Illinois’ basic income program hopes to reduce child abuse, neglect

Researchers hope that increasing parental income through GBI will help prevent maltreatment. Studies and pilot programs on basic income have previously found that cash payments can mitigate neglect by strengthening parents’ access to basic needs. Researchers also told BI that reducing family financial stress can lead to lower rates of physical abuse and domestic violence.

“Many of the families that we would see have deeper involvement in foster care and child welfare are dealing with gaps and holes in the safety net,” said Mike Shaver, CEO of Brightpoint, a Chicago-based organization that which provides assistance and protection to children. family support programs.

The GBI pilot project is a partnership between the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services and Brightpoint. Funding will come from the Department of Children and Family Services and various foundations.

The 400 families receiving cash payments from EmPwR will be compared to a control group of an additional 400 families who meet the criteria for the program but will not receive payments. All 800 families will continue to receive other child protection services as usual.

Shaver said there is no income requirement for participants, and the monthly cash amount families receive will vary based on the number of children they have and the local cost of living. Researchers expect to enroll participants and control group members on an ongoing basis.

EmPwR joins more than 100 Guaranteed Basic Income pilots across the country — programs that typically provide participants with between $100 and $2,000 per month for a set period of time as an approach to poverty reduction. Previous Guaranteed Basic Income participants told BI they used the money to afford rent, groceries, childcare and prescriptions.

Giving parents money is an increasingly popular policy idea. Several of America’s guaranteed basic income programs already provide money to single parents, low-income pregnant women and youth in foster care. Other federal safety net programs such as Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and Supplemental Nutrition for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) also aim to help parents financially. Ahead of the 2024 presidential election, both Democrats and Republicans have also shown support for an expanded child tax credit.

However, it is worth noting that not all cases of child abuse or maltreatment are caused by the neglect of poverty.

“The point here is that it doesn’t mean that all neglect is caused by poverty or that it’s the only answer,” said Will Schneider, an associate professor of social work at the University of Illinois and principal investigator for the EmPwR pilot. “But this cash assistance is a missing piece of the puzzle.”

Illinois hopes the guaranteed basic income will reduce cases of neglect caused by poverty

Illinois’ GBI program comes as nearly four million families are referred to the child welfare system each year. About 38 percent of all children—and 53 percent of black children—will experience a child protective services investigation by the time they turn 18.

These child welfare recommendations can come from suspicion of physical harm, sexual abuse or situations where the child is not provided with the basics. And, this involvement in the system can lead to parental loss of custody and placement of children in short-term or long-term foster care.

However, more than 70 percent of all maltreatment reports in the U.S. are cases of neglect, usually because a child is not receiving adequate care, meals or hygiene, according to Schneider. Because of this, low-income families—many of whom face housing and food insecurity—are at least three times more likely to be reported for neglect than families not struggling financially.

Although there are useful tools such as caregiving classes and violence prevention services often provided by the social welfare system, these interventions sometimes do not address the root cause of neglect cases, Schneider said. Some low-income parents don’t get the resources or government assistance they need to care for themselves and their children. Without financial support, parents can fall back into the system.

“Parents know what’s best for their kids, and they want to do what’s best for their kids,” Schneider said. “And with access to support, they will make those choices.”

During the EmPwR pilot, University of Illinois researchers plan to track quantitative data, such as participant spending, along with conducting surveys and interviewing participants about their experiences. They will also track how often families are sent back into the welfare system while receiving payments. The pilot is also statewide, so researchers will compare the safety and financial outcomes of families living in rural areas with those living in cities. Family service programs are often more difficult to access in rural areas, Schneider said.

Research shows that financial support can increase family security

There is already evidence that financial support and no-strings-attached cash can reduce cases of neglect and domestic violence.

BI previously reported on a study published in January by doctors at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia PolicyLab that found family finances to be a key predictor of involvement in child welfare. For example, hospitalizations of children for severe head injuries have increased during the 2008 financial crisis.

The study found that housing assistance programs, affordable childcareguaranteed basic income and tax credits limit maltreatment and reduce the number of children placed in foster care.

In July, Los Angeles released the results of a GBI pilot that gave 3,200 households $1,000 a month for a year starting in January 2022. In the first six months of the program, participants — some of whom were parents and all of whom lived near the threshold of poverty – left intimate partner violence more frequent than the pilot control group.

To be sure, guaranteed basic income pilots are temporary. It is not yet clear whether cash payments will have a lasting effect on families’ financial security and involvement in child protection in the months or years after EmPwR ends. Some politicians and economists also say the millions of dollars it costs to run a GBI program are not sustainable for taxpayers or private funders.

Still, Schneider said giving families in the child welfare system a basic income could help parents better afford food, housing and health care. He said the program also aims to provide insights for future policies that prevent maltreatment and keep families together.

Have you participated in a guaranteed basic income program? Are you open to sharing how you spent the money? If so, contact this reporter at [email protected].