Caseworker Interview

1

Some items or sections of the NSCAW Caregiver instrument were dependent on whether the sampled child was living with a permanent caregiver (e.g., biological parent, adoptive parent) or a non-permanent
caregiver (e.g., foster parent, relative, or informal foster caregiver).

Overview of NSCAW Investigative and Services Caseworker Instrument Module
CAPI
Section

Construct

Questionnaire Introduction
Up-Front Module

QC
UF

N/A
N/A

Case Investigation

CI

Case Investigation

Alleged Abuse

AA

Nature of abuse

Risk Assessment

RA

Risk Assessment

History Since Case Report

HR

Project-developed questions

Caseworker Involvement

IV

Caseworker involvement with
child/family

Services to Parents
Services to Child
Independent living

SP
SC
IM

Adoption Module

AM

Module

Measure

Author/Publisher

Waves

Information Gathered

N/A
N/A

1, 2, 3
1, 2, 3

N/A

1

N/A

1

N/A
Caseworker name and employee ID (to link child interviews
to caseworker interviews); employer, date of birth, and name
and relationship of child’s current caregiver
Circumstances surrounding the investigative report;
background of the caseworker
Details about the specific nature of the alleged abuse or
neglect

N/A

1

N/A

2, 3

Project-developed questions

N/A

2, 3

Services to parents
Services to child
Independent living skills

Project-developed questions
Project-developed questions
Project-developed questions

N/A
N/A
N/A

1, 2, 3
1, 2, 3
2, 3

Adoption possibilities for child

Project-developed questions

N/A

2, 3

Project-developed intro script
Project-developed questions to drive
instrument wording/flow and ensure data
linkage
Project-developed questions
English, D. J. & the LONGSCAN
Investigators (1997). Modified Maltreatment
Classification System (MMCS). For
more information visit the LONGSCAN
website at http://www.iprc.unc.edu/longscan/
As modified from the Maltreatment
Classification System outlined in:
Barnett, D., Manly, J.T. and Cicchetti, D.
(1993). Defining Child Maltreatment: The
interface between policy and
research. In: D. Cicchetti and S.L. Toth
(Eds.), Advances in Applied Developmental
Psychology: Child Abuse, Child
Development and Social Policy. Norwood,
NJ: Ablex Publishing Corp., Chapter 2, pp. 773.
Project-developed questions based on
questions from Michigan, New York,
Washington, Illinois, Colorado risk
assessment forms and checklists
N/A

9

Factors determining case decisions, including prior history of
abuse or neglect, caregiver substance abuse, domestic
violence in the home, caregiver mental health problems,
poor parenting skills, excessive discipline, and so forth.
Child’s history with the child welfare system since the case
report that resulted in the child’s selection for NSCAW
Caseworker’s individual involvement with case, including
referrals made for family members, caseworker contact with
siblings, number of contacts with service providers and
family, and attitudes about service to family
Service needs for all cases.
Services child may have received asked of all cases.
Independent living skills the child may have developed and
where each skill was learned
Adoption possibilities for children in out-of-home care; also
factors that encouraged or discouraged the caregiver’s
decision about adoption

Module

CAPI
Section

Author/Publisher

Waves

Information Gathered

Permanency Planning

PO

Permanency planning
possibilities for child

Construct

Project-developed questions

N/A

2, 3

History Before Case Report

HB

Prior reports of abuse/neglect

Project-developed questions

N/A

2, 3

Court Hearings

CT

Involvement with juvenile
justice/court system

Project-developed questions

N/A

2, 3

Living Environments

LN

Child=s placement
history/parental living situations

Project-developed questions

N/A

1, 2, 3

Family Compliance and
Progress
Caseworker Background

CP

Project-developed questions

N/A

2, 3

CB

Family=s compliance and
progress towards case plan
Caseworker demographic
characteristics

Permanency planning possibilities for children in out-ofhome care, including adoption, legal guardianship, and longterm foster care; also factors that encouraged or
discouraged the caregiver’s permanency planning decision.
PO module replaced the AM module from prior waves.
Child’s history with the child welfare system before the case
report that resulted in the child’s selection for NSCAW.
Administered Wave 2.
History of court hearings related to case, including hearing
type, recommendations by the child welfare agency,
outcome
History of child’s living situations since investigation,
including type of living arrangement and child’s contact with
biological parents
Family’s progress with and adherence to case plan

Project-developed questions

N/A

1, 2, 3

Organizational Climate
Caseworker Interview Close

OC
CW

Glisson (2006)
N/A

2
1, 2, 3

Climate of agency
N/A

Measure

Organizational Social Context (OSC)
Project-developed script to end caseworker
interview

10

Demographic information about caseworker, employment
and educational history, and attitudinal questions about
work; completed as self-admin paper questionnaire or CAPI
. Brief subset of items administered in subsequent waves.
Assesses culture, climate, and social context of agency.
N/A