Responding holistically: Does total U.S. state safety net support generosity prevent child maltreatment?

Area of Science:

• Social Sciences
• Public Policy
• Child Welfare

Background:

• Economic support policies may reduce child maltreatment and child protective services (CPS) involvement.
• Limited research has holistically examined multiple programs or accounted for state-level differences in policy generosity and inclusivity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the association between total state safety net support and CPS investigation rates.
• To analyze nine major safety net policies considering their generosity and inclusion across states and time.

Main Methods:

• Utilized administrative data from the 2004-2019 National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System child file.
• Linked CPS data with state-year data on safety net program inclusivity and generosity.
• Constructed a 'total expected state safety net support' measure and employed two-way state and year fixed-effects models.

Main Results:

• A $1000 annual increase in total expected state safety net support was associated with a 4% decline in state-year CPS investigations for all ages and under 5s.
• Similar associations were observed for neglect and physical abuse investigations.
• Estimates were comparable across racial-ethnic groups, with slightly larger effects for Black non-Hispanic children under five.

Conclusions:

• Holistic measurement of state safety net support, including generosity and inclusivity of multiple programs, is crucial for understanding its impact on CPS involvement.
• Findings highlight the importance of comprehensive safety net policies for child welfare.
• Policy implications for enhancing child protective services are discussed.