National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System (NCANDS) Child File: Findings from the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System (NCANDS) – File Contents and Definitions for the Data Tables (updated with FY 2015)

The National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System (NCANDS) Child File data set consists of child-specific data of all reports of maltreatment to State child protective service agencies that received an investigation or assessment response. NCANDS is a Federally-sponsored national data collection effort created for the purpose of tracking the volume and nature of child maltreatment reporting each year within the United States. The Child File is the case-level component of the NCANDS. Child File data are collected annually through the voluntary participation of States. Participating States submit their data after going through a process in which the State's administrative system is mapped to the NCANDS data structure. Data elements include the demographics of children and their perpetrators, types of maltreatment, investigation or assessment dispositions, risk factors, and services provided as a result of the investigation or assessment.