9.5: Child Protective Services
- Page ID
- 216724
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\(\newcommand{\avec}{\mathbf a}\) \(\newcommand{\bvec}{\mathbf b}\) \(\newcommand{\cvec}{\mathbf c}\) \(\newcommand{\dvec}{\mathbf d}\) \(\newcommand{\dtil}{\widetilde{\mathbf d}}\) \(\newcommand{\evec}{\mathbf e}\) \(\newcommand{\fvec}{\mathbf f}\) \(\newcommand{\nvec}{\mathbf n}\) \(\newcommand{\pvec}{\mathbf p}\) \(\newcommand{\qvec}{\mathbf q}\) \(\newcommand{\svec}{\mathbf s}\) \(\newcommand{\tvec}{\mathbf t}\) \(\newcommand{\uvec}{\mathbf u}\) \(\newcommand{\vvec}{\mathbf v}\) \(\newcommand{\wvec}{\mathbf w}\) \(\newcommand{\xvec}{\mathbf x}\) \(\newcommand{\yvec}{\mathbf y}\) \(\newcommand{\zvec}{\mathbf z}\) \(\newcommand{\rvec}{\mathbf r}\) \(\newcommand{\mvec}{\mathbf m}\) \(\newcommand{\zerovec}{\mathbf 0}\) \(\newcommand{\onevec}{\mathbf 1}\) \(\newcommand{\real}{\mathbb R}\) \(\newcommand{\twovec}[2]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\ctwovec}[2]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\threevec}[3]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cthreevec}[3]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\fourvec}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cfourvec}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\fivevec}[5]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \\ #5 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cfivevec}[5]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \\ #5 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\mattwo}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{rr}#1 \amp #2 \\ #3 \amp #4 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\laspan}[1]{\text{Span}\{#1\}}\) \(\newcommand{\bcal}{\cal B}\) \(\newcommand{\ccal}{\cal C}\) \(\newcommand{\scal}{\cal S}\) \(\newcommand{\wcal}{\cal W}\) \(\newcommand{\ecal}{\cal E}\) \(\newcommand{\coords}[2]{\left\{#1\right\}_{#2}}\) \(\newcommand{\gray}[1]{\color{gray}{#1}}\) \(\newcommand{\lgray}[1]{\color{lightgray}{#1}}\) \(\newcommand{\rank}{\operatorname{rank}}\) \(\newcommand{\row}{\text{Row}}\) \(\newcommand{\col}{\text{Col}}\) \(\renewcommand{\row}{\text{Row}}\) \(\newcommand{\nul}{\text{Nul}}\) \(\newcommand{\var}{\text{Var}}\) \(\newcommand{\corr}{\text{corr}}\) \(\newcommand{\len}[1]{\left|#1\right|}\) \(\newcommand{\bbar}{\overline{\bvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\bhat}{\widehat{\bvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\bperp}{\bvec^\perp}\) \(\newcommand{\xhat}{\widehat{\xvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\vhat}{\widehat{\vvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\uhat}{\widehat{\uvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\what}{\widehat{\wvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\Sighat}{\widehat{\Sigma}}\) \(\newcommand{\lt}{<}\) \(\newcommand{\gt}{>}\) \(\newcommand{\amp}{&}\) \(\definecolor{fillinmathshade}{gray}{0.9}\)Child Protective Services
The job of a Child Protective Services (CPS) Caseworker is varied and demanding, both physically and emotionally. A great deal is entailed in this important profession. These men and women are tasked with ensuring the safety of children in our country. They conduct investigations, visit families, interview children and adults and help families find the services that they need to be able to better raise their children. Sometimes, these workers are able to help families locate food, shelter, clothing, childcare, transportation, counseling and jobs. Sometimes, these workers must make the difficult decisions to remove the children from the home for their own safety. Often, these professional social workers struggle with the decisions they make, hoping that it was the right decision. Child Protective Services workers are typically overworked and underpaid. Their caseloads have increased in recent years, partly due to an increase in calls related to the opioid epidemic. They must decide which calls are credible and warrant an investigation. Nationwide, approximately half of all reports are investigated.
Investigations may include interviewing the child(ren) at school or childcare, before the parent knows there is an investigation. The investigators may have a medical professional examine the child for physical injuries or neglect, and a child counselor examine the child for trauma or mental illness. The investigator will likely visit with neighbors, teachers or other adults who may have observed the environment in which the child lives, or may have witnessed or heard how the parents treat and care for the child. The investigator will also interview the parents, inspect the living environment and ensure that the child is safe. Once the investigator makes a determination, they will work with the family to help provide whatever services may be beneficial. The CPS investigator will also document their interviews and findings, and file reports to the CPS system. If the children are placed in protective care outside of their parent’s home, the CPS worker becomes even more involved; they work with foster families, schools, CASAs and the court to ensure that the children receive whatever care and services that they need. At the same time that the worker is looking out for the best interest of the child, they are also providing services to the parents which will enable the children to return home.
CPS workers prepare reports for the court, documenting everything for a judge to review and rule on. They will often be called to provide testimony in court. When a child is removed from the custody of his/her parents, the child becomes a ward of the state. A judge then makes all decisions about what happens in that child’s life; day-to-day decisions are made by the CPS Social Worker. All of this takes a great deal of time and energy for each child; caseworkers typically have several dozen children on their caseloads at any given time. This is a demanding job that doesn’t pay a lot of money; the turnover rate of CPS caseworkers is very high.
Recent data from the U.S. government seems to indicate that incidents of child abuse lessened from 2021 to 2022. Several key indicators appear to show a slight downward trend in abuse and neglect over the previous year.
Data from the US government’s National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System (NCANDS) and Health and Human Services (HHS) lag by two years.
In 2024, we can examine 2022 data, which shows that 3,096,101 million cases of child abuse or neglect were investigated, a decrease from the previous year’s 3,016,000 million.
Investigations resulting in a finding of abuse also decreased from 588,229 in 2021 to 558,899 in 2022.
- Investigations revealed:
- 74.3% were victims of neglect
- 17% were physically abused
- 10.6% were sexually abused
- 6.8% were psychologically mistreated
Child abuse fatalities increased from 2021 to 2022. An estimated 1,990 children died from abuse or neglect in 2022, a devastating increase from the 1,820 that died in 2021.