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Abstract
Differential response is increasingly used by Child Protective Services (CPS) to assign lower risk cases of alleged child maltreatment to alternative response (AR). In contrast to traditional child welfare investigations, AR focuses not on a determination of maltreatment but on family engagement, voluntary services, and maltreatment prevention. AR may help ameliorate racial disproportionality in CPS outcomes through its focus on upstream risk factors, but this has not been directly studied. This study examined the risk of re-reporting to CPS after an initial AR response in the first full year of statewide AR use in Washington State. It additionally explored whether the risk of a re-report differed by child race and ethnicity. Race and ethnicity were operationalized using two different schemes, and we compared results between the two schemes. Re-reporting within one year was the outcome of interest. Data from the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System were analyzed for all children initially reported to AR in Washington in 2018 (n = 27,906). Negative binomial regression analyses assessed differences in the risk of re-reporting by race and ethnicity. Re-reporting was common after an initial AR response, affecting nearly one in four children. Non-Hispanic Black children were at 12% greater risk of a re-report compared to non-Hispanic White children. Indigenous, Hispanic, and Asian/Pacific Islander children were at a lower risk of a re-report than non-Hispanic White children. These findings indicate persistent racial differences in outcomes following an AR response, potentially reflecting effects of systemic racism. Implications for future research and the operationalization of race and ethnicity are discussed.
