Skip to main navigation Skip to Content
Canadian incidence study of reported child abuse and neglect (CIS-2008). Public Health Agency of Canada (2008-2010)
Principal Investigator: Nico Trocmé, McGill University, Barbara Fallon (sub-contract)
Co-investigators: Barbara Fallon, Univerisity of Toronto, Bruce MacLaurin, University of Calgary
The
Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) in collaboration with McGill
University, University of Toronto, University of Calgary, First Nations
Child and Family Caring Society, and with the support of the provincial
and territorial Directors of Child Welfare, has funded the cycle of the
Canadian Incidence Study of Reported Child Abuse and Neglect
(CIS-2008). The CIS was first conducted in 1998 and again in 2003.
CIS-2008 will be the third national incidence study in Canada. The
study’s primary objective is to measure the incidence of reported child
maltreatment. Other objectives include documenting the types of
investigated maltreatment, whether there is noted physical and/or
emotional harm, and a variety of characteristics about the caregivers
and children involved in child maltreatment investigations. The CIS
also gathers data on short-term outcomes such as placement, child
welfare court, mediation, and the provision of ongoing services. CIS
uses a multi-stage survey design. Given the broad array of agency
information systems, variations in definitions of child abuse and
neglect, and inconsistent case recording standards, the study uses a
standardized data collection form that is completed by the child
welfare worker directly involved in the case. The results of these
studies have been widely disseminated in Canada and internationally and
have been used to affect changes in child welfare policy and practice.