the investigation or assessment; and a description of child and caregiver experiences with the CWS.
Introduction to NSCAW III
NSCAW is a nationally representative, longitudinal survey of children and families who came in contact with the CWS. The goal of the study is to provide information on a range of fundamental questions about the outcomes of children involved with the CWS. The study also provides insight on the interplay between the characteristics of children and families, their experiences with the CWS, service needs and receipt, and well-being outcomes. Well-being outcomes include physical and mental health, child development, social functioning, academic achievement, and behavioral adjustment.
The study is sponsored by the Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation (OPRE), Administration for Children and Families (ACF), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). The study is led by RTI International. NSCAW III is currently authorized by Social Security Act § 429 [42 U.S.C. 628b]. The design of NSCAW III was guided by three priorities: (1) keeping NSCAW III as comparable to the two previous cohorts as possible, (2) minimizing response burden for all participants, and (3) updating the NSCAW III sample and instruments as needed to reflect the composition of children being served in the CWS.
NSCAW III includes 3,298 children ranging in age from 0 to 17.5 years at the time of sampling in 61 counties and 17 states. There were two data collection waves (i.e., baseline and followup). As with NSCAW II, baseline NSCAW III survey data will be merged with National Child Abuse and Neglect System (NCANDS) and Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS) data.
Primary Research Questions of Interest
The following NSCAW III research questions are relevant for this report:
- What are the characteristics of children and families in contact with the CWS beginning in 2017?
- To what extent are children entering the CWS via pathways other than a maltreatment investigation or assessment? What are their characteristics?
- What are the main reasons for child welfare involvement?
- What services needs were identified by caseworkers, and of those, which services were received by children and their caregivers?
- What levels of contact and satisfaction with caseworkers were reported by children and their caregivers?
- What were the children’s experiences of placement changes reported by caseworkers?
Purpose
The purpose of this report is to describe the characteristics of the maltreatment report that brought the child and family into the sampling frame, reasons for CWS involvement, caseworker perceived harm and risk to the child and the outcome of the investigation or assessment, and child and caregiver experiences with the CWS.