Department/School

Social Work

Date of this version

2011

Document Type

Article

Keywords

child welfare, children with disabilities, out of home placement, child maltreatment, foster care, child protection

DOI

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2011.02.019

Abstract

This article explores the prevalence and characteristics of children with disabilities within the child welfare system using administrative data from the State of Minnesota. This study finds that more than a fifth (22%) of children with substantiated maltreatment are labeled in administrative records as having a disability, and more than one quarter of children (27.9%) over age five. The most common type of disability among children with substantiated maltreatment was emotional disturbance, while other common disabilities included intellectual and developmental disabilities and learning disabilities. Using logistic regression, this study finds that children with substantiated maltreatment with disabilities were about two times more likely to be in out of home placement than children with substantiated maltreatment without disabilities.

Volume

33

Issue

11

Published in

Children and Youth Services Review

Citation/Other Information

Lightfoot, E., Hill, K., & LaLiberte, T. (2011). Prevalence of children with disabilities in the child welfare system and out of home placement: An examination of administrative records. Children and Youth Services Review, 33(11), 2069-2075. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2011.02.019

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