Milwaukee GAIN RCT Evaluation: Preventing Child Maltreatment with Economic Supports

This report summarizes the background literature, the RCT design, and the main findings from an experimental study of the impact of providing economic support to families reported to and investigated by child protective services (CPS), but whose investigation did not result in a child welfare case opening. This group of screened-out or "CWS-deflected" families is the largest group of families to have contact with child welfare systems, and past research has shown that they are re-reported to CPS at substantial rates. The primary objective of this study was to determine if helping families stabilize their economic situations can reduce CPS recidivism. Few main effects are found, although effect sizes for certain subgroups were moderate to large, in the expected direction.

A peer-reviewed article is forthcoming.