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Dataset Details

State Child Abuse and Neglect (SCAN) Policies Database 2021

Dataset Number: 265


Investigator(s)

Elizabeth C. Weigensberg, PhD - Mathematica
Nuzhat Islam, MS - Mathematica
Jean Knab, PhD - Mathematica
Mary A. Grider, MBA - Mathematica
Jeremy Page, MA - Mathematica
Addison Larson, MS - Mathematica

Abstract

The State Child Abuse and Neglect (SCAN) Policies Database, supported by the Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human services, compiles data on state definitions and policies related to the surveillance of child maltreatment incidence and associated risk and protective factors.

The SCAN Policies Database is a resource for researchers, analysts, and others who are interested in examining differences in definitions and policies on child maltreatment across states and overtime. A primary use of these data is to allow researchers to link the analytic files to other data sources to address important questions about how variations in states’ definitions and policies are associated with the incidence of child maltreatment, the child welfare system response, and ultimately child safety and well-being.

Other data sources that can be linked with the SCAN Policies Database include data from the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System (NCANDS), the Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS), state administrative data, and survey data. When data from the SCAN Policies Database are linked with other data sources, these data can be used to answer key research questions about how variations in definitions and policies are associated with key aspects of understanding the incidence of child abuse and neglect.

The SCAN Policies Database includes state definitions and policies from the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. The SCAN Policies Database 2019 represents data, collected, reviewed, and verified between May 2019 and July 2020, and the data reflect the state definitions and policies for the calendar year 2019. The SCAN Policies Database 2021 represents data collected, reviewed, and verified between July 2021 and January 2022, and the data reflect the state definitions and policies for the calendar year 2021.

Bibliographic Citation

Weigensberg, E., Islam, N., Knab, J., Grider, M., Page, J., & Larson, A. (2022). State Child Abuse and Neglect (SCAN) Policies Database 2021 [Dataset]. National Data Archive on Child Abuse and Neglect. Https://doi.org/10.34681/rpq4-m848

Data Documentation

Publications from this Dataset