title: Child protective services: research for the future.
abstract: The legal context of child protective services provides the framework for all inquiries and knowledge-building in the field. From this foundation, it is possible to analyze the definition of a child protective services case, describe who is served by the system, evaluate current system functioning, and identify outcome measures. Future research should address formative questions such as the development of consistent definitions of maltreatment and evaluation of service delivery. Evaluation should include measuring treatment outcomes as well as examining the functioning and management of the system.
authors.affiliation: American Bar Association Center on Children and the Law, Washington, DC.
authors.forename: S J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Wells
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D002649:Child Abuse / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000517:prevention & control*; D002662:Child Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000592:standards; D002669:Child Welfare / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D005544:Forecasting; D006801:Humans; D007373:Interinstitutional Relations; D011057:Politics; D015397:Program Evaluation / Q000592:standards; D011639:Public Opinion; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014481:United States