Persistent racial disproportionality in investigated and substantiated child maltreatment reports: Trend analysis before and during the COVID-19 pandemic (2019–2020)

ABSTRACT

Early studies revealed COVID-19ʹs outbreak led to a drastic decline in child maltreatment reports and investigations within child welfare services. However, limited research has documented whether these declines continued throughout the pandemic. Furthermore, our knowledge is limited around whether COVID-19 influenced existing racial disproportionalities given the shock to the child welfare system. This study addresses those gaps by drawing from county-level child welfare data from 2019 to 2020 to examine 1) changes in reporting sources before and during COVID-19, 2) trends in investigated and substantiated reports of child maltreatment, and 3) disproportionality between racial groups. We find a clear shift in reporting sources: while school was one major reporting system before COVID-19, most reports were received from medical personnel during early COVID-19. Additionally, while the monthly count of youth on investigated and substantiated reports plummeted in early COVID-19 (March–April 2020), they mostly returned to pre-pandemic level after May 2020, particularly for investigated reports. Despite these changes, we find little change in racial disproportionality: Black youth were overrepresented at both stages of investigation and substantiation regardless of COVID-19. This suggests disproportionality was consistent across reporting systems, and school-based reporting may not be the sole contributor to disproportionality more or less than other reporting sources.

KEYWORDS:

• The child welfare system
• COVID-19
• racial disproportionality

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Keunhye Park

Keunhye Park is an Assistant Professor at Michigan State University’s School of Social Work. Park’s research interests include child welfare services and policy, child welfare-juvenile justice interaction, educational experiences of marginalized youth, and the transition to adulthood among foster youth. Park’s work builds upon her field practice in public schools, juvenile detention centers, state departments of children and family services, and research institutes.

Bryan G. Victor

Bryan G. Victor is an Assistant Professor at the Wayne State University School of Social Work. Dr. Victor’s research examines child welfare policy and practice related to domestic violence and substance misuse. Victor specializes in the use of administrative records to better understand system dynamics and drive data-informed decision-making.

Brian E. Perron

Brian E. Perron is a Professor at the University of Michigan’s School of Social Work. Perron has published over 100 scientific papers that have utilized a broad range of statistical procedures using a variety of data sources. Perron also specializes in data visualization and has expertise creating interactive graphics and dynamic reports for non- technical users.

Joseph P. Ryan

Joseph P. Ryan is a Professor at the University of Michigan’s School of Social Work. He is particularly focused on helping State agencies use data and information to drive policy and practice. Ryan has extensive experience conducting applied research in social service settings, with numerous studies focusing on child maltreatment, parental substance abuse, childhood trauma and juvenile delinquency. Ryan serves on the editorial boards of numerous journals including Child Maltreatment, Child Welfare, Social Work Research, and Residential Treatment for Children and Youth.

Brianna Braun

Brianna Braun received a BASW degree from Michigan State University’s School of Social Work and an MPH candidate at Michigan State University’s Division of Public Health.