Implications
Each of the potential causes of the child sexual abuse decline has important policy implications. If substantiated cases of child sexual abuse are declining because fewer children are being sexually abused, this would be a major endorsement for the decade-long mobilization of public policy in this area. It would provide encouragement for those working in the field and counter criticisms that characterize child sexual abuse prevention initiatives as naive and futile (Berrick and Gilbert, 1991; Melton, 1992). It would prompt careful attention to identifying which kinds of cases were most readily being prevented and which kinds had been most intractable.If, by contrast, substantiated cases of child sexual abuse are declining because of changes in reporting or investigation standards, the implications for policy would depend on the source of the change and the reason for its impact on the trend. It could be that reporters of alleged child sexual abuse cases are being more judicious and accurate about what they report or that investigators are more judicious and accurate in what they substantiate. Such a finding would support the effectiveness of training and education programs directed at mandated reporters and CPS investigators. However, it could also be that intimidation, negative attitudes about CPS, or increasingly stringent screening and investigation procedures are preventing more sexually abused children from receiving intervention and assistance. This would be a problematic development and would require immediate policy intervention.
Ultimately, if intimidation is a factor in the decline, policy interventions, such as proposals to revise laws governing the liability of reporters, may be required. This scenario might also necessitate increasing and improving the training of professionals in identifying child sexual abuse so that, when confronted by a case, they feel more confident in their decision to report. If the decline is due in part to changes in investigative standards, it would be important to identify whether such changes were the result of policy decisions or whether they simply reflected idiosyncratic changes in the attitudes of investigative staff. If there have been changes in investigative policies that reduce the number of children identified as victims, it would be important to identify the basis for the changes. For example, it would be useful to know whether such changes had been rooted in research and general professional practice or had been more reactive and politically based.
It is possible that CPS is redefining its role in such a way that other agencies (such as police and mental health) are taking responsibility for cases that previously fell under the jurisdiction of CPS. If this is the case, it would be important to identify which cases are no longer being investigated or substantiated by CPS and to learn what is happening to the children involved in those cases. Are nonfamilial cases of child sexual abuse or less serious cases of child sexual abuse being more appropriately referred? Or are more cases falling through the cracks? Research will be necessary to provide clear answers to these questions.
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Using Child Protective Services Administrative Data To Examine Maltreatment Trends
The trends in reported and substantiated cases of child sexual abuse described in this Bulletin are based on data from child protective services (CPS) agencies. These government agencies are set up in each State to provide services to victims of child maltreatment. CPS agencies are typically in charge of investigating reports of maltreatment (see page 7 for definitions of CPS terminology). All States have laws that require different classes of professionals to report any suspicion of child maltreatment. Reports by these professionals or by other community members come to the agencies’ attention locally or through a centralized State intake process. CPS agencies investigate those reports that seem valid and fall within their jurisdiction, evaluate the level of evidence that maltreatment has occurred, and decide whether or not to substantiate the reports. If a case is substantiated, the CPS agency manages the case by providing services, arranging foster care, overseeing reunification efforts, and, ultimately, helping to decide whether parental rights should be terminated. CPS agencies record, with varying degrees of detail, the number of reports of child maltreatment that come through their offices each year, information about the allegations, the number of cases that are substantiated, and summaries of services provided to children. Data stored in the CPS administrative system represent only those cases of maltreatment that come to CPS attention. Many cases of child maltreatment never come to official attention at all. Furthermore, most States limit the role of CPS agencies to cases of maltreatment by caretakers. This would include investigating reports of abuse by parents and guardians, babysitters, teachers, and other individuals who share responsibility for caring for the child but not abuse by neighbors or acquaintances. CPS data, therefore, do not fully track trends in extrafamilial or noncaretaker sexual assaults on children, which are typically handled exclusively by law enforcement. Despite capturing only a certain proportion of cases, CPS data are the best source for analyzing national trends in child maltreatment because aggregate information is available on an annual basis.There are, however, a number of limitations to interpreting administrative data from CPS agencies. One problem is that States have very different methods of tallying their statistics. Some States record reports by incident, others by family, and others by child. For example, sexual abuse of three children in one family could be counted as one or three substantiated cases, depending on the State. Furthermore, some States count as reports only investigated cases of maltreatment, while others include any allegation that comes into the system. Finally, States also vary in the level of evidence needed to substantiate a case of maltreatment. These differences make it difficult to compare data between States and require that total numbers of reports or substantiated cases be interpreted cautiously. However, because the data set collected within each State is similar from year to year, overall trends are informative. |
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