Police as Child Protective Service Investigators: An Evaluation of the Transfer of Responsibility for Child Maltreatment Investigations in Four Counties in Florida (Video)

• NCJ Number: 189634
• Author(s): Richard J. Gelles; Burton J. Cohen; Susan C. Kinnevy
• Date Published: 2001
• Length: 0 pages
• Grant Number(s): 2000-IJ-CX-0002
• Sponsoring Agency: National Institute of Justice (NIJ)
• Sale Source: US Dept of Justice
• Publication Series: NIJ Research in Progress Seminars
• Publication Format: Film
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research); Program/Project Evaluation
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: VHS color video, 1 hour.

Annotation

This video presents the verbal report by researchers on the progress of a process and outcome evaluation of an experimental effort in four Florida counties to involve police and child protective service workers in the cooperative investigation of reports of child maltreatment.

Abstract

Traditionally, allegations of child abuse have been reported to and investigated by child protection agencies, with relatively infrequent involvement of police except when requested by a child protection agency. This structure for investigating reports of child maltreatment has been based in the belief that the handling of such cases requires a special expertise uncharacteristic of police and a sensitivity to the best interests of the child that requires resources and training characteristic of child protection agencies and their social worker employees. Because of significant cases of laxity in child maltreatment investigations by child protection agencies in Florida, an experimental strategy was implemented in four Florida counties. The project involved the establishment of investigative teams composed of a police officer and a child-protection-agency social worker. The format for the cooperation is to have a police officer and social worker meet at a neutral location upon receiving a report of alleged child maltreatment through a centralized hotline. After discussing the investigative strategy based on available information, the team then proceeds to the home of the alleged abuse, where it meets with the parties and then determines the best course of action. From this point, the police are involved only to the extent that police resources and intervention are deemed by the team to be required. Data for the evaluation were obtained over the course of 5 years (1995-2000) and involved site visits, ride-alongs, interviews with stakeholders, analysis of case material, and focus groups. The targets of the evaluation have been on case dispositions, the impact on foster care placements, the percentage of verified cases, and arrests. Data from the four experimental counties are being compared with matching control counties. Thus far, the data do not show any consistent differences between experimental and control counties, and the experimental counties differ among themselves. Interviews with team members suggest that cooperation has been positive, as police focus on the best interests of children and families, and social workers have gained confidence by having the professional presence and assistance of police officers. Questions from the audience follow the researchers' presentations of their methodology and findings.