Returning children home: clinical decision making in cases of child abuse and neglect.

Factors that influence the decision to remove children from their parents' care in cases of abuse and neglect were examined by reviewing hospital records of 185 children. Children with physical injuries were more likely to be placed in a foster home or in residential care if they were from poor families, while those with non-physical injuries were more likely to be removed if their families were more affluent. Implications for clinical decision making are considered.