The Allegheny Family Screening Tool’s Overestimation of Utility and Risk

Logic(s)

Each year, more than three million US children are subjected to investigations by state and local child welfare agencies, the majority of which are closed without a finding of maltreatment. Most investigations result from allegations of “neglect,” a broad category, distinct from physical or sexual abuse, expansive enough to justify government oversight of families experiencing poverty or those whose parenting practices do not constitute abuse, but are unfamiliar or frowned upon by caseworkers or agencies. Families describe these investigations as frightening, invasive, stigmatizing, and rife with bias. Given the intrusive nature of child welfare interventions and the questionable benefit to impacted families and children, as detailed below, the terms “family regulation system” or “family policing system” are increasingly used to replace a moniker that encourages a view of the system as a neutral and benevolent protector.

Anjana Samant, Noam Shemtov, Kath Xu, Sophie Beiers, Marissa Gerchick, Ana Gutierrez, Aaron Horowitz, Tobi Jegede, Tarak Shah (2023). “The Allegheny Family Screening Tool’s Overestimation of Utility and Risk.” Logic(s). 13 December, 2023. Issue 20.