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

findings, this information can reveal whether differences in localCPS agency structure and practice relate to local differences inCPS investigation coverage of maltreated children.♦♦The CPS Screening Policies Study (SPS) involves in-depthinterviews with intake supervisors at all CPS agencies thatparticipated in the NIS–3. This study examines their criteria forscreening in reports of child abuse and neglect for CPSinvestigation. The goal, in relation to the main NIS findings, is todetermine whether CPS screening criteria would have screened outthe reports on the maltreated children who did not receive CPSinvestigation in the main NIS.The Sentinel Definitions Survey (SDS) is a questionnaire mailed toNIS–4 sentinels after the conclusion of the main study. The initialsection asks about their training on mandated reporting, theiragency’s policies on individual reporting, and their personalexperiences in reporting to CPS. The remainder of thequestionnaire presents vignettes that represent the NIS typologyand asks whether respondents think the situation is maltreatment,whether they would report the case to CPS, and whether theywould submit it to a national study on child abuse and neglect.The purpose is to identify barriers to CPS reporting; to understandwhich maltreatment categories are less likely to be reported to CPSor submitted to the study, and to provide a baseline of sentinels’definitions of maltreatment at the time of the NIS–4.1.3Focus of this ReportThis final report is a self-contained document, in that it is not necessary torefer to any other reports or materials to understand the design, methods, and findings ofthe main NIS–4. Interested readers can find details in three technical reports:• The Design and Methods Summary (Appendix A) presents the studydesign and the special NIS–4 enhancements; gives details about themain study sample, recruitment, data collection, unduplication,evaluative coding, and weighting. It also summarizes themethodologies of three NIS–4 supplementary studies that helped inunderstanding important aspects of the main study findings, assubsequent chapters will explain.1–4