Fourth National Incidence Study of Child Abuse and Neglect (NIS–4)

As reported at the outset of this chapter (§8.1), 32% of children whoexperienced Harm Standard maltreatment received CPS investigation. According to theCPS Screening Policies Study findings, CPS probably would have investigated anadditional 49% of these children, if it had received a report describing their maltreatment.Taking these groups together (children investigated by CPS and children whom one caninfer CPS probably would have investigated (based on the operative screening standards),the presumptive investigation rate is 81% of children with Harm Standard maltreatment.Table 8–1 also shows that, while CPS investigated 50% of the children whoexperienced any category of Harm Standard abuse, an additional 39% probably wouldhave been investigated if reported to CPS, for a presumptive investigation rate of 89%.Similarly, the presumptive investigation rates are 90% and 92% for the physically andsexually abused children, respectively. Interestingly, only 36% of children with HarmStandard emotional abuse received CPS investigation. However, CPS probably wouldhave investigated an additional 48% of children in this category, based on CPS screeningstandards, which results in a presumptive investigation rate of 84%.Among children with Harm Standard neglect, only 20% received CPSinvestigation. However, based on what CPS screening supervisors said their agencywould do in the SPS interviews, CPS probably would have investigated an additional55% of the neglected children, increasing the presumptive investigation rate for theneglected children to 75%. The presumptive rates are 85% and 89% for physical neglectand emotional neglect, respectively. Although the presumed gain in percentages ofinvestigated neglected children is high across all three neglect categories, it is moststriking for children who were educationally neglected.CPS investigated only 9% of the educationally neglected children, but anadditional 54% probably would have received CPS investigation if someone had reportedthem to the CPS agency with jurisdiction for their cases. This dramatic differencewarrants further explanation. As described earlier, some children are maltreated inmultiple ways and all are included in every maltreatment category that applies to them.As a result, CPS may have investigated an educationally neglected child because thechild also experienced another category of maltreatment. The same dynamic applies tothe inference that CPS would have investigated a maltreated child. The SPS codersseparately assessed how the CPS screening criteria would apply to each category ofmaltreatment the child experienced. However, the final classification is at the child level,8–29