Systematic approaches to assessment in child protection investigations: A literature review:

Svein Arild Vis; Camilla Lauritzen; Sturla Fossum

doi:10.1177/0020872819828333

References12

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Deciding on child maltreatment: A literature review on methods that improve decision-making.

Nov 1, 2015·Child Abuse & Neglect3.93

#1Cora BartelinkH-Index: 5

#2Tom van YperenH-Index: 9

Last. Ingrid J. ten BergeH-Index: 4

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Assessment and decision-making in child maltreatment cases is difficult. Practitioners face many uncertainties and obstacles during their assessment and decision-making process. Research exhibits shortcomings in this decision-making process. The purpose of this literature review is to identify and discuss methods to overcome these shortcomings. We conducted a systematic review of the published literature on decision-making using PsychINFO and MEDLINE from 2000 through May 2014. We included revie...more

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Social Workers’ Assessments of Children’s Health When Arguing for Children’s Needs

Aug 1, 2015·Tradition

#1Elin Hultman (Stockholm University)H-Index: 4

#2Ann-Christin Cederborg (Stockholm University)H-Index: 17

Last. Karin Magnusson (Linköping University)H-Index: 6

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In Sweden, child-related social services constitute an institutional body that conducts both preventive and supportive work for children in need of health support. However, in the social services Act (2001:453) there are few concrete statements about how social workers should assess children’s health. In this study we therefore explore how social workers in Sweden adapt to the task of assessing children’s health. Specifically, we investigate the ways in which children’s health is explained in th...more

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Agreement on Child Maltreatment Decisions: A Nonrandomized Study on the Effects of Structured Decision-Making

May 15, 2014·Child Care Quarterly

#1Cora BartelinkH-Index: 5

#2T.A. van Yperen (UG: University of Groningen)H-Index: 1

Last. Cilia L. M. Witteman (Radboud University Nijmegen)H-Index: 24

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Background Practitioners investigating cases of suspected child maltreatment often disagree whether a child is subject to or at risk of abuse or neglect in the family and, if so, what to do about such abuse or neglect. Structured decision-making is considered to be a solution to the problem of subjective judgments and decisions.

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Vulnerable children's health as described in investigations of reported children

May 1, 2013·Child & Family Social Work2.39

#1Elin Hultman (Linköping University)H-Index: 4

#2Charlotte Alm (Stockholm University)H-Index: 7

Last. Karin Magnusson (Linköping University)H-Index: 6

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This study explores whether the social services weigh in health aspects, and what these may be, when investigating reported childrens life situation. Information about physical and psychological he ...

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Improved decision making about suspected child maltreatment : Results of structuring the decision process

Feb 1, 2013·Children and Youth Services Review2.39

#1Leontien de Kwaadsteniet (Radboud University Nijmegen)H-Index: 5

#2Cora BartelinkH-Index: 5

Last. Tom van YperenH-Index: 9

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ORBA is a method that aims to improve decision making about suspected child maltreatment in Advice and Reporting Centres of Child Abuse and Neglect (ARCCAN). It structures the process of judging and deciding and makes it explicit by distinguishing separate steps, and by identifying the necessary information to consider and the judgments and decisions to be made in each step. In this study it was investigated whether decision making in ARCANNs has become more systematic and transparent, since the...more

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Decision-making tools and the development of expertise in child protection practitioners: are we ‘just breeding workers who are good at ticking boxes’?

Nov 1, 2011·Child & Family Social Work2.39

#1Philip Gillingham (Deakin University)H-Index: 16

Concern about the decision-making abilities of practitioners in child protection has led to the development and implementation of increasingly structured assessment tools, many based on forms of risk assessment. The positive and negative effects of such tools on practice have been widely researched and debated. This paper presents the findings from ethnographic research about the use of a particular set of decision-making tools that provide insights into how tools might affect the professional d...more

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Does Responsive Regulation Offer an Alternative? Questioning the Role of Formalistic Assessment in Child Protection Investigations

Oct 1, 2011·British Journal of Social Work1.88

#1Nathan Harris (ANU: Australian National University)H-Index: 10

The interface between parents and child protection agencies has long been a cause of concern. This paper examines the challenge that the child protection system faces from the perspective of responsive regulation theory (Braithwaite, 2002). The analysis suggests that management of compliance, though rarely discussed in the literature, has a significant impact on investigations. An emphasis on assessment, especially formal risk-assessment, places an emphasis on a particular type of compliance: "a...more

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Judgements or Assumptions? The Role of Analysis in Assessing Children and Young People's Needs

Jul 1, 2011·British Journal of Social Work1.88

#1Duncan Helm (University of Stirling)H-Index: 5

Professionals involved in assessing the needs of children and young people are required to make sense of complex information. Judgements may be made intuitively or through more explicit, analytical thinking. Judgements are required in relation to risk and need and will impact on children and young people's lives in the immediate future and ultimately across the lifespan. While there are many demands placed on those developing best practice in assessment, two themes appear consistently from studi...more

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Child Protection Practitioners and Decision-Making Tools: Observations and Reflections from the Front Line

Dec 1, 2010·British Journal of Social Work1.88

#1Philip Gillingham (University of Melbourne)H-Index: 16

#2Cathy Humphreys (University of Melbourne)H-Index: 27

Decision-making tools, particularly risk-assessment tools, have been implemented by governments around the world, perhaps most notably in the field of child protection, though little attention has been paid to how practitioners use them. This article presents the findings from ethnographic research that explored how child protection practitioners in the Department of Child Safety, Queensland, Australia, used four Structured Decision Making tools developed by the Children’s Research Centre in Wis...more

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Child Welfare Workers' Adoption of Decision Support Technology.

Apr 21, 2009·Journal of Technology in Human Services

#1Kirk A. Foster (WashU: Washington University in St. Louis)H-Index: 5

#2Arlene Rubin Stiffman (WashU: Washington University in St. Louis)H-Index: 30

Child welfare workers must process complex information in deciding to refer clients to appropriate mental health services. Decision support systems have been demonstrated in other fields to be an important tool, yet little research has been done in child welfare. This study focused on the adoption of a specific decision support system into child welfare practice. Quantitative analysis was used to demonstrate the diffusion of innovation process among a sample of state child welfare workers, while...more

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