Applications of the Child Abuse Potential Inventory

Five hundred and fifty administrators, direct services providers, and researchers were surveyed to determine the extent of knowledge of uses/misuses of a physical child abuse screening instrument, the Child Abuse Potential Inventory. Overall, parent screening and treatment evaluation applications were mentioned most frequently. These applications are congruent with the stated purpose and recommended use of the Child Abuse Potential Inventory. Application differences were found between researchers and non-researchers. A number of test applications not warranted by existing validity data also were found. The number and frequency of test misapplications support the view that additional professional training in the use of child maltreatment screening instruments is needed.