A Proposal to Improve Child Protective Services in America



Section 1: Program Evaluation1

Introduction1

Purpose of Evaluation2

Determining & Prioritizing Needs2

Cultural & Ethical Concerns3

Driving Factors & Stakeholders4

References5

A Proposal to Improve Child Protective Services in America

Section 1: Program Evaluation

Introduction

My social change project is focused on improving the child protection services (CPS) in America. Child Protection Services (CPS) is basically established for providing an effective and prompt response to children who require protection. Every child welfare consultant focuses on having the capacity or at least try to develop some for serving children and their families who are in real need of this attention (HHS, 2003). Throughout decades, several agencies and institutions have been developed in order to address the issue of child protection in America, where these CPS has been consistently following a goal of enhancing the services provided to children who have been maltreated. Government agencies as well as private non-profit organizations, advocates, and communities have sought to find the best means of assisting such children (Walter R. McDonald & Associates, Inc., 2001). Thus, welfare agencies, institutions, and advocates have been concerned about child protection in the country, but unfortunately CPS are not highly effective when it comes to particular risk factors that can improve the mental health and well being of a child. In cases where child abuse is substantiated by evidence, factors of risk remains unchanged during the follow up interviews with families. Where, the risk factors are one of the most effective means of improving the child protection services in America as these factors can change the well being and health of children in long run by focusing on things like family functioning, social support, and child behavioral problems (Grohol, 2010). Hence, in order to improve CPS in America it is essential for child protection services to focus on risk factors for effectively protecting children in the long run.

According to a nationwide research study which assessed children in 595 families over a period of 9 years, the households where abuse of children was substantiated by evidence, there risk factors remained unchanged during follow up interviews with the families (Grohol, 2010). These risk factors are so important for changing the health and well being of children in the long run, but unfortunately the child protection services do not focus much on these risk factors mainly because most CPS institutions are not charged with particularly addressing these risk factors. CPS is majorly focused on instant threats to the child safety like neglect, domestic violence, or abuse (Grohol, 2010). Thus, the investigation of CPS is not highly associated with improving the common, modifiable risk factors, which indicates that we are missing a chance for secondary preventions. The investigations of child protection services provide unique access to high risk households and a chance for intervening in order to decrease maltreatment repetition and enhance outcomes. So, current results represent that CPS has been lacking the intervention for improving child protection on long run basis which can be done through focusing on risk ...