Decisions about substantiation of a report and about placement are not always clearly related, and workers express concerns about the lack of criteria for decisionmaking. Nevertheless, they are able to delineate some principles of practice and to describe the types of incidents that most often influence decisions. Factors such as the county in which the investigation is conducted, the court jurisdiction, the worker caseload, and the severity of the caseload may also be important in making decisions. Worker personal characteristics appear to be less influential than sometimes believed. However, professional indicators like a master's degree in social work may account for some variance in the decision made. Discussion of research and training implications and 51 references.