Child Protective Service Involvement and Parental Economic Precarity: Investigating the Role of Frontline Workers

Nadon and Thomas will investigate the economic consequences of Child Protective Service (CPS) involvement for parents, with a particular focus on how frontline child welfare workers shape these outcomes through their professional discretion. Prior research demonstrates that the American child welfare system disproportionately impacts low-income families and families of color, perpetuating existing social and economic inequalities. While much scholarship centers on the long-term effects of CPS involvement for children, little is known about the immediate economic impacts on parents, who may face direct costs, benefit loss, employment disruption, and intensified financial hardship. Drawing on interviews with CPS-involved parents in Illinois, preliminary findings reveal inconsistent financial effects across cases, influenced significantly by individual caseworkers’ decisions and resource provision. Building on these insights, this study will extend our research by conducting qualitative, semi-structured interviews with 30 frontline child welfare workers and supervisors across public and private agencies in Illinois. Through thematic analysis, Nadon and Thomas will explore how frontline child welfare workers may use their professional discretion to shape the economic consequences faced by CPS-involved parents. Findings will fill critical gaps in understanding the mechanisms by which CPS involvement contributes to economic precarity and inequality among marginalized families in the US. Results will inform targeted policy and practice interventions and will be disseminated to academic audiences, child welfare stakeholders, and the public, supporting evidence-based reforms to reduce social and economic inequality among CPS-impacted parents.