Factors influencing resubstantiation of child neglect in South Korea

Full title: Factors influencing resubstantiation of child neglect in South

Korea: A comparison with other maltreatment cases

Sewon Kim | Department of Social Welfare, Catholic Kwandong University

Joan P. Yoo | Department of Social Welfare, Seoul National University

Meejung Chin | Department of Child Development and Family Studies, Seoul National University

Hwa Jung Jang | National Child Protection Agency

Hyun‐Soo Kim | Graduate School of Education, Hanyang University

Sang‐Gyun Lee | Department of Social Welfare, Catholic University of Korea

Bong Joo Lee | Department of Social Welfare, Seoul National University

Abstract

While a high prevalence of child neglect cases has been reported by Child Protective Services (CPS) in Western countries, child neglect cases reported to South Korea's Child Protection Agency (CPA) present different trends than those in Western countries. Nevertheless, child neglect is an understudied area within child welfare. Thus, a need exists to investigate the unique characteristics of child neglect cases substantiated by the CPA in Korea. This study investigates the unique characteristics of child neglect cases and examines how factors associated with the resubstantiation of these cases differ from those of other maltreatment cases. Using CPA administrative data, we employed a multilevel discrete‐time hazard analysis to analyze the risk and protective factors associated with the resubstantiation of child neglect cases and compared the results with other maltreatment cases. In both cases, younger children, perpetrators with alcohol problems, families receiving welfare, and months of agency operation were associated with resubstantiation. For child neglect cases, the provision of child and parent services, and CPAs located in metropolitan area were protective factors that reduced the risk of resubstantiation. The finding in this study highlights the need to expand the provision of services to child neglect cases to prevent resubstantiation.

K E Y W O R D S

child neglect, multilevel discrete‐time hazard analysis, resubstantiation, risk and protective

factors

Asian Soc Work Pol Rev. 2019;13:100–116.

DOI: 10.1111/aswp.12160