Abstract
Research on secondary prevention is mixed as to whether referrals to evidence-based practices and other community interventions reduce maltreatment recidivism. This evaluation sought to rigorously assess whether a community service–linkage model to evidence-based programs decreased subsequent reports of abuse and neglect among families reported to the child protection system (CPS). Between 2016 and 2018, administrative CPS records were used to identify families with at least one child under 5 years of age recently reported for maltreatment in Orange County, California, but where no follow-up services were mandated. Families were randomized to one of two community outreach and engagement conditions (i.e., targeted provider outreach vs. treatment-as-usual). Re-reporting outcomes were tracked in administrative records for a period of 12 months. A total of 4873 families met eligibility criteria, with 2231 (45.0%) randomized to the intervention arm and 2642 (54.0%) families to the control group. Among families in the intervention group, 811 (36.4%) were successfully contacted by a community provider. Of those families contacted, 145 (18.0%) agreed to participate in voluntary services. Overall, we did not detect any significant difference in re-reporting between our treatment and control groups (P = .433). Likewise, no significant differences in re-reporting were observed when we stratified the treatment group by levels of outreach and service engagement. Findings indicate low levels of successful engagement of families in voluntary services. Notwithstanding the absence of significant findings, this study demonstrates the potential for using community-based RCTs and administrative records to rigorously evaluate secondary prevention programs in the child protection system.
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Acknowledgements
We would like to acknowledge the First 5 Orange County Commission for Children and Families and the Orange County Social Services Administration for their incredible partnership throughout this multi-year evaluation effort. We are indebted to the community agency partners in the Neighborhood Resource Network for their dedication to serving children and families — and their commitment to rigorously assessing new approaches to outreach and engagement. This evaluation would not have been possible without critical data infrastructure support funding provided by First 5 LA, the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, and the Heising-Simons Foundation. We are also appreciative of the guidance and technical assistance provided by Michael Mitchell, PhD, who advised the research team on the analysis.
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Funding to support this research was provided through a grant from the Laura and John Arnold Foundation.
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The current study was performed in accordance with the ethical standards as laid down in the 1964 Declaration of Helsinki and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. Study procedures were approved by the University of Southern California’s Institutional Review Board and the County of Orange Health Care Agency’s Human Subjects Review Committee.
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A waiver of informed consent was obtained so that the research team could use administrative records to identify re-reporting outcomes among families contacted through the NRN program and those in the control condition.
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Putnam-Hornstein, E., Prindle, J. & Hammond, I. Engaging Families in Voluntary Prevention Services to Reduce Future Child Abuse and Neglect: a Randomized Controlled Trial. Prev Sci 22, 856–865 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11121-021-01285-w
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11121-021-01285-w