Elsevier

Child Abuse & Neglect

Volume 18, Issue 7, July 1994, Pages 577-585
Child Abuse & Neglect

Types and frequency of child maltreatment by family foster care providers in an urban population

https://doi.org/10.1016/0145-2134(94)90084-1Get rights and content

Abstract

Types and frequency of child abuse and neglect reports in family foster care in Baltimore, Maryland as compared to reports among nonfoster families are reported. Data on maltreatment incidents in foster homes were abstracted from Child Protective Services investigation records for the years 1984–1988. Comparisons were made to community reports. Results indicated that foster families had over a three-fold increased frequency of maltreatment reports as compared to nonfoster families. Report frequency was highest for physical abuse with a seven-fold risk of report as compared to nonfoster families. Overall, 20% of foster care reports were substantiated as compared to 35% of nonfoster reports, although the risk of having a substantiated report was significantly higher in foster care. The distribution of report types in foster care differed from those in the community with physical abuse the most frequent allegation in foster care, as compared to neglect as the most frequent allegation in the community. Explanations for these findings including differences in criteria for report and substantiation are advanced.

Résumé

Cette et́ude s'est pencheé sur la maltraitance dans des foyers d'accueil compareé à celle qu'on retrouve dans la communauté en geńeŕal. Les cas à l'et́ude venaient des dossiers de 1a protection de l'enfance durant les anneés 1984–1988. Les reśultats deḿontrent que dans les familles d'accueil la freq́uence des mauvais traitements et́ait trois fois celle des familles de la communauté en geńeŕal. Dans les cas d'abus physiques, la freq́uence et́ait sept fois plus grande. Vingt pour cent des cas de maltraitance dans les familles d'accueil ont et́é prouveś, compareś a 35 p.c. dans les autres familles. Toutefois, il est plus probable que la maltraitance soit prouveé en foyer d'accueil. Les types de signalements diffeŕaient d'un groupe à l'autre : les familles d'accueil et́aient plus porteés à infliger des sev́ices physiques tandis que les familles dans la communaute$́en geńeŕal et́aient plus aptes à neǵliger leurs enfants. Les auteurs proposent des raisons pour expliquer les diffeŕences, y compris les criter̀es pour signalement et les criter̀es pour valider la maltraitrance.

Resumen

Se estudian los tipos y frecuencia de reportes de abuso a los ninõs y negligencia en familias sustitutas de Baltimore, Maryland en comparacioń con reportes de familias no sustitutas. Los datos sobre incidentes de maltrato en hogares sustitutas fueron tornados de los archives de los Servicios de Protectioń Infantil de los anõs 1984–1988. Se compararon los reportes de la comunidad. Los resultados indicaron que las familias sustitutas tenián frecuencia de reportes de maltrato tres veces mayor que las familias no sustitutas. La frecuencia de reporte fue mayor en abuso fiśico con siete veces maś reportes que las familias no sustitutas. En general, 20% de los reportes de hogares sustitutoś fueron confirmados al compararlos con el 35% de los hogares no abusivos apesar de que el riesgo de que los reportes fueran confirmados fue significativamente mayor en los casos de hogares sustitutos. La distributioń de los tipos de reporte en hogares sustitutos diferián de los de la comunidad siendo el abuso fiśico el alegato maś frecuente en los hogares sustitutos comparado con la negligencia que es el maś frecuente en la comunidad. Se presentan explicaciones de estos resultados incluyenco diferencias en los criterios para los reportes y su confirmacioń.

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    This study was supported by The National Center of Child Abuse and Neglect, ACYF, ACF, DHHS, Grant #90-CA-1367.

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