Families’ Connections to Services in an Alternative Response System

December 11, 2006 This article was written by Erica H. Zielewski, The Urban Institute, Jennifer Macomber, The Urban Institute, Roseana Bess, The Urban Institute, and Julie Murray, The Urban Institute. In response to calls for different ways to handle low-risk allegations of child maltreatment, states developed "alternative responses" to these cases that differ from the traditional child welfare investigation. Under alternative response systems, child welfare workers respond to cases where risk of harm to the child is minimal by working with families to assess their strengths, determine their needs for services, and make referrals to appropriate community service agencies . . .