confirmed maltreatment as a report that was substantiated or indicated, meaning there was sufficient evidence for CPS to conclude that abuse or neglect had occurred. (Most states use the term “substantiated” to imply sufficient proof to confirm maltreatment occurred, but some use the term “indicated” instead.) CPS data, which are initially reported by state CPS agencies, were provided by the National Data Archive on Child Abuse and Neglect at Cornell University and collected under the auspices of the Children’s Bureau, an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services.
