Will the kids be alright? CWS and the unfinished work of protection and beyond

Richard P. Barth, Jill Duerr Berrick, Melissa Jonson-Reid, Antonio R. Garcia, Johanna K.P. Greeson, John Gyourko and Brett Drake

Chapter 6 in Understanding Child Welfare, 2026, pp 105-135 from Edward Elgar Publishing

Abstract: Should child welfare improve children's long-term outcomes beyond immediate safety or permanency? Arguably, child welfare in the USA is not sufficiently funded to provide the level of services many children and families need to prevent future recurrent contact, later death, or risk of poor developmental outcomes across domains and into adulthood. Yet we have taken the position that society has a moral obligation and pragmatic reasons to care about longer-term well-being for maltreated children. This chapter analyzes what is known about the long-term outcomes associated with varying levels of child welfare contact and introduces promising interventions for improving the ability to positively influence children's safety and life trajectories. We invite the reader to consider how best to promote better outcomes for children long after child welfare has completed its response to maltreatment, whether that be within child welfare or part of a broader system of care.

Keywords: Child welfare services; Foster care; Long-term outcomes (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
ISBN: 9781035359110
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