Schools Reporting Child Welfare Concerns in Ontario

Abstract

Objectives: Currently, there is a dearth of literature surrounding what the profile looks like of a child referred to child welfare services by a school professional. Methods: The Ontario Incidence Study of Reported Child Abuse and Neglect was the first provincial incidence study to track cases of child abuse and neglect (Trocmé, McPhee, & Hay, 1994). The past five cycles (OIS-1993, OIS-1998, OIS-2003, OIS-2008, and OIS-2013), spanning twenty years, offer a unique opportunity for comparisons to be made over time. This study conducted a secondary analysis of the OIS to examine the profile of cases referred by school personnel to child welfare agencies across twenty years. Results: Physical abuse is consistently the most commonly reported type of maltreatment by school professionals. Substantiated investigations resulting from school referrals have remained relatively low across all of the OIS cycles. Discussion: The relatively low percentage of substantiated school referrals across the cycles of the OIS further validate the literature that shows school referrals to be significantly more likely to be unsubstantiated than other professional referrals (King, 2011; King & Scott, 2014; U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2007). Substantiation rates have not been above 30% for the past 10 years, and have never been higher than 40%. Further research is needed to offer concrete explanations for this trend.