Issues in Risk Assessment in Child Protective Services

Abstract

ABSTRACT Child welfare organizations throughout North America have expended millions of dollars to develop, implement, and institutionalize formal risk assessment models to improve decision making for maltreated children and their families. This article summarizes findings of the risk assessment literature and concludes that many risk assessment protocols currently in use may not improve either the consistency or the accuracy of protective service decisions for maltreated children. The article recommends strategies to improve decisions that promote child safety by utilizing a continuum of empirically supported decision making tools, each designed for a specific purpose during the life of the case.