One of the primary purposes of child protective services interventions is to prevent future harm for children who have already experienced abuse or neglect. To realize a family’s full potential, the broader spectrum of trauma and challenges faced by both parents and children must be addressed. The two-generation approach works by targeting children and the adults in their lives together. Two-generation approaches build family well-being through engaging parents and children in policies and programs that support and strengthen them. This can be an effective tool in ending the cycle of child abuse and neglect. On this page, find resources to help understand when and why maltreatment reoccurs and help improve interventions. Resources include State and local examples.
Caregiver Physical Health and Child Maltreatment Reports and Rereports (PDF - 280 KB)
Chiang, Jonson-Reid, & Drake (2020)
Children and Youth Services Review, 108
Examines caregiver health issues and maltreatment occurrence and recurrence. The study found that poor caregiver health was linked with increased risk of neglect, but for recurrence, it was only associated in cases where families did not receive services after the initial maltreatment report.
Intergenerational Patterns of Child Maltreatment: What the Evidence Shows
Latent Class Analysis Risk Profiles: An Effective Method to Predict a First Re-Report of Maltreatment? (PDF - 457 KB)
Kim, Jonson-Reid, Kohl, Chiang, Drake, Brown, McBride, & Guo (2020)
Evaluation and Program Planning, 80
Presents the results of a study that uses a person-centered approach to identify families at low and high risk of recurrence of child maltreatment. Findings showed using a person-centered assessment may be helpful for child welfare agencies wanting to target resources to the highest need families and prevent maltreatment recurrence.
Parenting Programs for the Prevention of Child Physical Abuse Recurrence: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (PDF - 672 KB)
Vlahovicova, Melendez-Torres, Leijten, Knerr, & Gardner (2017)
Offers evidence supporting parental behavioral programs based on social learning theory to reduce the recurrence of child physical abuse.
Repeat Reports Among Cases Reported for Child Neglect: A Scoping Review (PDF - 619 KB)
Jonson-Reid, Chiang, Kohl, Drake, Brown, Guo, Kim, & McBride (2019)
Child Abuse & Neglect, 92
Presents a review of studies of maltreatment recurrence focusing on child neglect. The review aims to guide future research, child welfare practice, and policymaking by summarizing findings about the recurrence of neglect.
Sibling Child Protective Services Involvement Following a Child Maltreatment Fatality (PDF - 208 KB)
Corlis, Damashek, Meister, Richardson, & Bonner (2020)
Child Maltreatment, 25(1)
Examines the child protective services involvement of children who have had a sibling die from child maltreatment. Findings showed that surviving siblings were likely to be reported to child protective services and 81 percent of the original victims had siblings with subsequent maltreatment reports.
State and local examples
Reducing Maltreatment Recurrence Through Home Visitation: A Promising Intervention for Child Welfare Involved Families
Lee, Kirkland, Miranda-Julian, & Greene (2018)
Child Abuse & Neglect, 86
Investigates the long-term outcomes from a home visiting program, Healthy Families New York, and examines the program’s impact on preventing child maltreatment recurrence.