Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

How Can Differential Response Inform a Public Health Approach to Child Maltreatment Prevention?

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Book cover Re-Visioning Public Health Approaches for Protecting Children

Part of the book series: Child Maltreatment ((MALT,volume 9))

Abstract

This chapter explores how Differential Response (DR) might inform a public health approach for preventing child maltreatment. DR allows child protection systems to respond to families in a variety of ways that include both voluntary and mandated services. To frame this discussion, a brief history of the development of DR in the United States is provided, along with descriptions of variations in DR models from international perspectives. A substantial amount of research has indicated positive safety, permanency, and well-being outcomes associated with DR. Although the DR research has been contested by some, the polarized nature of the current debate has proven neither helpful nor progressive for the child welfare system. This chapter examines the tenets of the debate, including differences and dilemmas that are not just inherent in DR, but instead belong to the entire system for the prevention and treatment of child maltreatment. These critiques may also serve as mileposts for rethinking the current child welfare system in terms of public health approaches.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 129.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Hardcover Book
USD 169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. (2017). Child protection Australia 2015–16, Child welfare series no. 66. Cat. no. CWS 60. Canberra: AIHW.

    Google Scholar 

  • Blackstock, C., Trocmé, N., & Bennett, M. (2004). Child maltreatment investigations among Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal families in Canada: A comparative analysis. Violence Against Women, 10, 901–916.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Buckley, H., Carr, N., & Whelan, S. (2011). ‘Like walking on eggshells’. Service user views and expectations of the child protection system. Child & Family Social Work, 16, 101–110.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cameron, G., & Freymond, N. (2006). Understanding international comparisons of child protection, family service and community caring systems of child and family welfare. In N. Freymond & G. Cameron (Eds.), Towards positive systems of child and family welfare: International comparisons of child protection, family service, and community caring systems (pp. 3–27). Toronto: University of Toronto Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Campbell, K. A., Cook, L. J., LaFluer, B. J., & Keenan, H. T. (2010). Household, family, and child risk factors after an investigation for suspected child maltreatment. Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, 164, 943–949.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Center for Child and Family Policy. (2009). Multiple response system (MRS): Evaluation report to the North Carolina Division of Social Services (NCDSS). Durham: Duke University. Retrieved from http://www.ncdhhs.gov/dss/mrs/docs/2009%20MRS%20Report.pdf

    Google Scholar 

  • Esping-Andersen, G. (1990). The three worlds of welfare capitalism. Princeton: Princeton University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Featherstone, B., Morris, K., & White, S. (2013). A marriage made in hell: Early intervention meets child protection. British Journal of Social Work, Advance Access. https://doi.org/10.1093/bjsw/bct052

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Featherstone, B., White, S., & Morris, K. (2014). Reimagining child protection: Towards humane social work with families. Bristol: Policy Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Forrester, D., Westlake, D., & Glynn, G. (2012). Parental resistance and social worker skills: Towards a theory of motivational social work. Child & Family Social Work, 17, 118–129.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fox Harding, L. (1997). Perspectives in child care policy (2nd ed.). Essex: Longman.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fuller, T., Nieto, M., & Zhang, S. (2013). Differential response in Illinois: Final evaluation report. Urbana: Children and Family Research Center, School of Social Work, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gallagher, M., Smith, M., Wosu, H., Stewart, J., Hunter, S., & Cree, V. E. (2011). Engaging with families in child protection: Lessons from practitioner research in Scotland. Child Welfare, 90, 117–134.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gilbert, N., Parton, N., & Skivenes, M. (Eds.). (2011). Child protection systems: International trends and orientations. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Harris, N. (2012). Assessment: When does it help and when does it hinder? Parents’ experiences of the assessment process. Child & Family Social Work, 17, 180–191.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Holland, S. (2014). Trust in the community: Understanding the relationships between formal, semi-formal and informal child safeguarding in a local neighbourhood. British Journal of Social Work, 44, 384–400.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Horwath, J. (2007). The missing assessment domain: Personal, professional and organisational factors influencing professional judgements when identifying and referring child neglect. British Journal of Social Work, 37, 1285–1303.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Huebner, R. A., Durbin, L., & Brock, A. (2009). Program evaluation of the multiple response system. Unpublished manuscript. Kentucky Department for Community Based Services.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hughes, R. C., Rycus, J. S., Saunders-Adams, S. M., Hughes, L. K., & Hughes, N. K. (2013). Issues in differential response. Research on Social Work Practice, 23, 493–520.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kahn, N., Gupta-Kagan, J., & Hansen, M. (2017). The standard of proof in the substantiation of child abuse and neglect. Journal of Empirical Legal Studies, 14, 333–369.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Loman, L. A., & Siegel, G. L. (2004, November). Minnesota alternative response evaluation: Final report. St. Louis: Institute of Applied Research. Retrieved from http://www.iarstl.org/papers/ARFinalEvaluationReport.pdf

  • Loman, L. A., & Siegel, G. L. (2015). Effects of approach and services under differential response on long term child safety and welfare. Child Abuse & Neglect, 39, 86–97. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2014.05.014.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Loman, L. A., Filonow, C. S., & Siegel, G. (2010). Ohio alternative response evaluation: Final report. St. Louis: Institute of Applied Research. Retrieved from http://www.americanhumane.org/assets/pdfs/children/differential-response/pc-dr-ohio-section2-final-evaluation-report-1.pdf

    Google Scholar 

  • Lonne, B. (2015). Mandatory reporting and the difficulties in identifying and responding to risk of severe neglect: A response requiring a rethink. In B. Mathews & D. Bross (Eds.), Mandatory reporting laws and the identification of severe child abuse and neglect (pp. 245–273). New York: Springer.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Lonne, B., & Parton, N. (2014). Portrayals of child abuse scandals in the media in Australia and England: Impacts on practice, policy and systems. Child Abuse & Neglect, 38, 822–836. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2014.04.020.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lonne, B., Parton, N., Thomson, J., & Harries, M. (2009). Reforming child protection. London: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lonne, B., Brown, G., Wagner, I., & Gillespie, K. (2015). Victoria’s Child FIRST and IFS differential response system: Progress and issues. Child Abuse & Neglect, 39, 41–49. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2014.08.003.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McDonell, J., & Melton, G. (2008). Toward a science of community intervention. Family and Community Health, 31(2), 113–125.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Melton, G. B. (2010a). Angels watching over us: Child safety and family support in an age of alienation. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 80(1), 89–95.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Melton, G. B. (2010b). It’s all about relationships! The psychology of human rights. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 80(2), 161–169.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Melton, G. B. (2014). Strong communities for children: A community-wide approach to prevention of child maltreatment. In J. Korbin & R. D. Krugman (Eds.), Handbook of child maltreatment (pp. 329–339). New York: Springer.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Murphy, J., Newton-Curtis, L., & Kimmich, M. (2013). Ohio SOAR Project: Final report. Retrieved from http://www.hsri.org/files/uploads/publications/OHIO_SOAR_Final_Report.pdf

  • National Quality Improvement Center on Differential Response in Child Protective Services. (2014). Final report: QIC-DR cross-site evaluation. Retrieved from: www.differentialresponseqic.org

  • Parton, N. (2006). Safeguarding childhood: Early intervention and surveillance in a late modern society. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ringeisen, H., Casanueva, C., Smith, K., & Dolan, M. (2011). NSCAW II baseline report: Caregiver health and services. Washington, DC: Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation, Administration for Children and Families, US Department of Health and Human Services.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rippke, M., Briske, L., Keller, L., & Strohschein, S. (2001). Public health interventions: Applications for public health nursing practice. Minnesota: St Paul.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ross, T. (2009). Child welfare: The challenges of collaboration. Washington, DC: The Urban Institute Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schene, P. (2005). The emergence of differential response. Protecting Children, 20, 4–7.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schreiber, J. C., Fuller, T. L., & Paceley, M. (2013). Engagement in child protective services: Parent perceptions of worker skills. Children and Youth Services Review, 35, 707–715.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Siegel, G. L., & Loman, L. A. (1997, November). Missouri family assessment and response demonstration: Final evaluation report. St. Louis: Institute of Applied Research. Retrieved from http://www.iarstl.org/papers/MoFamAssess.pdf

  • Siegel, G. L., & Loman, T. (2006). Extended follow-up study of Minnesota’s family assessment response: Final report. St. Louis: Institute of Applied Research. Retrieved from http://www.iarstl.org/papers/FinalMNFARReport.pdf

    Google Scholar 

  • Siegel, G. L., Filonow, C. S., & Loman, L. A. (2010, December). Differential response in Nevada: Final evaluation report. St. Louis: Institute of Applied Research. Retrieved From http://www.iarstl.org/papers/NevadaDRFinalReport.pdf

  • SPERU (Social Policy Evaluation and Research Unit). (2016). Modernising Child Protection in New Zealand: Learning from system reforms in other jurisdictions. Wellington: SPERU.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stoltenborgh, M., Bakermans-Kranenburg, M., & van IJzendoorn, M. (2013). The neglect of child neglect: A meta-analytic review of the prevalence of neglect. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, 48, 345–355.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Thoburn, J., Lewis, A., & Shemmings, D. (1995). Family participation in child protection. Child Abuse Review, 4, 161–171.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tusla. (2014). About us. Dublin: Tusla. Retrieved from http://www.tusla.ie/about

  • US Advisory Board on Child Abuse and Neglect. (1990). A nation’s shame: Fatal child abuse and neglect in the United States. Washington, DC: The National Clearinghouse on Child Abuse and Neglect.

    Google Scholar 

  • US Department of Health and Human Services [USDHHS], Administration for Children and Families, Administration on Children, Youth and Families, Children’s Bureau. (2017). Child Maltreatment 2015. Retrieved from http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cb/research-data-technology/statistics-research/child-maltreatment

  • US Department of Health and Human Services [USDHHS], Administration for Children and Families/Children’s Bureau and Office of the Assistant for Planning and Evaluation. (2003). National study of child protective services systems and reform efforts: Review of state CPS policies. Washington, DC: US Government Printing Office.

    Google Scholar 

  • Valentine, K., & Katz, I. (2015). How early is early intervention and who should get it? Contested meanings in determining thresholds for intervention. Child and Youth Services Review, 55, 121–127.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Valentine, K., Katz, I., & Griffiths, M. (2007). Early childhood services: Models of integration and collaboration. Canberra: ARACY.

    Google Scholar 

  • Virginia Department of Social Services. (2008). Evaluation of the differential response system. Richmond: Author. Retrieved from http://www.dss.virginia.gov/files/about/reports/children/cps/all_other/2007/differentialresponsesystem_evaluation_annualreport_2007_12-07.pdf

    Google Scholar 

  • Waldfogel, J. (1998). The future of child protection: How to break the cycle of abuse and neglect. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Weiden, T., Nutter, B., Wells, L., & Sieppert, J. (2005). Alberta response model implementation evaluation phase 1: Baseline data. Calgary: Centre for Social Work Research and Professional Development, University of Calgary.

    Google Scholar 

  • Winkworth, G., & White, M. (2010). May do, should do, can do: Collaboration between commonwealth and state service systems for vulnerable children. Communities, Children and Families Australia, 5, 5–20.

    Google Scholar 

  • Winokur, M. A., & Gabel, G. (2013). A critical appraisal of issues in differential response: Moving the field forward. Research on Social Work Practice, 23, 531–534. https://doi.org/10.1177/1049731513475878.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Winokur, M., Ellis, R., Orsi, R., Rogers, J., Gabel, G., Brenwald, S., et al. (2014). Program evaluation of the Colorado consortium on differential response: Final report. Fort Collins: Social Work Research Center, School of Social Work, Colorado State University.

    Google Scholar 

  • Winokur, M., Ellis, R., Drury, I., & Rogers, J. (2015). Answering the big questions about differential response. Safety and cost outcomes from a randomized controlled trial. Child Abuse & Neglect: The International Journal, 39, 98–108.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wrennall, L. (2010). Surveillance and child protection: De-mystifying the Trojan Horse. Surveillance and Society, 7, 304–324.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Colorado School of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Kempe Center for the Prevention and Treatment of Child Abuse and Neglect, Aurora, CO, USA

    Lisa Merkel-Holguin & Ida Drury

  2. National Center on Family Group Decision Making, Aurora, CO, USA

    Lisa Merkel-Holguin

  3. Children and Family Research Center, School of Social work, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, IL, USA

    Tamara Fuller

  4. Social Work Research Center, School of Social Work, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA

    Marc Winokur

  5. University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, ND, USA

    Ida Drury

  6. School of Health, University of New England, Armidale, NSW, Australia

    Bob Lonne

Authors
  1. Lisa Merkel-Holguin
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Tamara Fuller
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Marc Winokur
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Ida Drury
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Bob Lonne
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Lisa Merkel-Holguin .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. School of Health, University of New England, Armidale, NSW, Australia

    Bob Lonne

  2. Senior Research Fellow, Monash University, Victoria, VIC, Australia

    Deb Scott

  3. Institute of Child Protection Studies, Australian Catholic University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia

    Daryl Higgins

  4. Marion Elizabeth Blue Professor of Child and Family, University of Michigan School of Social Work, Ann Arbor, MI, USA

    Todd I. Herrenkohl

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2019 Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Merkel-Holguin, L., Fuller, T., Winokur, M., Drury, I., Lonne, B. (2019). How Can Differential Response Inform a Public Health Approach to Child Maltreatment Prevention?. In: Lonne, B., Scott, D., Higgins, D., Herrenkohl, T.I. (eds) Re-Visioning Public Health Approaches for Protecting Children. Child Maltreatment, vol 9. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-05858-6_12

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-05858-6_12

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-05857-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-05858-6

  • eBook Packages: Social SciencesSocial Sciences (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation