IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/cysrev/v180y2026ics0190740925005390.html

Early assessment of the risk of child abuse in well-child care: The predictive validity of a family-centered approach

Author

Listed:
  • van der Put, Claudia E.
  • Stolwijk, Isidora J.
  • Reijneveld, Sijmen A.

Abstract

To prevent child abuse, effective early detection of risk factors is essential. In the Netherlands, a family-centered approach is used by well-child clinics for assessing infants’ social-emotional wellbeing and their developmental context. We aimed to assess the predictive validity of this family-centered approach for predicting future child welfare involvement, as a proxy for child abuse, and whether this clinical assessment could be improved by using a sum score (actuarial assessment).

Suggested Citation

  • van der Put, Claudia E. & Stolwijk, Isidora J. & Reijneveld, Sijmen A., 2026. "Early assessment of the risk of child abuse in well-child care: The predictive validity of a family-centered approach," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 180(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:cysrev:v:180:y:2026:i:c:s0190740925005390
    DOI: 10.1016/j.childyouth.2025.108656
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0190740925005390
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.childyouth.2025.108656?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to

    for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Shlonsky, Aron & Wagner, Dennis, 2005. "The next step: Integrating actuarial risk assessment and clinical judgment into an evidence-based practice framework in CPS case management," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 27(4), pages 409-427, April.
    2. Baird, Christopher & Wagner, Dennis, 2000. "The relative validity of actuarial- and consensus-based risk assessment systems," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 22(11-12), pages 839-871.
    3. Li, Fenfang & Godinet, Meripa T. & Arnsberger, Pam, 2011. "Protective factors among families with children at risk of maltreatment: Follow up to early school years," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 33(1), pages 139-148, January.
    4. Vial, Annemiek & van der Put, Claudia & Stams, Geert Jan J.M. & Assink, Mark, 2019. "The content validity and usability of a child safety assessment instrument," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 107(C).
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Schwartz, Ira M. & York, Peter & Nowakowski-Sims, Eva & Ramos-Hernandez, Ana, 2017. "Predictive and prescriptive analytics, machine learning and child welfare risk assessment: The Broward County experience," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 81(C), pages 309-320.
    2. van der Put, Claudia E. & Assink, Mark & Stams, Geert Jan J.M., 2016. "Predicting relapse of problematic child-rearing situations," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 61(C), pages 288-295.
    3. Lee, Shawna J. & Sobeck, Joanne L. & Djelaj, Valentina & Agius, Elizabeth, 2013. "When practice and policy collide: Child welfare workers' perceptions of investigation processes," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 35(4), pages 634-641.
    4. Beth Coulthard & John Mallett & Brian Taylor, 2020. "Better Decisions for Children with “Big Data”: Can Algorithms Promote Fairness, Transparency and Parental Engagement?," Societies, MDPI, vol. 10(4), pages 1-16, December.
    5. Keddell, Emily, 2014. "Theorising the signs of safety approach to child protection social work: Positioning, codes and power," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 47(P1), pages 70-77.
    6. Johanna Caldwell & Vandna Sinha, 2020. "(Re) Conceptualizing Neglect: Considering the Overrepresentation of Indigenous Children in Child Welfare Systems in Canada," Child Indicators Research, Springer;The International Society of Child Indicators (ISCI), vol. 13(2), pages 481-512, April.
    7. Coohey, Carol & Johnson, Kristen & Renner, Lynette M. & Easton, Scott D., 2013. "Actuarial risk assessment in child protective services: Construction methodology and performance criteria," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 35(1), pages 151-161.
    8. Jenkins, Brian Q. & Tilbury, Clare, 2024. "An evaluation of the racial equity of the actuarial Family risk assessment instrument used in Queensland, Australia," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 164(C).
    9. Lavi, Iris & Katz, Carmit, 2016. "Neglected voices: Lessons from forensic investigation following neglect," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 70(C), pages 171-176.
    10. Vial, Annemiek & Assink, Mark & Stams, Geert Jan J.M. & van der Put, Claudia, 2020. "Safety assessment in child welfare: A comparison of instruments," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 108(C).
    11. Ha, Yoonsook & Collins, Mary Elizabeth & Martino, David, 2015. "Child care burden and the risk of child maltreatment among low-income working families," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 59(C), pages 19-27.
    12. Rolock, Nancy & Jantz, Ian & Abner, Kristin, 2015. "Community perceptions and foster care placement: A multi-level analysis," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 48(C), pages 186-191.
    13. Geimer, Jennifer L. & Leach, Desmond J. & DeSimone, Justin A. & Rogelberg, Steven G. & Warr, Peter B., 2015. "Meetings at work: Perceived effectiveness and recommended improvements," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 68(9), pages 2015-2026.
    14. Charles F. Manski, 2016. "Credible Ecological Inference for Personalized Medicine: Formalizing Clinical Judgment," NBER Working Papers 22643, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    15. Whitt-Woosley, Adrienne & Sprang, Ginny & Gustman, Brian D., 2014. "Lives at risk: Uncovering factors associated with fatal child maltreatment," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 47(P3), pages 307-313.
    16. Harden, Brenda Jones & D'Amour Meisch, Allison & Vick, Jessica E. & Pandohie-Johnson, Lisa, 2008. "Measuring parenting among foster families: The development of the Foster Parent Attitudes Questionnaire (FPAQ)," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 30(8), pages 879-892, August.
    17. de Kwaadsteniet, Leontien & Bartelink, Cora & Witteman, Cilia & ten Berge, Ingrid & van Yperen, Tom, 2013. "Improved decision making about suspected child maltreatment: Results of structuring the decision process," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 35(2), pages 347-352.
    18. Palusci, Vincent J. & Vandervort, Frank E., 2014. "Universal reporting laws and child maltreatment report rates in large U.S. counties," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 38(C), pages 20-28.
    19. Bolton, Annalese & Lennings, Chris, 2010. "Clinical opinions of structured risk assessments for forensic child protection: The development of a clinically relevant device," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 32(10), pages 1300-1310, October.
    20. Herring, David J., 2009. "Fathers and child maltreatment: A research agenda based on evolutionary theory and behavioral biology research," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 31(8), pages 935-945, August.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:cysrev:v:180:y:2026:i:c:s0190740925005390. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/childyouth .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.