You bring up an interesting point: how long are records kept? I think it would interesting to see the complete history of social services involvement in several generations of the same family. More than interesting, I would think it would be extremely useful knowing that much history. The data could be used - probably is - in studies. Not just data on a single family's generations, but relations involvement, too. Interconnected.
I think there are people who are in DCF on here?
I was a teacher and had training every year as a mandated reporter. I am quite sure we were told reports were not kept for that long.
CHIPS - child in need of protective services. We teachers were so frustrated because we felt that we made reports and nothing happened. They said that the reports are kept and maybe at some point it added up to intervention needed. But I think there was a limit to the time.
And stuff is not shared from state to state. My last job was working with the homeless. Sometimes when we got too close to the child like requesting services for issues like gaps in education, the person would disappear.
Children still are seen as possessions. Parents have a lot of rights and not much info can be retained. Unless of course there was criminal prosecution.