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More than Snuggles: The Effect of Paid Family Leave on Infant Maltreatment

Lindsey Rose Bullinger1, Kerri M Raissian2, Bart Klika3

  • 1School of Public Policy, Georgia Tech, Atlanta, GA, USA.

Child Maltreatment
|February 9, 2025
PubMed

Insights

Paid family leave (PFL) programs reduce infant maltreatment reports by 14% and child removals by 46%. These findings highlight PFL

Area of Science:

  • Public Health
  • Social Policy
  • Child Welfare

Background:

  • Child maltreatment poses significant risks, especially for infants under one.
  • Infant maltreatment has severe economic, health, and human capital consequences.
  • Paid family leave (PFL) is linked to improved infant well-being and reduced risk factors for maltreatment.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the impact of state-level paid family leave (PFL) programs on infant maltreatment.
  • To quantify the effect of PFL on child abuse and neglect reports and removals.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized administrative data on child maltreatment reports to Child Protective Services (CPS).
  • Compared maltreatment reports for infants under age 1 in PFL states versus non-PFL states.
  • Analyzed data from before and after PFL implementation in relevant states.

Main Results:

  • Paid family leave (PFL) was associated with a 14% reduction in infant maltreatment reports.
  • PFL led to a 46% decrease in infant removals from homes.
  • Substantiated maltreatment reports decreased by approximately 22% in PFL states.

Conclusions:

  • State-level paid family leave (PFL) programs demonstrate a significant positive impact on reducing infant maltreatment.
  • PFL programs show considerable "spillover" effects benefiting the child welfare system.
  • Policy implications suggest PFL as a valuable tool for child abuse prevention and infant safety.

Keywords:
child abuse and neglectchild well-beingpaid family leave

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