Substantiated and Unsubstantiated Cases:
Patterns and Predictors of Recurrence

Principal Investigator: Brett Drake, PhD
Funder: National Center on Child Abuse and Neglect, Administration for Children & Families within DHHS 90CA159103
Timeframe: Funded 09/97-06/01
Affiliation: Center for Mental Health Services Research (CMHSR)
Project Staff:  Melissa Jonson-Reid, PhD, Co-Principal Investigator
                        Lu Hun, Data Programmer
Participating Organizations: not described on this page
Project Contact:  Brett Drake, PhD
                            Office Phone: (314) 935-4880
                            E-mail: brettd@gwbmail.wustl.edu

Project Update as of 02/19/2007:
Stage: Project completed
Baseline Findings:

• Developed a series of cooperative research projects with the Missouri Division of Family Services using their Child Abuse and Neglect databases.

Conference Presentations: not described on this page
Forthcoming, In Press, or Published Papers:

Way, I., Chung, S., Jonson-Reid, M. & Drake, B. (2001).  Maltreatment perpetrators: A three-year analysis of recidivism. Child Abuse and Neglect, 25, 1093-1108.

Drake, B. &  Jonson-Reid, M. (2000).  Substantiation, risk assessment and involuntary versus voluntary services. Child Maltreatment, 5(3), 227-235.

Drake, B. & Jonson-Reid, M.  (2000). Substantiation and Early Decision Points in Public Child Welfare:  A Conceptual Reconsideration.  Child Maltreatment. 5(3), 227-235.

Reports: not described on this page
Key Findings: not described on this page
Practice or Policy Implications: not described on this page

Description:
    Little is known about the relationship of substantiation status and mental health service use to future recurrence of child maltreatment.  Child welfare services are not provided in cases that fail to meet substantiation guidelines.  This is a serious problem, because without such knowledge it is difficult to formulate rational policies for child maltreatment, reporting, investigation and service delivery. This project used a longitudinal research design to following children with unsubstantiated and substantiated reports of child maltreatment in Missouri and then compared these two groups as to their likelihood for incurring subsequent reports of child maltreatment, child placement in Alternative Care and child fatality. The studies objective were to (1) determine the degree to which substantiated and unsubstantiated cases are at differential risk of future child maltreatment; (2) better understand the association between Medicaid mental health service use and recurrence; and (3) better understand specific predictors of recurrence among both substantiated and unsubstantiated cases.