Predicting the abusive parent's response to intervention

Data from Child Protective Services case files was used to establish a Responsiveness Index, measuring the extent to which, in the worker's opinion, an abusive individual had responded positively to various common interventions. Factors likely to predict parental responsiveness then were tested. Variables with predictive significance were: the number of abused children in the family, the number of birth and bonding problems, and the number of previous contacts with other service agencies by various family members. Other variables which are ordinarily assumed to forecast a favorable outcome did not approach significance.