Short term impact of the alternative response approach in child welfare cases

Abstract

This thesis employs content analysis in order to evaluate the potential effectiveness of the alternative response (AR) approach utilized within the child welfare system. The United States child welfare system is composed of agencies that investigate reports of potential child maltreatment, provides services for families in need, and arranges for the best possible placement of children in order to ensure their safety. The data used in the evaluation were obtained using information from Mahoning County Children Services through the Ohio Statewide Automated Child Welfare Information Services (SACWIS) database. Referral information associated with 247 different families was collected for analysis. In each case, the family had a minimum of one screened-in referral where the alternative response approach was utilized sometime between January 2011 and December 2011. The family’s history of contact with the Mahoning County Children Service agency was recorded, including referrals that were screened in or screened out prior to implementation of the alternative response approach, as well as those that were screened in or screened out after the AR implementation. It was hypothesized that the number of referrals screened in after administration of an AR approach would be lower than the number of referrals screened in prior to use of the AR approach. The findings indicate that the amount of screened-out and screened-in referrals prior to the case where alternative response was utilized were more than double the amount of referrals screened in and out after the AR approach was employed. This study provides a foundation for further research into the applicability of diversified child welfare case management techniques and the results suggest that the alternative response approach may offer multiple advantages to both clients and agencies when compared to other widely used approaches in the child protective services discipline.