Infants and Toddlers: Factors for Ongoing Child Welfare Services in Ontario, Canada

Abstract

Young children are particularly susceptible to the deleterious consequences of maltreatment to their survival and well-being. Previous research suggests that there are age-specific differences with respect to how the child welfare system responds to children and their families. Caregivers of young children are among the most likely to receive child welfare services following an investigation; however, little is known about the child, family, household and case factors associated with service provision decisions. Data from the sixth cycle of the Ontario Incidence Study of Reported Child Abuse and Neglect (OIS) for 2018 was analyzed. Of the 158,476 estimated maltreatment-related investigations of children 0–17 years of age, approximately 5% involved infants (less than one year) and approximately 14% involved toddlers (1–3 years). The most influential factors associated with the decision to transfer a case to ongoing services were explored for both infants and toddlers through a multivariate tree-classification technique, Chi square automatic interaction detection (CHAID). For both models, worker assessment and determination that the child was at significant risk of future maltreatment and caregiver mental health were influential and significant predictors. Differences did emerge between groups. For infant investigations, caregiver risk factors interacted with the child’s household running out of money for basic necessities; whereas, for toddler investigations, child characteristics interacted with caregiver risk factors. A better understanding of the child welfare system’s response to young children is crucial to the development of innovative practice and policy strategies within the field of child welfare and across allied child- and family-service systems.