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

Similar to the patterns for the more stringent Harm Standard, findings fromthe CPS Screening Policies Study reveal the potential for major increases in thepercentages of investigated children, if all were reported to CPS and CPS agenciesconsistently apply the screening criteria they identified in the SPS interviews. Among allchildren maltreated under the Endangerment Standard, the main NIS found that 43%percent actually received CPS investigation (§8.1.2). After applying the agencies’screening criteria, however, the SPS found that an additional 37% probably would havereceived CPS investigation if they had been reported, resulting in a presumptiveinvestigation rate of 80%.Among those children with Endangerment Standard abuse, CPS actuallyinvestigated 49%, but probably would have investigated an additional 38%, which sumsto a presumptive investigation rate of 87%. More specifically, CPS probably would haveinvestigated an additional 36% of both physically abused and sexually abused children,which yields presumptive investigation rates for these categories of 88% and 92%,respectively. Among emotionally abused children, the inferred percentage is somewhathigher, but when this is combined with the observed investigation rate which was thelowest among categories of abuse, the resulting presumptive investigation rate is thelowest across the specific abuse categories. Nevertheless, it is still notably high,including the large majority (82%) of the children with Endangerment Standardemotional abuse.Table 8–2 also shows that reports to CPS probably would have resulted inCPS investigations for large percentages of children classified as neglected under theEndangerment Standard. While 41% of all neglected children actually received CPSinvestigation, CPS probably would have investigated an almost equivalent number, anadditional 39%, if anyone had reported them. CPS probably would have investigated anadditional 41% of children with Endangerment Standard physical neglect and anadditional 37% of those with emotional neglect, resulting in presumptive investigationrates in these categories of 82% and 87%, respectively. For the educationally neglectedchildren, as given earlier in Table 8–1, CPS would have investigated 54% more children,yielding a presumptive investigation rate of 63%, according to the SPS findings.8–33