Trends in Safety Data. Have there been notable changes in the individual data elements in the safety profile in Section III over the past 3 years in the State? Identify and discuss factors that have affected the changes noted and the effects on the safety of children in the State.
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In 1998, the Georgia Supreme Court ruled it unconstitutional to put a person's name on a perpetrator listing without that person having had full constitutional rights to appeal that decision. At that time Georgia expunged all identifying perpetrator information from its CPS data system. The case determination selection was also changed from three determinations to two determinations: from confirmed, unconfirmed and unfounded to substantiated and unsubstantiated. Investigations that had previously contained some evidence, although not enough to confirm abuse, now received the designation of unsubstantiated. Investigations that previously resulted in unfounded determinations are also part of the unsubstantiated category. This explains why 1998 and 1999 figures on the Child Safety Profile are proportionately different from those of 1997. The Substantiated and Indicated category for these two years consists only of those investigations that were substantiated. In 1997, the department investigated 48,770 reports of abuse. Of these 48,770 reports, 14,008 (28.7%) were confirmed, 14,004 (28.7%) were unconfirmed and 20,758 (42.6%) were unfounded. The figure for "Substantiated & Indicated" on the safety profile for 1997 is 28,012, a combination of the confirmed and unconfirmed investigations. Year Case Determination % 1997 28,012 Confirmed/Unconfirmed 57.4% 1997 20,758 Unfounded 42.6% 1997 14,008 Confirmed 28.7% 1997 34,762 Unconfirmed/Unfounded 71.3% 1998 14,936 Substantiated 31.8% 1998 32,071 Unsubstantiated 68.2% 1999 16,024 Substantiated 34.1% 1999 31,008 Unsubstantiated 65.9% The above chart shows that if 1997 figures for substantiated and indicated had not included the indicated (unconfirmed) determinations, the number and percentage for 1997 would be similar to 1998 and 1999. The chart shows a slightly increasing percentage of confirmed/substantiated determinations for this three-year period. This is attributed to Georgia's implementation statewide of a structured decision making model in 1998 and 1999. Use of that model anticipates an increase in the percentage of substantiated determinations. This happens because more reports that do not meet the criteria for CPS are routed to early intervention and prevention services instead of to CPS investigation. Georgia's gradual increase in substantiations during this period reflects the expectations of incorporating this model. |
Last Updated 10/10/2001