Filippelli, J., Fallon, B., Trocmé, N., Fuller-Thomson, E. & Black, T.(2017). Infants and the decision to provide ongoing child welfare services. Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Mental Health, 11(24). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13034-017-0162-7
Infants are the children most likely to receive child welfare services, and investigations involving them are a key chance to identify needs early and intervene. Yet little is known about these families or what shapes how the system responds. Using Ontario’s 2013 provincial child welfare incidence study, this research looked at which factors best predicted whether an infant’s case would be transferred to ongoing services after investigation. Most caregivers faced at least one risk factor, and most families were referred to specialized services. The strongest predictor of ongoing services was the primary caregiver having few social supports, and caregiver risk factors dominated the model overall. The findings show that caregivers of infants are often struggling with challenges that can make it harder to meet their baby’s needs, and they underscore the importance of community and social supports in child welfare decision-making.