The record of the work.

Peer-reviewed publications by Data Lab faculty and affiliates on child welfare, computational methods, and the systems that shape children's lives.

Research threads
Methods

33 publications

2026

Stoll, D., Perron, B.E., Qi, Z., Steinmann, S., Eicher, N.F., & Jud, A. (2026). Parental cooperation from Swiss child protection reports: Reasoning language models outperform retrieval-augmented generation. Research on Social Work Practice.Link

Computational MethodsMaltreatment & System ResponseLarge Scale Text Analysis

Perron, B.E., Stoll, D., Victor, B.G., Qi, Z., Jud, A., & Ryan, J.P. (2026). Validation of a small language model for DSM-5 substance category classification in child welfare records. Journal of Evidence-Based Social Work, 1–14.Link

Computational MethodsSubstance Use & Prenatal ExposureLarge Scale Text Analysis

Sokol, R.L., Victor, B.G., Degli Esposti, M., Medina Del Toro, V., Kernsmith, P., Stearns, D., Portugal, J., & Heinze, J. (2026). Evaluating the effect of a school-based material needs intervention on child maltreatment investigations in Michigan: A staggered interrupted time series study. Child Abuse & Neglect, 178, 108161.Link

Maltreatment & System ResponseRandomized & Quasi-Experimental

Qi, Z., Perron, B.E., Victor, B.G., Stoll, D., & Ryan, J.P. (2026). Small Models Achieve Large Language Model Performance: Evaluating Reasoning-Enabled AI for Secure Child Welfare Research. Journal of Evidence-Based Social Work, 1–22.Link

Computational MethodsLarge Scale Text Analysis

2025

Ryan, J.P., Oshman, L., Frank, C.J., Perron, B., Victor, B., & Sankaran, V. (2025). Prenatal cannabis exposure and the risk of subsequent maltreatment. Child Abuse & Neglect, 160, 107175.Link

Substance Use & Prenatal ExposureMaltreatment & System ResponseAdministrative Data

Stacks, A.M., Rousson, A.N., Kondor, L., Perron, B.E., Ryan, J.P., & Victor, B.G. (2025). Infant Toddler Court Teams, Reunification, Time to Permanency, and Placement Stability: Evidence From a Study Using Matched Controls. Child Maltreatment, 31(3), 539–551.Link

Placement & PermanencyRandomized & Quasi-Experimental

Luan, H., Perron, B.E., & Zhang, Y. (2025). Co-authorship networks in left-behind children research in China: A social network analysis. Research on Social Work Practice, 35(8), 955–967.Link

Global Child WelfareComputational MethodsNetwork & Scientometric Analysis

Sokol, R.L., Gerlein-Safdi, C., Degli Esposti, M., & Wallace, M. (2025). Extreme Weather Events Interact With Local Contexts to Alter the Frequency of Firearm Violence and Child Maltreatment in Wayne County, Michigan. GeoHealth, 9(6), e2025GH001406.Link

Maltreatment & System ResponseRandomized & Quasi-Experimental

2024

Perron, B.E., Luan, H., Victor, B.G., Hiltz-Perron, O., & Ryan, J. (2024). Moving Beyond ChatGPT: Local Large Language Models (LLMs) and the Secure Analysis of Confidential Unstructured Text Data in Social Work Research. Research on Social Work Practice, 35(6), 695–710.Link

Computational MethodsLarge Scale Text Analysis

Luan, H., Perron, B.E., Victor, B.G., Wan, G., Niu, Y., & Xiao, X. (2024). Using artificial intelligence to support scientometric analysis of scholarly literature: A case example of research on mainland China’s left-behind children. Journal of the Society for Social Work and Research, 15(3), 435–457.Link

Computational MethodsGlobal Child WelfareNetwork & Scientometric Analysis

Park, K., Victor, B.G., Perron, B.E., Ryan, J.P., & Braun, B. (2024). Persistent racial disproportionality in investigated and substantiated child maltreatment reports: Trend analysis before and during the COVID-19 pandemic (2019–2020). Journal of Public Child Welfare, 18(1), 1–20.Link

Maltreatment & System ResponseAdministrative Data

2023

Sokol, R.L., Victor, B.G., Yoon, M., Ryan, J.P., & Perron, B.E. (2023). Complex, Co-occurring Needs Patterns and Evidence-Based Service Planning for Families Involved in Foster Care: A Map for Research and Practice. Child Maltreatment, 28(2), 359–371.Link

Placement & PermanencyMaltreatment & System ResponseAdministrative Data

2022

Sokol, R.L., Bushman, G., Gong, C.H., Rupp, L., Ryan, J.P., & Zimmerman, M.A. (2022). Associations Between Micro-neighborhood Greening and Child Maltreatment. International Journal on Child Maltreatment: Research, Policy and Practice, 5(2), 281–293.Link

Maltreatment & System ResponseAdministrative Data

2021

Sokol, R.L., Victor, B.G., Mariscal, E.S., Ryan, J.P., & Perron, B.E. (2021). Using administrative data to uncover how often and why supervisory neglect happens: Implications for child maltreatment prevention. Child Abuse & Neglect, 122.Link

Maltreatment & System ResponseAdministrative Data

Victor, B.G., Perron, B.E., Sokol, R.L., Fedina, L., & Ryan, J.P. (2021). Automated identification of domestic violence in written child welfare records: Leveraging text mining and machine learning to enhance social work research and evaluation. Journal of the Society for Social Work and Research, 12(4), 631–655.Link

Computational MethodsMaltreatment & System ResponseLarge Scale Text Analysis

2020

Sokol, R.L., Victor, B.G., Piellusch, E.K., Nielsen, S.B., Ryan, J.P., & Perron, B.E. (2020). Prevalence and context of firearms-related problems in child protective service investigations. Child Abuse & Neglect, 107.Link

Maltreatment & System ResponseAdministrative Data

Wang, M., Sokol, R., Luan, H., Perron, B.E., Victor, B.G., & Wu, S. (2020). Mental health service interventions for left-behind children in mainland China: A systematic review of randomized controlled trials. Children and Youth Services Review, 117.Link

Global Child WelfareSystematic Reviews

Henry, C., Victor, B.G., Ryan, J.P., & Perron, B.E. (2020). Substantiated allegations of failure to protect in the child welfare system: Against whom, in what context, and with what justification?. Children and Youth Services Review, 116, 1–9.Link

Maltreatment & System ResponseAdministrative Data

Sokol, R.L., Li, J., Victor, B.G., Miller, A., Ryan, J.P., & Perron, B.E. (2020). Changes in Child and Adolescent Needs and Strengths (CANS) scores over time: A systematic review. Children and Youth Services Review, 112, 1–6.Link

Outcomes & Life CoursePlacement & PermanencySystematic Reviews

Sokol, R.L., Miller, A.L., & Ryan, J.P. (2020). Well-Child Visits While in State Care. Pediatrics, 146(4), e20201539.Link

Maltreatment & System ResponseAdministrative Data

2019

Perron, B.E., Victor, B.G., Bushman, G., Moore, A., Ryan, J.P., Lu, A.J., & Piellusch, E.K. (2019). Detecting substance-related problems in narrative investigation summaries of child abuse and neglect using text mining and machine learning. Child Abuse & Neglect, 98, 1–13.Link

Computational MethodsSubstance Use & Prenatal ExposureLarge Scale Text Analysis

Victor, B.G., Henry, C., Gilbert, T.T., Ryan, J.P., & Perron, B.E. (2019). Child protective service referrals involving exposure to domestic violence: Prevalence, associated maltreatment types, and likelihood of formal case openings. Child Maltreatment, 24(3), 299–309.Link

Maltreatment & System ResponseAdministrative Data

2018

Ryan, J.P., Jacob, B.A., Gross, M., Perron, B.E., & Ferguson, S. (2018). Early exposure to child maltreatment and academic outcomes. Child Maltreatment, 23(4), 365–375.Link

Outcomes & Life CourseAdministrative Data

Victor, B.G., Grogan-Kaylor, A., Ryan, J.P., Perron, B.E., & Gilbert, T.T. (2018). Domestic violence, parental substance misuse and the decision to substantiate child maltreatment. Child Abuse & Neglect, 79, 31–41.Link

Maltreatment & System ResponseSubstance Use & Prenatal ExposureAdministrative Data

Victor, B.G., Resko, S.M., Ryan, J.P., & Perron, B.E. (2018). Identification of domestic violence service needs among child welfare-involved parents with substance use disorders: A gender-stratified analysis. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 36(5–6), NP2908–NP2930.Link

Maltreatment & System ResponseSubstance Use & Prenatal ExposureAdministrative Data

Bushman, G., Victor, B.G., Ryan, J.P., & Perron, B.E. (2018). In utero exposure to opioids: An observational study of mothers involved in the child welfare system. Substance Use & Misuse, 53, 844–851.Link

Substance Use & Prenatal ExposureAdministrative Data

2017

Mowbray, O., Victor, B.G., Ryan, J.P., Moore, A., & Perron, B.E. (2017). Parental substance use and foster care re-entry. Journal of Social Work Practice in the Addictions, 17(4), 352–373.Link

Substance Use & Prenatal ExposurePlacement & PermanencyAdministrative Data

Mowbray, O., Ryan, J.P., Victor, B.G., Bushman, G., Yochum, C., & Perron, B.E. (2017). Longitudinal trends in substance use and mental health service needs in child welfare. Children & Youth Services Review, 73, 1–8.Link

Substance Use & Prenatal ExposureAdministrative Data

Ryan, J.P., Perron, B.E., Moore, A., Victor, B.G., & Park, K. (2017). Timing matters: A randomized control trial of recovery coaches in foster care. Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, 77, 178–184.Link

Substance Use & Prenatal ExposurePlacement & PermanencyRandomized & Quasi-Experimental

2016

Ryan, J.P., Victor, B.G., Moore, A., Mowbray, O., & Perron, B.E. (2016). Recovery coaches and the stability of reunification for substance abusing families in child welfare. Children & Youth Services Review, 70, 357–363.Link

Substance Use & Prenatal ExposurePlacement & PermanencyRandomized & Quasi-Experimental

Victor, B.G., Ryan, J.P., Moore, A., Mowbray, O., Evangelist, M., & Perron, B.E. (2016). Foster home licensing and risk of reentry to out-of-home care following family reunification. Children & Youth Services Review, 70, 112–119.Link

Placement & PermanencyAdministrative Data

Ryan, J.P., Perron, B.E., Moore, A., Victor, B.G., & Evangelist, M. (2016). Foster home placements and the probability of family reunification: Does licensing matter?. Child Abuse & Neglect, 59, 88–99.Link

Placement & PermanencyAdministrative Data

Ryan, J.P., Perron, B.E., & Huang, H. (2016). Child welfare and the transition to adulthood: Investigating placement status and subsequent arrests. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 45(1), 172–182.Link

Outcomes & Life CoursePlacement & PermanencyAdministrative Data