title: Exploring alternate specifications to explain agency-level effects in placement decisions regarding Aboriginal children: Further analysis of the Canadian Incidence Study of Reported Child Abuse and Neglect Part C.
abstract: A series of papers using data from the Canadian Incidence Study of Reported Child Abuse and Neglect (CIS) explored the influence of clinical and organizational characteristics on the decision to place Aboriginal children in out-of-home placements at the conclusion of child maltreatment investigations. The purpose of this paper is to further explore a consistent finding of the previous analyses: the proportion of investigations involving Aboriginal children at a child welfare agency is associated with placement for all children in that agency. CIS-2008 data were used in the analysis, which allowed for inclusion of previously unavailable organizational and contextual variables. Multi-level statistical models were developed to analyze the influence of clinical and organizational variables on the placement decision. Final models revealed that the proportion of investigations conducted by the child welfare agency involving Aboriginal children was again a key agency-level predictor of the placement decision for any child served by the agency. Specifically, the higher the proportion of investigations of Aboriginal children, the more likely placement was to occur for any child. Further, this analysis demonstrated that structure of governance, an organizational-level variable not available in previous cycles of the CIS, is an important agency-level predictor of out-of-home placement. Further analysis is needed to fully understand individual and organizational level variables that may influence decisions regarding placement of Aboriginal children.
authors.affiliation: Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, University of Toronto, 246 Bloor Street West, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5S 1V4.
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Fallon
authors.affiliation: Centre for Research on Children and Families, McGill University, Suite 106, Wilson Hall, 3506 University Street, Montreal, Quebec, Canada H3A 2A7.
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Chabot
authors.affiliation: Child Protective Services Research Center, American Humane Association, and Kempe Center for the Prevention and Treatment of Child Abuse and Neglect, University of Colorado, 13123 East 16th Avenue, B390 Aurora, CO 80045, USA.
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Fluke
authors.affiliation: First Nations Child and Family Caring Society of Canada, Suite 302, 251 Bank Street, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K2P 1X3; Faculty of Extension, University of Alberta, 10230 Jasper Avenue, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T5J 4P6.
authors.forename: Cindy
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Blackstock
authors.affiliation: Centre for Research on Children and Families, McGill University, Suite 106, Wilson Hall, 3506 University Street, Montreal, Quebec, Canada H3A 2A7.
authors.forename: Vandna
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Sinha
authors.affiliation: Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, University of Toronto, 246 Bloor Street West, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5S 1V4.
authors.forename: Kate
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Allan
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Social Work, University of Calgary, 2500 University Drive, NW, Calgary, Alberta, Canada T2N 1N4.
authors.forename: Bruce
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: MacLaurin
mesh_terms: D002170:Canada / Q000453:epidemiology; D002648:Child; D002649:Child Abuse / Q000517:prevention & control*; D000068216:Child Protective Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D002669:Child Welfare / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005581:Foster Home Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D012307:Risk Factors
keywords: Aboriginal; Child welfare; Decision-making; Disproportionality; Overrepresentation; Placement