This study addresses two interrelated problems affecting the resource capac
ity of child protective services-the high rate of repeated reports and unsu
bstantiated cases. The reports of 238 families were tracked from the time o
f their first report through June 1996. General patterns of reports and the
impact of case characteristics on numbers of reports and rates of reports
were examined. The average family was reported just over four times over an
almost five-year period and slightly more than a third of a family's repor
ts were substantiated. Type of report, presence of injuries, placement of a
child and professional status of reporter affected number of reports and r
ates of substantiation. Drawing upon interview and case record reviews of a
n earlier study, the impact of a set of seven family risk factors on number
of subsequent reports and substantiation status was also examined. Poorer
family functioning, parental substance abuse, receipt of AFDC and number of
children were predictors of the number of subsequent reports; poorer famil
y functioning, parental substance abuse and number of children predicted su
bstantiation status of a report. Paired comparisons of the three groups rev
ealed significant differences on family risk factors only between those tha
t had no further reports and those with substantiated re-reports. No signif
icant differences were found between those with unsubstantiated and substan
tiated re-reports, suggesting that the two types of families are more alike
than different in terms of detrimental family and individual factors. Over
all, the study findings support those who argue that by sharply restricting
the types of cases investigated and/or using substantiation as a key crite
rion for investigating and opening cases, many seriously endangered childre
n are likely to be overlooked.