More than Snuggles: The Effect of Paid Family Leave on Infant Maltreatment

Abstract

Child maltreatment is a pervasive problem in the United States with significant economic, health, and human capital consequences. Children under age one experience the highest rates of child abuse and neglect and the greatest likelihood of fatality from maltreatment, including shaken baby syndrome. Publicly-funded paid family leave (PFL) programs in the U.S. have been found to improve risk factors for maltreatment including increased parental time investments in children, better maternal and child health, and household income protection in the months surrounding a birth. We examine whether state PFL programs in the U.S. affect infant maltreatment. Using administrative data on child maltreatment reports to Child Protective Services (CPS), we compare reports of infants under age 1 in PFL states to reports of infants in non-PFL states before and after PFL was implemented. We find that PFL reduced reports of infant maltreatment by about 14 percent, and home removals by about 46 percent. We also observe fewer substantiated reports by about 22 percent. These results imply PFL has spillovers to the child welfare system that should be accounted for.