When children are removed from the home because of child maltreatment, child welfare service agencies aim to return them to a safe and permanent home as soon as possible. The preferred permanency goal is reunification with the child’s original…

Although maltreatment of children living in substitute care has significant negative consequences for both the children who experience it and for child welfare agencies, research examining this outcome is underdeveloped and has focused on a limited…

Child welfare systems across the nation share the concern that children from some racial and ethnic groups may be disproportionately represented in the child welfare system compared to their representation in the general population. This report…

In FY2025, the Children and Family Research Center’s (CFRC) evaluation team continued to examine the implementation and outcomes of simulation training for newly hired child protection investigators in the Illinois Department of Children and…

The Advisory Commission on Reducing the Disproportionate Representation of African American Children in Foster Care was established by Public Act 102-0470 and charged with identifying the factors that lead to the overrepresentation of African…

A critical part of investigations of child sexual abuse is a forensic interview of the child by specialized child forensic interviewers, who are trained to elicit detailed, accurate disclosures while provide support to the child. This article…