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This chapter examines the role of law enforcement and other agencies in CPS work. The analyses show the degree to which law enforcement and other agencies perform different CPS functions and how their involvement varies with type of maltreatment and type of perpetrator.
The analyses demonstrated that few CPS agencies had lead responsibility across all types of maltreatment for the investigation and alternative response functions. Other agencies, most notably law enforcement, have important roles in working with CPS agencies on the different functions. The specific circumstances of the maltreatment allegations and the type of perpetrator shaped the degree to which CPS agencies shared responsibility with other agencies. For the screening and investigation functions, it was fairly common for CPS agencies to share lead responsibility for the more serious types of maltreatment, especially with law enforcement agencies.
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The survey asked CPS agencies to indicate their role and degree of responsibility in connection with each of the primary CPS functions — screening, investigation, and alternative response. Specifically, for each of several forms of maltreatment, agencies were asked to indicate whether they were the lead agency with sole responsibility, were the lead agency sharing responsibility with another agency, supported another agency/agencies, or had no responsibility.
More CPS agencies had lead responsibility across all types of maltreatment for the screening function than for the investigation or alternative response functions (Table 5-1). While 50 percent of CPS agencies had lead responsibility for the screening function, just 17 percent of CPS agencies had lead responsibility for investigations across all types of maltreatment. Similarly, only 9 percent of CPS agencies had lead responsibility for the alternative response function across all types of maltreatment. For the investigation and alternative response functions, the majority of agencies had a range of responsibilities (e.g., lead some, support some, and share some) depending on the specific type of maltreatment.
| Responsibility | Screening | Investigation | Alternative Response | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Estimate (C.I.) * |
Percent | Estimate (C.I.) |
Percent | Estimate (C.I.) |
Percent | |
| Lead for all types of maltreatment | 1,290 (1,120-1,470) |
50% | 450 (330-570) |
17% | 140 (80-200) |
9% |
| Share for all types of maltreatment | 350 (230-470) |
13% | 220 (140-300) |
8% | 60 (10-120) |
4% |
| Support for all types of maltreatment | 50 (10-100) |
2% | 20 (0-40) |
1% | 10 (0-20) |
<1% |
| No responsibility | 40 (0-80) |
1% | --- | --- | 610 (450-770) |
37% |
| Other (lead some, support some, share some) | 800 (630-960) |
31% | 1,910 (1,690-2,130) |
73% | 830 (690-970) |
50% |
| Missing | 70 (20-130) |
3% | 10 (0-30) |
<1% | 10 (0-20) |
1% |
| Total | 2,610 (2,410-2,810) |
100% | 2,610 (2,410-2,810) |
100% | 1,660 (1,460-1,860) |
100% |
| Note: Numbers in italics are based on 10 or
fewer agencies. *The 95 percent confidence interval (C.I.) indicates that, if the study were to be repeated with the same methodology 100 times, 95 of the replications would produce an estimate within the interval. |
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The degree to which CPS agencies share responsibility with other agencies varies by maltreatment type, with more agencies sharing responsibility for the more serious types of maltreatment. Notable percentages of CPS agencies shared responsibility for screening and intake of sexual abuse (39%) and of physical abuse (29%), while somewhat fewer CPS agencies shared lead responsibility with other agencies for neglect (19%) and other types of maltreatment (19%), (Table 5-2).
For the investigation response, more CPS agencies shared lead responsibility with other agencies for the more serious maltreatment allegations (Table 5-3). More than one-half of the agencies shared lead responsibility for investigation of cases that involved severe physical abuse (65%), severe sexual abuse (66%), moderate sexual abuse (68%), or a child fatality (51%). At the same time, CPS agencies typically had sole lead responsibility for investigating forms of maltreatment that are regarded as more of the province of social work than law enforcement. More than
| Maltreatment type | Lead | Share | Support | None | Missing | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Physical abuse | 63% | 29% | 2% | 2% | 4% | 100% |
| Sexual abuse | 50% | 39% | 6% | 2% | 3% | 100% |
| Neglect | 75% | 19% | 2% | 2% | 3% | 100% |
| Other | 73% | 19% | 2% | 1% | 4% | 100% |
| Note: Percentages are not additive because agencies were
included in each applicable row (category). Note: Numbers in italics are based on 10 or fewer agencies. Note: Percentages are based on weighted total of 2,610 agencies. |
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one-half of agencies had lead responsibility when the case involved moderate physical abuse (50%), moderate neglect (78%), severe emotional maltreatment (70%), moderate emotional maltreatment (73%), lack of supervision (76%), abandonment (65%), or a drug exposed infant (64%). Also, CPS agencies typically had lead responsibility when the allegation involved risk of maltreatment.
| Maltreatment type | Lead | Share | Support | None | Missing | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Severe physical abuse | 23% | 65% | 11% | --- | 2% | 100% |
| Moderate physical abuse | 50% | 47% | 2% | --- | 1% | 100% |
| At risk of physical abuse | 76% | 12% | 2% | 9% | 1% | 100% |
| Severe sexual abuse | 19% | 66% | 13% | --- | 2% | 100% |
| Moderate sexual abuse | 21% | 68% | 10% | --- | 1% | 100% |
| At risk of sexual abuse | 60% | 25% | 4% | 10% | 1% | 100% |
| Severe neglect | 50% | 46% | 3% | --- | 1% | 100% |
| Moderate neglect | 78% | 19% | 1% | 1% | 1% | 100% |
| At risk of neglect | 73% | 9% | 3% | 12% | 2% | 100% |
| Severe emotional maltreatment | 70% | 24% | 2% | 3% | 1% | 100% |
| Moderate maltreatment | 73% | 19% | 2% | 5% | 1% | 100% |
| At risk of emotional maltreatment | 67% | 11% | 4% | 16% | 2% | 100% |
| Truancy | 6% | 18% | 27% | 48% | 2% | 100% |
| Lack of supervision | 76% | 21% | 1% | 1% | 1% | 100% |
| Abandonment | 65% | 31% | 1% | 1% | 1% | 100% |
| Drug exposed infant | 64% | 31% | 1% | 3% | 1% | 100% |
| Status offense | 9% | 9% | 17% | 60% | 5% | 100% |
| Child fatality | 12% | 51% | 31% | 4% | 2% | 100% |
| Note: Percentages are not additive because agencies were
included in each applicable row (category). Note: Numbers in italics are based on 10 or fewer agencies. Note: Percentages are based on weighted total of 2,610 agencies. |
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The differences in CPS agency responsibility for the different types of maltreatment under the investigation and alternative responses were striking. Most agencies did not provide any alternative response for the more serious types of maltreatment (Table 5-4). More than one-half of CPS agencies did not provide alternative response for cases that involved severe physical abuse (57%), moderate physical abuse (52%), severe sexual abuse (55%), moderate sexual abuse (55%), severe neglect (55%), severe emotional maltreatment (52%), or status offenses (52%). Approximately one-quarter of agencies shared lead responsibility for the alternative response for severe physical abuse (22%), severe sexual abuse (26%), moderate sexual abuse (25%), or child fatality (23%).
| Maltreatment type | Lead | Share | Support | None | Missing | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Severe physical abuse | 13% | 22% | 5% | 57% | 3% | 100% |
| Moderate physical abuse | 25% | 20% | 1% | 52% | 2% | 100% |
| At risk of physical abuse | 56% | 11% | 6% | 24% | 3% | 100% |
| Severe sexual abuse | 9% | 26% | 8% | 55% | 2% | 100% |
| Moderate sexual abuse | 12% | 25% | 6% | 55% | 2% | 100% |
| At risk of sexual abuse | 40% | 19% | 6% | 32% | 3% | 100% |
| Severe neglect | 24% | 15% | 2% | 55% | 3% | 100% |
| Moderate neglect | 37% | 13% | 2% | 45% | 3% | 100% |
| At risk of neglect | 62% | 10% | 7% | 20% | 2% | 100% |
| Severe emotional maltreatment | 33% | 12% | 2% | 52% | 2% | 100% |
| Moderate maltreatment | 40% | 12% | 2% | 45% | 2% | 100% |
| At risk of emotional maltreatment | 57% | 9% | 7% | 26% | 1% | 100% |
| Truancy | 9% | 13% | 37% | 40% | 1% | 100% |
| Lack of supervision | 48% | 12% | 2% | 36% | 1% | 100% |
| Abandonment | 34% | 14% | 2% | 49% | 1% | 100% |
| Drug exposed infant | 36% | 17% | 2% | 43% | 2% | 100% |
| Status offense | 11% | 5% | 29% | 52% | 3% | 100% |
| Child fatality | 8% | 23% | 17% | 50% | 2% | 100% |
| Note: Percentages are not additive because agencies were
included in each applicable row (category). Note: Numbers in italics are based on 10 or fewer agencies. Note: Percentages are based on weighted total of 1,660 agencies. |
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The preceding tables revealed that, across the different types of maltreatment, CPS agencies often shared lead responsibility with other agencies, particularly for the screening and investigation functions. Further analyses examined the specific agencies that were involved in CPS functions for different types of maltreatment. CPS agencies shared lead responsibility with law enforcement more often than any other type of agency (Table 5-5). Nearly three-quarters of CPS agencies shared lead responsibility with law enforcement agencies for physical abuse (72%) and sexual abuse (70%).(1) Fewer CPS agencies shared lead responsibility with law enforcement for neglect (58%) and emotional maltreatment (24%).
Since so few CPS agencies reported involvement by any single other type of agency, all nonlaw enforcement agencies were grouped together for these analyses. Nonlaw enforcement agencies include: juvenile justice agencies, mental health agencies, child advocacy centers or child protection teams, schools, centralized intake units, and licensing agencies. Just 17 percent of CPS agencies shared lead responsibility with other, nonlaw enforcement agencies for physical abuse while 18 percent shared lead responsibility for sexual abuse. The percentages for the other types of maltreatment were similarly low, with 17 percent of CPS agencies sharing lead responsibility for neglect and 20 percent sharing for other types of maltreatment.
| Law Enforcement Agencies | Other, Nonlaw Enforcement Agencies | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Agency Involvement | Estimate (C.I.) |
Percent | Estimate (C.I.) |
Percent |
| Share lead responsibility for physical abuse | 1,870 (1,650-2,090) |
72% | 430 (310-560) |
17% |
| Share lead responsibility for sexual abuse | 1,810 (1,580-2,040) |
70% | 470 (350-590) |
18% |
| Share lead responsibility for neglect | 1,510 (1,310-1,710) |
58% | 440 (310-570) |
17% |
| Share lead responsibility for emotional maltreatment | 630 (450-810) |
24% | 530 (390-670) |
20% |
| Note: Cells in italics are based on 10 or fewer
agencies. Note: Percentages are not additive because agencies were included in each applicable row (category). Note: Percentages are based on weighted total of 2,610 agencies. |
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The survey also asked a series of questions to determine the degree of shared responsibility for cases involving different types of perpetrators. Overall, similar percentages of CPS agencies shared lead responsibility for investigations across the different types of perpetrators (Table 5-6). Approximately one-third of CPS agencies shared lead responsibility for conducting investigations when the perpetrator was a family member or relative (39%), a foster parent (37%), a staff member at a group home or institution (36%), or a minor (35%).
While fewer CPS agencies shared lead responsibility for the alternative response function, again the percentages were similar across the different types of perpetrators (Table 5-7). Around one-fifth of agencies with an alternative response shared lead responsibility with other agencies when the perpetrator was a family member or relative (20%), a foster parent (16%), a staff member at a group home or institution (20%), or a minor (21%). Under alternative response, many agencies did not have responsibility for cases when the perpetrator was a foster parent (43%), a group home or facility staff person (48%), or a minor (36%).
| Perpetrator | Lead | Share | Support | None | Missing | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Family member or relative | 56% | 39% | 2% | <1% | 3% | 100% |
| Foster parent | 37% | 37% | 20% | 3% | 3% | 100% |
| Group home or institution staff | 23% | 36% | 23% | 14% | 4% | 100% |
| Minor | 41% | 35% | 12% | 6% | 5% | 100% |
| Not a caregiver | 7% | 12% | 34% | 45% | 2% | 100% |
| Note: Percentages are not additive because agencies were
included in each applicable row (category). Note: Numbers in italics are based on 10 or fewer agencies. Note: Percentages are based on weighted total of 2,610 agencies. |
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| Perpetrator | Lead | Share | Support | None | Missing | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Family member or relative | 41% | 20% | 3% | 31% | 5% | 100% |
| Foster parent | 23% | 16% | 14% | 43% | 4% | 100% |
| Group home or institution staff | 11% | 20% | 19% | 48% | 2% | 100% |
| Minor | 28% | 21% | 11% | 36% | 4% | 100% |
| Not a caregiver | 11% | 5% | 30% | 51% | 3% | 100% |
| Note: Percentages are not additive because agencies were
included in each applicable row (category). Note: Numbers in italics are based on 10 or fewer agencies. Note: Percentages are based on weighted total of 1,660 agencies. |
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The preceding tables also revealed that CPS agencies were very commonly involved with other agencies in some capacity across the different types of perpetrators. Further analyses found that for most types of perpetrators these agencies shared lead responsibility more often with law enforcement than with any other type of agency. A substantial minority of CPS agencies (41%) shared lead responsibility with law enforcement when the perpetrator was a family member or relative (Table 5-8). Thirty percent shared responsibility with law enforcement when the perpetrator was a minor. Nearly one-quarter (24%) of CPS agencies reported sharing lead responsibility with law enforcement when the perpetrator was the child's foster parent, while 17 percent shared when the alleged perpetrator was a staff person from a group home or institution. Only 13 percent of CPS agencies shared lead responsibility with law enforcement for noncaregiver perpetrators.
| Law Enforcement Agencies | Other, Nonlaw Enforcement Agencies | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Agency Involvement | Estimate (C.I.) |
Percent | Estimate (C.I.) |
Percent |
| Share for family member or relative | 1,070 (910-1,230) |
41% | 80 (30-130) |
3% |
| Share for minor | 770 (630-910) |
30% | 210 (130-290) |
8% |
| Share for foster parent | 610 (490-740) |
24% | 430 (320-530) |
16% |
| Share for group home or institution staff | 440 (330-540) |
17% | 580 (450-710) |
22% |
| Share for noncaregivers | 350 (240-450) |
13% | 30 (0-60) |
1% |
| Note: Percentages are not additive because agencies
were included in each applicable row (category). Note: Cells in italics are based on 10 or fewer agencies. |
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Other, nonlaw enforcement agencies were also involved with CPS agencies for different types of perpetrators (Table 5-8). However, with one exception, sharing with other nonlaw enforcement agencies was relatively rare. Very few nonlaw enforcement agencies were involved in responding to maltreatment perpetrated by a family member or relative (3%), minor (8%), foster parent (16%), or noncaregiver (1%). CPS agencies were somewhat more likely to share lead responsibility with other nonlaw enforcement agencies for maltreatment perpetrated by a staff member at a group home or institution.
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While more CPS agencies claimed lead responsibility across all type of maltreatment for the screening function, very few had overall lead responsibility for the investigation and alternative response functions. The specific circumstances of the maltreatment also shaped the role of CPS agencies. CPS agencies shared lead responsibility more often for the more serious forms of maltreatment. CPS agencies shared lead responsibility for screening more often for physical abuse (29%) and sexual abuse (39%) than for neglect (19%) or other maltreatment. Similarly, while 65 percent of CPS agencies shared lead responsibility for severe physical abuse, the percentages for moderate physical abuse (47%) and at risk of physical abuse (12%) were much lower. CPS agencies were most likely to have lead responsibility when an investigation or an alternative response related to a perpetrator who was a family member or a relative. Approximately one-half of the agencies did not provide alternative response in cases that included foster parents, group home or institutional staff, or minors.
The findings also reveal a distinction between the role of law enforcement and that of other agencies in CPS work. Across different types of maltreatment, CPS agencies reported sharing lead responsibility with law enforcement more often than with any other type of agency. While nearly three-quarters of CPS agencies shared lead responsibility with law enforcement for physical and sexual abuse, fewer than 20 percent of agencies shared with other, nonlaw enforcement agencies for these types of maltreatment. The same pattern holds true for different types of perpetrators with more sharing of lead responsibility with law enforcement agencies. While 41 percent of CPS agencies shared lead responsibility with law enforcement agencies when the perpetrator was a family member or relative, just 3 percent shared with other agencies for this type of perpetrator. Together, these differences emphasize the significant role law enforcement agencies play in CPS processes. Law enforcement agencies are the only other agencies besides CPS agencies that can receive mandated reports of child maltreatment, enforce the applicable criminal law, and remove children from their parents, if they are being maltreated or are at risk of maltreatment.
1. If a CPS agency said that they shared lead responsibility with law enforcement for physical abuse for any of the three functions (screening, investigation, alternative response), then that agency was counted as sharing lead responsibility with law enforcement for physical abuse.
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