Table 3.
Ordinal Logistic Regression Estimates of Caseworker Referral Strategies
| Sample 1 | Sample 2 | Sample 3 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CG needs housing | CW made housing referral | Referral in case plan | ||||
| O.R. (S.E.) | 95% CI | O.R. (S.E.) | 95% CI | O.R. (S.E.) | 95% CI | |
|
|
||||||
| Caseworker-caregiver racial/ethnic match | ||||||
| Caucasian caseworker-caregiver | 1.27 (0.50) | 0.58–2.80 | 1.08 (0.59) | 0.36–3.20 | 2.09 (1.64) | 0.42–10.30 |
| Non-Caucasian caseworker-caregiver | 1.79 (0.88) | 0.67–4.80 | 6.49** (4.06) | 1.85–22.71 | 5.22* (4.26) | 1.00–27.24 |
| Control variables: Caseworker attributes | ||||||
| Caseworker job role: Ongoing services | 3.23* (1.77) | 1.08–9.62 | 2.41 (1.71) | 0.59–9.95 | 1.94 (1.41) | 0.46–8.25 |
| Caseworker job role: Other (not investigation) | 3.28** (1.40) | 1.40–7.70 | 3.34 (2.24) | 0.88–12.69 | 1.15 (0.97) | 0.21–6.23 |
| Caseworker years in child welfare | 1.01 (0.03) | 0.96–1.06 | 0.99 (0.03) | 0.94–1.06 | 0.99 (0.05) | 0.90–1.09 |
| Caseworker caseload | 1.01 (0.01) | 0.99–1.03 | 1.00 (0.01) | 0.98–1.03 | 0.99 (0.01) | 0.97–1.02 |
| Control variables: Case characteristics | ||||||
| Maltreatment type: Physical abuse | 1.33 (0.52) | 0.61–2.88 | 2.55* (1.12) | 1.06–6.13 | 2.53 (1.96) | 0.54–11.88 |
| Maltreatment type: Sexual abuse | 0.72 (0.45) | 0.21–2.48 | 1.85 (1.07) | 0.59–5.86 | 1.13 (0.87) | 0.25–5.22 |
| Maltreatment type: Substance abuse | 0.65 (0.29) | 0.26–1.60 | 1.11 (0.53) | 0.43–2.90 | 0.24* (0.15) | 0.07–0.82 |
| Maltreatment type: Other (not neglect) | 0.73 (0.29) | 0.33–1.61 | 0.53 (0.33) | 0.15–1.84 | 0.25 (0.19) | 0.06–1.10 |
| Child placed out-of-home | 0.70 (0.29) | 0.30–1.62 | 0.77 (0.52) | 0.20–2.97 | 0.57 (0.44) | 0.12–2.69 |
| Family cumulative risk | 1.85** (0.42) | 1.17–2.93 | 2.32* (0.74) | 1.22–4.40 | 2.41* (0.89) | 1.15–5.04 |
| Child age in years | 1.01 (0.04) | 0.94–1.08 | 1.03 (0.04) | 0.96–1.10 | 1.04 (0.07) | 0.90–1.19 |
| Caregiver >35 years | 0.98 (0.37) | 0.46–2.09 | 1.30 (0.76) | 0.40–4.20 | 1.63 (1.39) | 0.30–8.97 |
| Control variables: Contextual factors | ||||||
| Agency located in non-metropolitan area | 1.51 (0.58) | 0.71–3.23 | 1.50 (0.75) | 0.56–4.05 | 1.70 (0.86) | 0.62–4.67 |
| % local population below federal poverty line | 1.00 (0.04) | 0.93–1.08 | 0.92* (0.04) | 0.84–1.00 | 0.91* (0.04) | 0.84–0.98 |
Note: CG = caregiver; CW = caseworker; Sample 1 N=873; Sample 2 N=509; Sample 3 N=286;
*
p<0.05;
**
p<0.01. Categories of caseworker referral strategies (outcome variable) include: no action taken by caseworker; caseworker provided caregiver with informational assistance only; and caseworker provided caregiver with informational assistance and active assistance.