Unconditional cash for families and child welfare involvement
Unconditional cash income and involvement with child protective services: Evidence from the expanded child tax credit
This project sees if giving families unconditional cash payments leads to fewer child protective services reports for young children.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R21 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Wisconsin-Madison NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Madison, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11309554 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
From a parent's perspective, researchers are using the temporary expansion of the child tax credit to compare how families who received extra cash fared on child protective services (CPS) involvement compared with similar families who did not. They link birth records and CPS data and use statistical methods that take advantage of the policy change to estimate effects for children ages 0–11. The team pays special attention to families with low or no employment and to racial differences to see whether cash helps reduce disparities in CPS contact. Results combine administrative data analysis with modeled estimates to project broader policy impacts.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Families with children from birth through about 11 years old, especially low-income or underemployed parents who were eligible for or received the expanded child tax credit, are the main groups this work focuses on.
Not a fit: Households without young children, higher-income families not eligible for the cash transfer, or cases of CPS involvement driven by factors unrelated to household income may not see direct benefit from these findings.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could show that direct cash support for families reduces child welfare involvement and narrows racial gaps, informing policies that keep children safer and support parents.
How similar studies have performed: Previous research finds that work-conditioned tax credits and some cash-transfer programs are linked to lower CPS involvement, but unconditional national tax-credit style payments are less tested and the evidence is still emerging.
Where this research is happening
Madison, United States
- University of Wisconsin-Madison — Madison, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Pac, Jessica — University of Wisconsin-Madison
- Study coordinator: Pac, Jessica
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.