Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

1. Where can I find the latest statistics and current information about child abuse and neglect?

NDACAN disseminates datasets of archived research for secondary analysis with statistical software such as SPSS or SAS. We do NOT maintain statistics on child abuse and neglect or provide reports of research findings.

Although NDACAN does not have summary statistics of research findings, the U.S. Children's Bureau Web site has this type of information for download and viewing. Here is a list of important reports which may be relevant to your research:

Child Maltreatment Reports

One source of data by state is known as the NCANDS (National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System). You can access the NCANDS Child Maltreatment reports by going to this web site:
http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cb/stats_research/index.htm

Child Welfare Outcomes

Another source of findings by state, which includes child maltreatment and foster care information, is known as the Child Welfare Outcomes Annual Report. You can access it here:
http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cb/stats_research/index.htm

AFCARS Reports

Information about the Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS) is available on the Web. AFCARS was designed to address policy development and program management issues at both the state and federal levels. The data are also useful for researchers interested in analyzing aspects of the United States' foster care and adoption programs. Tables and other reports summarizing the AFCARS data are available from the Children's Bureau Web page:
http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cb/stats_research/index.htm

Here are other sources for child welfare statistics and summary information:

Child Welfare Information Gateway

Formerly the National Clearinghouse on Child Abuse and Neglect Information and the National Adoption Information Clearinghouse, the Child Welfare Information Gateway provides access to information and resources to help protect children and strengthen families. The Child Welfare Information Gateway is a service of the Children's Bureau, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services:
http://www.childwelfare.gov/

ChildStats

The Federal Interagency Forum on Child and Family Statistics (the Forum) is a collection of 20 Federal government agencies involved in research and activities related to children and families. The Forum's annual report, America's Children: Key National Indicators of Well-Being, summarizes national indicators of child well-being and monitors changes in these indicators over time.
www.childstats.gov

Chapin Hall Center for Children

Centered at the University of Chicago, the Chapin Hall Center studies and reports on economic programs for youth and families, child welfare services, community resources for child and youth development, community development strategies, and education. Chapin Hall has three publication series: Chapin Hall Reports lay the conceptual foundation for innovative thinking and action in child, family, and community policy or present results from large-scale documentation and evaluation projects; Chapin Hall Discussion Papers are timely and topical treatments of subjects on Chapin Hall's research agenda; Chapin Hall Working Papers provide access to early work in a line of inquiry and research designed for a highly targeted audience. All Chapin Hall publications are distributed in printed form and most are also available electronically free of charge.
www.chapinhall.org

Crimes Against Children Research Center (CCRC)

Based at the University of New Hampshire, CCRC provides research and statistics to the public, policy makers, law enforcement personnel, and other child welfare practitioners. CCRC is concerned with research about the nature of crimes including child abduction, homicide, rape, assault, and physical and sexual abuse as well as their impact.
www.unh.edu/ccrc/

2. What is the difference between data, dataset and findings?

In this context, data refers to the organized observations of a study (e.g. survey responses) in electronic form. A dataset prepared by NDACAN includes the data in SPSS or SAS format, a data codebook and a brief guide which addresses secondary analysis issues concerning that study. Findings summarize the outcome of a study and are described in a study's final report and other publications, such as journal articles.

3. What is secondary data analysis?

Secondary data analysis means re-examining a study in order to replicate the findings or to test a new hypothesis. It generally involves using statistical software such as SAS or SPSS to conduct statistical analyses.

4. How do I join the National Data Archive on Child Abuse and Neglect mailing list for receiving announcements?

You can sign up on-line on our Join the NDACAN Mailing List page.

5. What is the Child Maltreatment Research List Serve?

The Child Maltreatment Research Listserv is an E-mail based discussion group. Subscribers can post and receive messages on the subject of child maltreatment research. Postings are approved or rejected (no edits) by a moderator based on the relevance of the message to the list's purpose. The purpose of the list is to facilitate information exchange and networking among researchers in the field of child abuse and neglect. The scope of the list includes all areas of CAN research (e.g., epidemiology, etiology, prevention, consequences, intervention, and treatment) and the full range of research issues (e.g., measurement, instrumentation, statistical analysis, ethics). The list is not open to discussions of program-related or clinical issues except as they relate to evaluation research.

6. How do I join the Child Maltreatment Research list serve?

Please go to our How to Subscribe to the CMRL page.

7. How do I end my subscription to the Child Maltreatment Research list serve?

Please go to our How to Unsubscribe from the CMRL page.

8. How do I request a dataset?

At the list of datasets, click on the title of the dataset . That will take you to its details page which has a "Request Dataset" link in the left sidebar: click the "Request Dataset" link to see the instructions for ordering that dataset.

9. How much does a dataset cost?

Datasets are free.

10. How long does it take to get a dataset?

Most datasets are delivered electronically within three business days. Orders for NSCAW Restricted Release data and for NCANDS Child File data involve a review of applications and data protection plans, and that process takes 1-2 weeks.

11. How can I find out more about NDACAN's datasets?

The Datasets link takes you to the NDACAN list of datasets where you can select a dataset to view its details. Documentation for most datasets is available but if the documentation does not answer your question, please contact us.

12. What is the proper format for acknowledging NDACAN in a publication from a dataset?

All manuscripts which use data made available through the National Data Archive on Child Abuse and Neglect should acknowledge that fact as well as identify the original collector of the data. Users of these data are urged to follow some adaptation of the following statement with the parentheses indicating items to be filled in appropriately or deleted by the individual user.

"The data (and tabulations) utilized in this (publication) were made available (in part) by the National Data Archive on Child Abuse and Neglect, Cornell University, Ithaca New York. The data from the Substantiation of Child Abuse And Neglect Reports Project were originally collected by John Doris and John Eckenrode. Funding support for preparing the data for public distribution was provided by a contract (90-CA-1370) between the National Center on Child Abuse and Neglect and Cornell University. Neither the collector of the original data, funding agency, nor the National Data Archive on Child Abuse and Neglect bears any responsibility for the analyses or interpretations presented here."

In order to provide funding agencies with essential information about the use of archival resources and to facilitate the exchange of information about research activities among Archive participants, each user of these facilities is expected to send two copies of each completed manuscript, thesis abstract, or reprint to the National Data Archive on Child Abuse and Neglect, Cornell University, Bronfenbrenner Center for Translational Research, Beebe Hall, Ithaca, New York 14853.

13. Who can order data from NDACAN?

Researchers in the U.S. and territories may order datasets from NDACAN. Access to some datasets in our holdings requires affiliation with an institution that has an Institutional Review Board (IRB). Requests for data from users outside of the U.S. and territories are handled on a case-by-case basis.