title: Risk assessment as a practice method in child protective services.
abstract: This article offers an overview of the development of risk assessment and its purpose and goals, a summary of research on risk assessment to date, and suggestions regarding future research. This overview indicates that the use of risk assessment is a widespread phenomenon, with differing goals and purposes. Research on risk assessment confirms the lack of conceptual clarity and the difficulty of incorporating it into a child protective services system that emphasizes findings of abuse and/or neglect as the key to continuing involvement in the system.
authors.affiliation: Office of Children's Administration Research, Washington State Department of Social and Health Services, Olympia.
authors.forename: D J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: English
authors.forename: P J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Pecora
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D002649:Child Abuse / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D002669:Child Welfare; D003657:Decision Making; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000592:standards*; D006801:Humans; D010043:Outcome and Process Assessment, Health Care / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000592:standards; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012307:Risk Factors