Assessing Risk, Race, and Service Referrals In Los Angeles County, California

Background and Purpose. Child protective services (CPS) agencies provide community-based service referrals to families at risk of maltreatment, yet little is known about patterns of referral and uptake across different risk levels and racial/ethnic groups. Using linked administrative and community-based services data from Los Angeles, California, we examined (1) differences in service referral, uptake, and completion across risk categories; (2) racial and ethnic disparities within risk categories; and (3) hypotheses explaining observed disparities.

Methods. We analyzed records from 269,031 families with screened-out or unsubstantiated referrals (2016-2022), linked to predictive risk scores and community service referral data. Logistic regression models estimated odds of receiving and accepting service referrals, with race/ethnicity, risk level, and their interaction as key predictors.

Results. Only 20% of eligible families received service referrals. Compared to White children, Black (OR = 1.43, p < .01) and Hispanic children (OR = 2.00, p <.01) had higher odds of referral after adjusting for risk. Significant race-by-risk interactions revealed that racial disparities were greater at low risk levels than at high risk (Black: OR = .69, p <.01; Hispanic: OR = .62, p <.01).

Conclusions and Implications. Racial disparities in community services referrals are most pronounced among low-risk families. These findings suggest the need for enhanced equity monitoring and standardized community-based services referral protocols across risk levels.