National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being Research Brief No. 3. Children's Cognitive and Socioemotional Development and Their Receipt of Special Educational and Mental Health Services

摘要

This research brief describes the developmental risks present in a cohort of children coming into contact with the child welfare system between 1999 and 2000, as well as the services the children receive to address these risks. The findings are drawn from the National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-being (NSCAW), a unique study that provides detailed information about the well-being and experiences of children and families in the child welfare system. Whereas existing research on this population comes primarily from administrative data or smaller studies, the NSCAW is the first comprehensive, nationally representative, longitudinal study to examine the well-being of these children and families. This research brief juxtaposes data on the developmental risks present in children who have been investigated by child protective services (CPS) with their levels of service receipt approximately 7 months after investigation (on average). The brief concentrates on the cognitive and socioemotional development of children and answers the following questions: What are the cognitive and socioemotional needs of children who come into contact with the CPS system. In other words, what proportion of children in this study show significant developmental delays in the areas of cognitive and socioemotional development; Given the level of need, what percentage of children in the NSCAW is receiving mental health and special educational services; How do these levels of need and service receipt compare for preschool age and school age children; and Are there differences in the needs and service receipt of children in in-home and out-of-home care.