Back to Notes on Source Data

Allegation File

Child abuse and neglect reports, including allegation type, reporter type, responses such as investigation, as well as allegation disposition (e.g., substantiated, inconclusive, and unfounded).
Filename(s)

UCB_REF (Protective Services Intake data)

Revision History (most recent first)

2023.02.02

  1. Added mandated reporter variable.

2020.07.22

The modifications add variables to the UCB_REF derived table, but do not change existing variables with the exception of the renaming of one variable. The additions:
  1. Investigation status: The INVESTIGATE variable indicates whether the allegation was part of a referral where investigation was either intended or completed. The Referral Response Type (REF_RSPC) indicates whether investigation is intended. Using the Referral Response Type allows identification of investigated referrals prior to the completion of the investigation. The Disposition Type (ALG_DSPC) indicates, at the allegation level, whether an investigation was completed and, if completed, its conclusion.
  2. Demographic characteristics: Census race code and Hispanic Code are added (CENS_RC, HISP_CDX).
  3. Maltreatment location: Variables regarding the location of the maltreatment are added including address ID, city, state, and Zip Code (MALTX_FKADDRS_T, MALTX_CITY_NM, MALTR_STATE_C, MALTX_ZIP_NO).
  4. Child address at time of maltreatment: Variables regarding the residence of the child at the time of the maltreatment are added including address ID, city, county, state, Zip Code (REF_CITY_NM, REF_STATE_C, REF_ZIP_NO). In addition, the ID for the child’s residence address at the time of maltreatment is renamed from FKADDRS_T to REF_FKADDRS_T to distinguish it from the address where the maltreatment occurred.
  5. CWS Office: To allow determination of the rates of maltreatment by Los Angeles DCFS office service area, three possible offices are identified: The office handling the investigation (OFFICE_COUNTY); the office covering the area where the child lived (REF_COUNTY); and the office covering the area where the maltreatment occurred (MALTX_COUNTY). The most likely office (COUNTY) is assigned using the following priority order: (1) The investigating office if it is a regional, not specialized, office; (2) The child’s address if known and in Los Angeles County; (3) The address where the maltreatment occurred if known and in Los Angeles County. Los Angeles DCFS determined this priority order.
  6. Ephemera: The file includes three variables that were used in determining the assignment office (OFFICE_E_DT, OFFICE_S_DT, TYPE) that will be deleted from the final file.

2018.12.14

  1. Added zip, state, city of maltreatment and time-of-referral address.

2017.11.22

  1. Added ABUSE_STDT and ABUSE_ENDT.

2016.04.04

  1. Modified to add FKCLIENT_0 (abuser); CLNTRELC (relationship between child and abuser; and NON_PRT_CD (primarily to identify abuse in foster care).

2012.05.18

  1. Made correction to mapping of P_ETHNCTYC to derived var ETHNIC.

2010.09.23

  1. Added REFERL_T.RSP_AGY_CD (RESPONSIBLE_AGENCY_CODE.

2006.05.04

  1. CNTY_SPFCD uses values from ASGNM_T.CNTY_SPCD added bounded range ASGNM_T.START_DT <= REF_RCV_DT <= ASGNM_T.END_DT to determine which assignment is appropriate for referral.

2004.07.29

  1. Added REFERL_T.FKREFERL_T (Associated Referral).

2004.01.20

  1. Methodology change. The original method used an inner-join between the REFERRAL_CLIENT and CHILD_CLIENT to construct the universe of child-victims. While these were indeed child-victims, they could be incorrectly linked to referrals, in which they were not a victim. The use of ALLGTN_T.FKCLIENT_T as the universe of child-victims, where each is linked to a referral (by FKREFERL_T), logically follows from the data model, and eliminates those records where a child is incorrectly appears in a referral as the victim.