title: Relationship of risk assessment to placement characteristics in a statewide child welfare population.
abstract: Risk assessments allow child and youth services to identify children who are at risk for maltreatment (e.g., abuse, neglect) and help determine the restrictiveness of placements or need for services among youth entering a child welfare system. Despite the use of instruments by many agencies within the U.S. to determine the appropriate placements for youth, research has shown that placement decisions are often influenced by factors such as gender, age, and severity of social-emotional and behavior problems. This study examined ratings of risk across multiple domains using a structured assessment tool used by caseworkers in the Rhode Island child welfare system. The relationship between ratings of risk and placement restrictiveness was also examined. Risk levels varied across placement settings. Multivariate analyses revealed that lower caseworker ratings of parent risk and higher ratings of youth risk were associated with more restrictive placements for youth. Implications for the child welfare system are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of California, Davis, 1 Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616, USA.
authors.forename: Cindy Y
authors.initials: CY
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: The Child Health and Development Institute of Connecticut, Inc., 270 Farmington Ave., Suite 367, Farmington, CT 06032, USA.
authors.forename: Christopher T
authors.initials: CT
authors.lastname: Bory
authors.affiliation: Rhode Island Department of Children, Youth, and Families, 101 Friendship Street, Providence, RI 02903, USA.
authors.forename: Colleen
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Caron
authors.affiliation: Division of Prevention and Community Research & The Consultation Center, Yale School of Medicine, 389 Whitney Avenue, New Haven, CT 06511, USA.
authors.forename: Jacob Kraemer
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Tebes
authors.affiliation: Division of Prevention and Community Research & The Consultation Center, Yale School of Medicine, 389 Whitney Avenue, New Haven, CT 06511, USA.
authors.forename: Christian M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Connell
keywords: Child welfare; Placement restrictiveness; Risk; Risk assessment
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