Characteristics of repeated referrals to child protective services in Washington state

This study replicates and extends prior research on the characteristics and correlates of child maltreatment recurrences based on an ecological model of child maltreatment. The use of a very large sample with a large number of risk factors avoids methodological shortcomings based on small samples size and sample selection bias. The risk and other characteristics of 12,329 referrals were studied to determine which factors related to recidivism within an 18-month period. Rereferral rates increase with the increasing number of prior referrals and of placements in foster care (followed by reunification), but there is little difference in rates of rereferral by substantiation. Several of the risk factors associated with an increased likelihood of rereferral, history of domestic violence, history of caregiver child abuse/neglect (CA/N) as a child, and substance abuse, are the risk factors least often assessed by socialworkers. Rates of rereferral vary by ethnicity, type of abuse, and population type (rural, urban).