The NCANDS is a federally sponsored national data collection effort created for the purpose of tracking the volume and nature of child maltreatment reporting each year within the United States. The NCANDS Child File consists of child-specific data of all investigated reports of maltreatment to state child protective service agencies. Child File data are collected annually through the voluntary participation of states. Participating states submit their data after going through a process in which the state’s administrative data system is mapped to the NCANDS data structure. Data elements include the demographics of children and their perpetrators, types of maltreatment, investigation or assessment dispositions, risk factors, and services provided as a result of the investigation or assessment.