Achieving agreement on service needs in child protection : Comparing children’s, mothers’ and practitioners’ views over time and between approaches

Abstract
Purpose While studies on service users’ participation and their perceptions on the quality of services exist, agreement between family members’ and practitioners’ assessments of the family’s situation has received less interest. The purpose of this paper is to investigate agreement and its effect on outcomes by comparing the viewpoints of three groups of informants (children, mothers and practitioners) in the context of statutory child protection in two study groups – one applying a systemic approach (SPM) and a service-as-usual control group (SAU). Design/methodology/approach A quasi-experimental repeated-measures study design was applied. Outcome data comprised 112 cases (SPM cases n = 56 and SAU cases n = 56) at three sites. Data was collected from all participants at baseline and six months later. Findings First, practitioners’ analyses of a child’s need for protection did not meet family members’ expressed need for help. Second, child–mother agreement on the need for service intervention at T1 predicted a decrease in practitioner-assessed abuse or neglect from T1 to T2. In this sample, no differences were found between the two groups. Originality/value This study highlights the importance of making explicit the viewpoints of children, parents and practitioners in casework and research to improve understanding of how their perspectives differ over the course of the process and how possible initial disagreements affect outcomes.
Main Authors
Format
Articles Research article
Published
2023
Series
Subjects
Publication in research information system
Publisher
Emerald
The permanent address of the publication
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:jyu-202303102118Use this for linking
Review status
Peer reviewed
ISSN
1746-6660
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1108/jcs-12-2021-0052
Language
English
Published in
Journal of Childrens Services
Citation
  • Aaltio, E., & Kannasoja, S. (2023). Achieving agreement on service needs in child protection : Comparing children’s, mothers’ and practitioners’ views over time and between approaches. Journal of Childrens Services, 18(1), 1-17. https://doi.org/10.1108/jcs-12-2021-0052
License
CC BY 4.0Open Access
Copyright© 2023 the Authors

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