A Retrospective Examination of Child Protection Involvement Among Young Adults Accessing Homelessness Services |
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| Authors: | Emily Putnam‐Hornstein Bridgette Lery Jonathan Hoonhout Susanna Curry |
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| Affiliation: | 1. Children's Data Network, Suzanne Dworak‐Peck School of Social Work, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA;2. Child Welfare Indicators Project, School of Social Welfare, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA;3. San Francisco Human Services Agency, San Francisco, CA, USA;4. Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA;5. University of Chicago School of Social Service Administration, Chicago, IL, USA |
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| Abstract: | Childhood maltreatment is associated with a variety of young adult adversities including homelessness. This study used linked administrative records to develop a population‐level, epidemiological characterization of the child protection histories of young adults accessing homelessness services. The records of all 17‐ to 24‐year‐olds receiving homeless services between 2011 and 2014 in San Francisco County, California (n = 2241) were probabilistically linked to statewide child protective service (CPS) records. Findings document that 50.0% of young adults had been reported for maltreatment at least once during childhood, yet the prevalence of past CPS involvement varied across demographic and child welfare characteristics. Homeless female youth were significantly more likely to have a CPS history than male youth (58.1% vs. 41.5%). Nearly twice as many Black clients accessing homelessness services had a CPS history as did White clients (59.8% vs. 31.8%). Roughly half (47.3%) of those with a childhood history of reported maltreatment had been last reported for maltreatment in another California county. Targeting services that address past trauma and instability among homeless young adults may be justified given the prevalence of CPS history in this population. |
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| Keywords: | Child maltreatment Child welfare services Homelessness Transition‐age youth |
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