Developmental needs and individualized family service plans among infants and toddlers in the child welfare system

Area of Science:

• Child Development
• Social Work
• Public Health

Background:

• Young children investigated by child protective services often exhibit developmental needs.
• Early intervention services are crucial for addressing developmental delays in at-risk populations.
• Understanding service utilization patterns is vital for improving child welfare outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine developmental needs in young children investigated by child protective services.
• To estimate the use of early intervention services, specifically Individualized Family Service Plans (IFSPs).
• To analyze variations in need and service use based on maltreatment substantiation status over 5-6 years.

Main Methods:

• Utilized data from the National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being (NSCAW).
• Included a sample of 1,845 children aged 0-36 months at baseline.
• Employed logistic regression with covariate adjustment to assess IFSP association with substantiation status.

Main Results:

• A high prevalence of developmental problems was observed in both substantiated and unsubstantiated maltreatment cases.
• Only a small proportion of children with identified developmental needs had an IFSP.
• Substantiation status and child welfare system involvement significantly predicted IFSP receipt.

Conclusions:

• Children investigated by child protective services, regardless of substantiation, frequently have developmental needs.
• Current early intervention service (IFSP) utilization is low among these vulnerable children.
• Child welfare system involvement and substantiation status are key factors influencing access to early intervention services.