As evidenced by these results, service needs are present not only for substantiated cases; a
sub-group of unsubstantiated cases also presents with clear service needs. These findings lend some
credence to the argument made by Khol, Jonson-Reid, and Drake (2009) that substantiation should
not be considered a prerequisite for services; although in practice, this appears to be largely the case
given the strong association between substantiation status and ongoing service provision. The notion
that it is need for service rather than verification of maltreatment that should drive decisions about
service provision is further underscored by the results of the current study, which demonstrate that
of the 2,568 children in the sample for whom neglect was unsubstantiated, 68% (N = 1,738) lived
in households with one or more previous child welfare openings; the families of 70% of children
for whom neglect was substantiated had one or more previous opening.27 What these data suggest is
that regardless of substantiation status, many children investigated for neglect continue to grow up
in environments that may not meet their basic needs, despite previous identification and possible
intervention by child welfare services