Decision-Making processes in the child protection system: A comparative study between students and professionals in Portugal

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 58-75
Author(s):  
João M. S. Carvalho ◽  
Vânia S. Pinto ◽  
Paulo Delgado
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Comparative Study ◽  
Child Protection ◽  
Protection System ◽  
System A ◽  
Decision Making Processes

scholarly journals Barns rätt till delaktighet vid beslutsprocesser inom den sociala barnavården. Vad betyder barnkonventionen och den rättsliga utformningen för tillämpningen i praktiken?

2020 ◽  
Vol 37 (3-4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Monica Larsson ◽  
Elin Hultman
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Child Protection ◽  
Legal Framework ◽  
Legal Regulation ◽  
Protection System ◽  
Social Law ◽  
Rights Of The Child ◽  
Decision Making Processes ◽  
Right To Participation ◽  
The Right

Children’s right to participation in decision-making within the Swedish Child Protection System. What does the UNConvention on the Rights of the Child and the legal framework mean in relation to the implementation in practice? This article is based on children’s right to participation which stems from the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child – the Child Convention. Regarding decision-making processes within the Child Protection System children’s right to participation is explicitly stated. However, it is still not palpable and the interpretations regarding children’s right to participation may vary. This may give rise to various standpoints which in turn can have an impact on the magnitude of how the right isput into practice. Social science and social law research in Sweden has pointed out that children and young people do not participate sufficiently in parts of this process. This article describes and analyzes what has emerged in this research regarding children’s right to participation in connection with decision-making processes concerning out-of-home-placement with a particular focus on some of the circumstances that may impede the children’s right to participation. The article concerns how the right to participation is handled in practice and the importance of the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the framework of the legal regulation.

The Munro Review of Child Protection: Final Report — A Child-Centred System: A Review and Commentary

2011 ◽  
Vol 36 (3) ◽  
pp. 164-168 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frank Ainsworth ◽  
Patricia Hansen
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Child Protection ◽  
Protection System ◽  
London School ◽  
Final Report ◽  
Child Protection Services ◽  
System A ◽  
Australian State ◽  
Independent Review ◽  
London School Of Economics

In June 2010 the Secretary of State for Education in England asked Professor Eileen Munro, Professor of Social Policy at the London School of Economics, to conduct an independent review of child protection in England. As Professor Munro says in her third and final report, she: ‘sets out recommendations that taken together, will help to reform the child protection system from being over bureaucratised and concerned with compliance to one that keeps a focus on children, checking whether they are being effectively helped, and adapting when problems are identified.’ This article, which is a selective review of the final report, firstly cites the principles of an effective child protection system and then the principles to guide ‘risk-sensible’ decision-making as put forward in the report. It concludes with the 15 major recommendations of the Munro report and makes some comment and comparisons with recent Australian state- and territory-based reviews of child protection services.

Decision Making in Child and Family Social Work

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Clive Diaz
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Child Protection ◽  
Protection System ◽  
Senior Managers ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
Parents And Children ◽  
Children And Parents ◽  
Selling Point ◽  
New Research

This book presents new research on the extent to which parents and children participate in decision making when childcare social workers are involved and it considers two key meetings in depth: child protection conferences and child in care reviews. There is currently a great deal of interest in how social workers can work more effectively with families and in particular give children a voice. There is also considerable public and media interest in the child protection system, in particular relating to how children are safeguarded by social workers. This book will argue that unless we listen to (and act upon whenever possible) the views of children it is very difficult to safeguard and offer them an effective service. The unique selling point of the book will be that it is based on original solid empirical research following interviews with multiple stakeholders across two local authorities in England including children (n=75), parents (n=52), social workers (n=11, independent reviewing officers (n=8) and senior managers (n=7). This book will consider how 10 years of austerity has impacted on the child protection system and it will have a particular focus on how current practice leads to children and parents often feeling oppressed and excluded in decision making about their lives. The book promises to be authoritative and informed on issues on the ground and very relevant to both policy and practice.

Instrumentation to Understand the Child Protective Services Decision-Making Processes

2020 ◽  
pp. 81-108
Author(s):  
Alan J. Dettlaff ◽  
Dana Hollinshead ◽  
Donald J. Baumann ◽  
John D. Fluke
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Child Welfare ◽  
Child Protection ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Decision Making Process ◽  
Protective Services ◽  
Improved Outcomes ◽  
Welfare Systems ◽  
Decision Making Processes ◽  
Child Welfare Outcomes

When children come to the attention of the child welfare system, they become involved in a decision-making process in which decisions are made that have a significant effect on their future and well-being. The decision to remove children from their families is particularly complex, yet surprisingly little is understood about this decision-making process. As a result, instrumentation has been developed and adapted over the past 20 years to further understand variations in child welfare outcomes that are decision-based and, in particular concerning the removal decision, in order to provide a more thorough understanding of the intersecting factors that influence caseworker decisions. This chapter presents research and the development and use of this instrument, drawing from the decision-making ecology as the underlying rationale for obtaining the measures. The instrument was based on the development of decision-making scales used in multiple studies and administered to child protection caseworkers in several states. This effort is part of a larger program of research that seeks to better understand decision-making processes in child welfare systems in order to promote fairness, accuracy, and improved outcomes among children and families.

Hospitalizations among children involved in the child protection system: A long-term birth cohort study from infancy to adulthood using administrative data

2020 ◽  
Vol 107 ◽  
pp. 104518
Author(s):  
Emmanuel Sumithran Gnanamanickam ◽  
Ha Nguyen ◽  
Jason M. Armfield ◽  
James C. Doidge ◽  
Derek S. Brown ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cohort Study ◽  
Birth Cohort ◽  
Administrative Data ◽  
Child Protection ◽  
Protection System ◽  
Birth Cohort Study ◽  
Term Birth ◽  
System A

scholarly journals Attitudes and decision-making in the child protection system

2017 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 2-14 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paulo Delgado ◽  
Vânia S. Pinto ◽  
João M. S. Carvalho
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Foster Care ◽  
Residential Care ◽  
Family Environment ◽  
Child Protection ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Fundamental Rights ◽  
Protection System ◽  
Decision Making Process ◽  
Rights Of The Child

In the contexts of family neglect or maltreatment, the State intervenes by safeguarding the development and well-being of the child or young person in danger. In more severe situations, the intervention may lead to the child’s removal from the family. The Portuguese Law on the Protection of Children and Young People in Danger (Law 142/2015 of September 8th) favours the placement of the child in a family environment, especially for children up to the age of six. Despite this, in Portugal, in 2015, 8 600 children were in out-of-home care, only 3.5% of which were placed in foster care, while the remaining children were in residential care. Therefore, one of the fundamental rights of the child – living in a family environment – is compromised in practice. This study aims to understand the decision-making process of 200 higher education students in domains related to child protection, and those of 200 professionals who are responsible for providing case assessments and recommendations for intervention in the Portuguese child protection system. Using the Child Welfare Attitudes Questionnaire (Davidson-Arad & Benbenishty, 2008, 2010), the study aimed to identify the participants’ attitudes regarding removal of at-risk children from home, reunification and optimal duration of alternative care, children’s and parents’ participation in the decision-making process, and assessment of foster care and residential care, with the purpose of promoting children’s development and well-being. We concluded that both sets of participants (professionals and students) can be divided in two groups, one which is pro-removal and the other, which is less so. In comparison with students, professionals less often favour the removal of the child and more often defend reunification. There are no significant differences among participants regarding their opinion about the role of foster and residential care, and the participation of the child in the decision-making process. However, professionals tend to support parents’ participation in the decision-making process more than students do. Finally, we present some implications of our findings for the practice of child protection.

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