Barriers in Access to Child Maltreatment Prevention Programs for Families Involved With Child Protective Services

Abstract

Child maltreatment prevention programs are an important resource for all families, including those who have been in contact with child protective services (CPS). Using qualitative secondary data analysis from interviews with 13 CPS workers and supervisors in four Wisconsin counties, this study investigates the extent to which CPS workers make referrals to maltreatment prevention programs and explore barriers to making such referrals. The CPS workers who were interviewed had expressed concern about the stigma attached to their clients when seeking out prevention resources. Understanding the barriers in receiving services from such programs is essential for understanding the full context for families in divorce and child custody disputes, as parents’ success in completing prevention services may be hindered, in part, by the barriers to service accessibility.

KEYWORDS:

• court-ordered services
• child welfare
• qualitative secondary data analysis
• knowledge transfer
• referrals

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Thank you to Kaela Byers, Kansas State University, for excellent advice and support.