Risk assessment in a multicultural context: Risk and protective factors in the decision to place children in foster care

Decision-making in the child protection services is a challenging task, in particular for workers who operate in a multicultural context. Studies have found that children from immigrant groups are overrepresented in the rates of cases reported to CPSs because of the higher prevalence of some distal risk factors. However, it remains unclear whether these distal factors may also lead to child removal interventions by CPS workers. This research compared immigrant and Italian families on the factors included in the Protocol of risk and protective factors to deepen the knowledge of CPS professionals’ decision-making process (Di Blasio, 2005). Social records of 175 immigrant families and 153 Italian families referred for child maltreatment to CPSs were analyzed. The results confirmed the higher prevalence of specific distal risk factors (chronic poverty, low educational level, lack of network and social integration, approval of violence, and punishments as educational practices) among immigrant families. Furthermore, the analysis identified diverse factors that appear to lead to the CPSs workers’ intervention (child out-of-home placement or monitoring and parental abilities support) for immigrant and Italian families.