Key Points Question Are state Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) policy options associated with rates of Child Protective Services involvement and use of foster care services in the US? Findings This cohort study including all 50 states and the District of Columbia noted that adoption of SNAP policies increased from 2004 to 2016 and, accompanying the increases, substantiated reports of childhood neglect decreased. In instrumental variables models, policies to operate through SNAP caseloads were identified. Meaning The findings of this study suggest SNAP policy options that increase the generosity and stability of household resources may yield valuable population health returns by preventing child maltreatment and the need for costly child welfare interventions.

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Association Between State Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Policies, Child Protective Services Involvement, and Foster Care in the US, 2004-2016

Rising opioid mortality coincides with reported rises in child maltreatment since the early 2000s. I consider mechanisms that link the opioid epidemic and child maltreatment, focusing on social disorganization, the geographic and temporal patterns of opioid mortality, and community-level substance use and child maltreatment. I combine data from the ACS, CDC WONDER, and NCANDS in county-level analyses. I show a positive association between adult opioid mortality and child maltreatment that varies over time, and the results suggest a stronger association between opioid mortality and child maltreatment in high-poverty counties. Counties with high levels of residential mobility show negative associations between opioid mortality and child maltreatment when mortality levels are low. These findings bolster arguments that child maltreatment can be decreased by reducing poverty and opioid mortality and by increasing opportunities for residential mobility.

The Opioid Crisis and Child Maltreatment Across Counties and Time in the United States, 2007–2017

The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program, which was established in 1996 and renewed in 2005, constituted a major reform of the US welfare system. Since its renewal, few studies have examined its effects on children. We used instrumental variables, two-way fixed effects, and event studies to examine the associations between state-level TANF policies, Child Protective Services involvement, and foster care placement during the period 2004-16. We found that each additional TANF policy that restricted access to benefits was associated with a 13 percent reduction in TANF caseloads. Using TANF policies as an instrument, we found that increases in TANF caseloads were associated with significant reductions in numbers of neglect victims and foster care placements. In two-way fixed effects models, restrictions on TANF access were associated with more than forty-four additional neglect victims per 100,000 child population and between nineteen and twenty-two additional children per 100,000 placed in foster care. Our findings suggest that additional research using data that capture the nuances of maltreatment should be used to investigate the relationships among TANF policies, child maltreatment, and foster care placement.

Associations Between State TANF Policies, Child Protective Services Involvement, And Foster Care Placement.

Reasonable efforts to preserve families? An examination of service utilization and child removal.

Foster Children in Care Due to Parental Incarceration: A National Longitudinal Study

It is perhaps surprising that we lack complete national information about why children enter foster care. While the annual Adoption and Foster Care Analysis Reporting System (AFCARS) report is info...

Jessica L. Stubblefield

Papers

What Proportion of Foster Care Children Do Not Have Child Protective Services Reports? A Preliminary Look.