PHIL?
>> THANK YOU.
FAMILIES LIVING IN POVERTY ARE
MORE LIKELY TO BE INVOLVED WITH
THE CHILD WELFARE SYSTEM AND IN
MORE THAN 60% OF CASES
NATIONWIDE, AUTHORITIES FIND
CHILDREN BEING NEGLECTED NOT
ABUSED.
THAT IS ACCORDING TO A BRIEF
FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO
THAT ARGUES DIRECT FINANCIAL
SUPPORT FOR FAMILIES WOULD RUPT
IN FEWER CHILDREN BEING MALL
TREATED.
TONIGHT AS PART OF OUR
FIRSTHAND LIVING IN POVERTY
SERIES WE LOOK AT THE BARRIERS
FACING FAMILIES WHO NEED
FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE.
AND JOINING US TO HEAR MORE, IS
DANA WEINER SHE IS A SENIOR
POLICY FELLOW AT CHAP OPINION
HALL AT THE UNIVERSITY OF
CHICAGO AND THE LEAD AUTHOR OF
THE REPORT.
THANK YOU FOR JOINING US.
WHAT WAS YOUR MAIN FINDING ABOUT
FAMILIES AND POVERTY AND
INVOLVEMENT IN THE CHILD WELFARE
SYSTEM?
>> YES, HI PHIL THANK YOU FOR
HAVING ME.
SO WHAT WE WERE PRIMARILY
FOCUSED ON WAS CONVEYING THE
COMPLEXITY AND THE
MULTIDETERMINANT NATURE OF
FAMILY'S INVOLVEMENT IN CHILD
WELFARE SYSTEMS THAT REQUIRES A
TOTAL RESPONSE FROM THE HUMAN
SERVICE SECTOR.
WE HAVE A SYSTEM WHERE
OFTENTIMES TEACHERS PLACE CHILD
MALTREATMENT REPORTS TO THE
CHILD ABUSE REPORTING HOTLINE
AND TEACHERS ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR
THE LARGE OF THE PROPORTION OF
THOSE REPORTS 20%.
BUT THE MAJORITY WHAT TEACHERS
REPORT IS NEVER SUBSTANTIATED AS
CHILD MALTREATMENT SECONDARY TO
POVERTY.
WE NEED OTHER PATHWAYS FOR THE
FAMILIES TO RECEIVE THOSE
SUPPORTS.
>> AND ONE OF THE POINTS YOU
MAKE YOU ASSERT IS THAT MODEST
ECONOMIC SUPPORT FOR FAMILIES
CAN STABILIZE FAMILIES SO THESE
ISSUES DO NOT ARISE.
WHAT KIND OF ECONOMIC SUPPORT
ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?
>> WELL, SO THE RESEARCH
SUGGESTS THAT THINGS LIKE
HOUSING AND CHILDCARE SUBSIDIES
IN ADDITION TO OTHER BENEFITS
PROVIDE FAMILIES WITH THE
OPPORTUNITY TO STABILIZE AND
PROMOTE SAFETY AND WELL-BEING OF
THE CHILDREN IN THEIR CARE.
I THINK WE'RE AT A KEY JUNCTURE
NOW BECAUSE WE ARE GOING TO BE
ABLE TO OBSERVE THE DIRECT CASH
PAYMENT TO FAMILIES AND
RESEARCHERS ARE DISCUSSING WHAT
THE BEST WAY TO EVALUATE THE
DIRECT SUPPORTS BEING DISPERSED
AS PART OF THE CHILD TAX
CREDITS.
>> AND IN TERMS OF MONEY TAR
FIGURES WHAT AMOUNT IS BEING
DISCUSSED?
>> WE'VE SEEN THAT MODEST
FINANCIAL SUPPORT OF A FEW
HUNDRED DOLLARS CAN HELP
FAMILIES TO ADDRESS SOME OF THE
BASIC CONCRETE NEEDS REQUIRED IN
ORDER TO STABILIZE.
>> AND SPELL OUT FOR US HOW THIS
EVEN MODEST SUPPORT ACCORDING TO
YOUR REPORT WOULD REDUCE THE
NUMBER OF MALTREATMENT REPORTS.
HOW DOES THAT WORK?
>> ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE
OBSERVED AS --
AND PART OF THIS WAS A BYPRODUCT
OF THE PANDEMIC AS THE PANDEMIC
BEGAN MANY PEOPLE WERE CONCERNED
BECAUSE CHILD ABUSE REPORTING
RATES PLUMMETED BECAUSE MOST OF
THOSE ARE BEING CALLED IN BY
TEACHERS AND KIDS WERE NOT
SEEING TEACHERS.
IN THE PROCESS OF INVESTIGATING
WHETHER THERE WAS CAUSE FOR
CONCERN THAT TEACHERS WEREN'T
REPORTING CHILD MALTREATMENT WE
WERE ABLE TO OBSERVE INTERESTING
PATTERNS IN THE DATA.
ONE I MENTIONED A SMALL
PROPORTION OF TEACHER REPORTS
ARE SUBSTANTIATED AS ABUSE OR
NEGLECT.
AND WE EXAMINED THE COMMUNITY
LEVEL CORRECT LATINOS THE OTHER
THINGS THAT GO ALONG WITH
CHANGES IN THE RATE OF CHILD
MALTREATMENT AND UNEMPLOYMENT
WAS THE SINGLE BIGGEST PREDICTOR
OF FLUCTUATIONS IN THE RAY OF
CHILD ABUSE REPORTING.
THERE ARE A NUMBER OF THEORIES
WHY THAT IS.
HOW ECONOMIC HARDSHIP AND
ECONOMIC RISK CONTRIBUTES TO
RISK TO CHILD SAFETY.
SOME OF THAT HAS TO DO WITH
PARENTAL STRESS AND A LOT OF IT
HAS TO DO WITH THE SYSTEMS THAT
ARE SETUP TO DETECT PROBLEMS
AMONG FAMILIES REALLY ARE ONLY
LEFT WITH A SINGLE OPTION WHICH
IS A CHILD PROTECTION SERVICES
HOTLINE CALL AS OPPOSED TO A
NETWORK OF COMMUNITY-BASED
SUPPORTS FACING THAT FAMILIES
COULD ACCESS TO GET HELP.
>> JUST TO MAKE SURE I
UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU ARE SAYING
THAT FINANCIAL STRESSES ON
FAMILIES CAN LEAD TO THE KIND OF
STRESS THAT CAUSES PARENTS TO
MISTREAT THEIR KIDS IS THAT WHAT
YOU ARE SAYING?
>> NOT NECESSARILY THAT.
WHAT I'M SAY SOMETHING THAT
ECONOMIC HARDSHIP CAN CREATE
CIRCUMSTANCES LIKE HOUSING
INSTABILITY OR POSSIBLY
INADEQUATE CHILDCARE THAT THEN
CAN LEAD THOSE FAMILIES TO COME
TO THE ATTENTION OF CHILD
WELFARE SYSTEMS EVEN THOUGH THE
NEEDS WOULD BE BETTER MET BY A
DIFFERENT INTERVENTION AND NOT A
CHILD PROTECTIVE SERVICES
INVESTIGATION.
>> YOU ELUDED TO THIS, BUT YOU
ASSERT THAT MANDATORY REPORTING
LAWS CAUSED AN INCREASE
SURVEILLANCE ON FAMILIES.
EXPAND ON THAT?
>> YES.
MANDATORY REPORTING LAWS ARE
ACROSS THE COUNTRY BUT THEY VARY
AND THERE'S QUITE A BIT OF
DISCRETION INVOLVED IN MANDATED
REPORTING.
BUT AS I MENTIONED TEACHERS
BEING ONE OF THE BIGGEST SOURCES
OF THOSE REPORTS, OFTEN REPORT A
VARIETY OF CONCERNS MANY OF
WHICH WOULD BE BETTER ADDRESSED
BY ANOTHER SYSTEM A CHILD
WELFARE INVESTIGATION INITIATES
A PUNITIVE AND EXPENSIVE AND
INTRUSIVE PROCESS.
WHAT WE'VE SEEN IN THE RESEARCH
ALTERNATIVE PATHWAYS LIKE
DIFFERENTIAL OR ALTERNATIVE
RESPONSE PROVIDE AN OPPORTUNITY
TO GIVE FAMILIES SOME OF THOSE
ECONOMIC SUPPORTS BUT ALSO OTHER
TYPES OF SUPPORTS WITHOUT HAVING
A CHILD PROTECTION INVESTIGATION
WHEN THERE IS LIKELY TO BE NO