Substantiation decision-making and risk prediction in child protection systems

In the last few years, predictive risk modelling has been suggested for use in the child welfare environment as an efficient means of targeting preventive resources and improving practitioner decision-making. First raised in the green paper on vulnerable children, then translated into the white paper on vulnerable children and the Children’s Action Plan, and now part of the Child, Youth and Family review remit, this particular tool has provoked a barrage of opinions and wide-ranging analyses, concerning ethical implications, feasibility and data issues, possible uses and political consequences (Ministry of Social Development, 2011, 2012). This has resulted in a flurry of media, academic and policy debates, both here and internationally, and many reviews and related publications

Disguised compliance or undisguised nonsense?:A critical discourse analysis of compliance and resistance in social work practice.

This article examines how the term disguised compliance first emerged and developed into the popular catchphrase that is used in practice today. Using critical discourse analysis, we explore how language affects practice and how social workers draw on a predetermined concept to rationalise concerns relating to parental resistance. We contend that concepts such as disguised compliance are misleading as they do not improve social workers’ abilities in detecting resistance or compliance. Instead, we argue that social workers should be cautious when using popular mantras which on the surface appear effective in describing parents’ behaviours but, in reality, conceal concerns relating to risk, accountability and blame. This study differs from the current literature which advocates social workers should be aware of disguised compliance by shifting the emphasis away from the behaviours of parents and towards acknowledging the power such discursive activities can have on practice

Current Debates on Variability in Child Welfare Decision-Making: A Selected Literature Review

This article considers selected drivers of decision variability in child welfare decision-making and explores current debates in relation to these drivers. Covering the related influences of national orientation, risk and responsibility, inequality and poverty, evidence-based practice, constructions of abuse and its causes, domestic violence and cognitive processes, it discusses the literature in regards to how each of these influences decision variability. It situates these debates in relation to the ethical issue of variability and the equity issues that variability raises. I propose that despite the ecological complexity that drives decision variability, that improving internal (within-country) decision consistency is still a valid goal. It may be that the use of annotated case examples, kind learning systems, and continued commitments to the social justice issues of inequality and individualisation can contribute to this goal.Peer Reviewe

Myanmar Ecological Forecasting: Utilizing NASA Earth Observations to Monitor, Map, and Analyze Mangrove Forests in Myanmar for Enhanced Conservation

Mangroves supply many essential environmental amenities, such as preventing soil erosion, filtering water pollution, and protecting shorelines from harmful waves, floods, storms and winds. The Mangroves in Myanmar not only provide citizens with a food source, but they also offer firewood, charcoal, and construction materials. The depletion of mangroves is threatening more than the biodiversity however; Myanmar's fiscal livelihood is also in harm's way. Mangroves are valued at $100,000 to$277,000 per square kilometer and if managed in a sustainable fashion, can infuse constant income to the emerging Myanmarese economy. This study analyzed three coastline regions, the Ayeyarwady Delta, Rakhine and Tanintharyi, and mapped the spatial extent of mangrove forest during the dry season in 2000 and 2013. The classifications were derived from Landsat 7 Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+) and Landsat 8 Operation Land Imager (OLI) imagery, as well as the Terra Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) digital elevation model information. This data was atmospherically corrected, mosaicked, masked and classified in ENVI, followed by ArcGIS to perform raster calculations and create final products. Forest degradation collected from 2000 to 2013 was later used to forecast the density and health of Mangroves in the year 2030. These results were subsequently presented to project partners Dr. Peter Leimgruber and Ellen Aiken at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute in Front Royal, VA. After the presentation of the project to the partners, these organizations formally passed on to the Myanmar Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Forestry for policy makers and forest managers to utilize in order to protect the Myanmar mangrove ecosystem while sustaining a healthy economy

Risk perceptions and experience in child protection decision-making: a comparative study of student social workers in Wales and Aotearoa New Zealand

Decision making in child protection is the product of interacting factors between workers, organizations, families, and macro social structures. Individual perceptions of risk, safety, and harm, as one piece of this complex puzzle, are important to understand. This article reports on a comparative study of social work students in two countries: Wales and Aotearoa New Zealand. Using a mixed methods survey and a staged vignette (in which the situation becomes progressively more serious), we found there were similarities between respondents from the two countries in their perceptions of risk, safety and harm, and their reasoning processes. Beneath this broad consensus, respondents from Wales rated the level of harm to the children lower at earlier stages but were more likely to say the case should meet the threshold for statutory intervention. Risk-averse respondents were more likely to conclude the children experienced serious harm and also that the case should meet the threshold for statutory intervention. These differences largely disappeared by the concluding stage. Qualitative analysis shows that the reasoning processes used to explain risk, safety, and plan goals were similar between the two countries. Some nuanced differences emerged in relation to a risk-averse group from Aotearoa New Zealand emphasizing the importance of continuing engagement with professional services as a sign of change. Implications are discussed, particularly for workforce development and the needs of newly qualified social workers

“I’m in two minds about it” : decision variability in child protection

An overview of selected themes from phase two of the Decision-making variability in child welfare research project, with discussion and implications for practice.Decisions in the child protection context take place in a complex environment influenced by individual decision-makers, institutional resources and practices,demographic inequalities, and family responses. While some variation in decision outcomes are inevitable and desirable in order to respond to unique family and whānau contexts, the principles, logics and resources informing such decisions should be consistent. Where they differ too much, families in similar situations receive different responses, contributing to inequities and inconsistencies in decision outcomes. Both children and families should expect intervention in family life to be relatively consistent, so that children’s rights to protection, and family and whānau rights to autonomy are transparently and consistently balanced. Wider inequalities are a substantial cause of differences in outcomes,nevertheless, institutional and individual factors also contribute to decision variability. This report describes some of these factors as reported by practitioners in the child protection context in Aotearoa New Zealand,providing an insight into the experiences and perceptions of front-line practitioners. By describing simple and difficult cases, views of the causes of decision variability, and perceptions of what contributes to ‘good’ decisions, valuable practice-based knowledge can be accessed from practitioners’ own practice-rich perspectives. This can be utilized to inform practice development and contribute to equitable outcomes for families and whānau

First findings from phase one of the Child Welfare Decision-Making Variability Project: Research briefing paper.

Decision variability,that is,different decision outcomes when levels of harm are similar is a problem common to many child protection systems. The causes are many and varied: the expectation of the child protection system to respond to diverse family problems; the differing beliefs, values and worldviews of practitioners; differences in institutional cultures, sites, processes and resources; demographic inequalities; and conflicting discourses in the policy environment (Baumann et al., 2011; Keddell, 2014). This small (n = 67) exploratory mixed methods study examines if decision variability exists in Aotearoa New Zealand, and why this occurs. At the individual level, the perceptions of practitioners inform what decisions should be made in relation to specific children. This study found that there was a wide range of perceptions of levels of risk, safety, and future harm amongst frontline child welfare (both CYF and NGO) practitioners when responding to the same case vignette. These diverse perspectives were reflected in marked differences in the types of decisions recommended, and how close CYF respondents were to forming a belief that children are in need of care and protection. Problem explanations revolved around factors relating to the family socio economic circumstances, domestic violence, the children’s behaviour and parenting capacity. Despite broad similarities in problem explanations, diverse perceptions of risk remained

Good professional practices for promoting positive parenting and child participation in reunification processes

Professional support of families that are under temporary protection, with the goal of reunification, is necessary for helping families re‐establish their family dynamics. Without this support, the conditions that contributed to child abuse and neglect will likely persist. In this context, the attitude of professionals towards positive parenting and child participation is a decisive factor. The quantitative study presented here contributes knowledge regarding these 2 variables. The study was conducted with 106 professionals who work in the child protection system. The results show a high degree of consensus among professionals regarding the following practices: (a) incorporating positive parenting into family reunification processes; (b) training the biological parents in parenting skills; and (c) promoting the active participation of children in foster care and reunification. Regarding the latter point, the study found that older and more experienced professionals are more open and inclined to promote participation in family reunification processes. The practical implications of the results invite us to review attitudinal competencies training for professionals working in child protection services, focusing on encouraging a positive attitude towards the parental competencies of the biological family and the active participation of children in foster care and reunification. These professionals' attitudes are a key factor in mediating the process of family reunificatio

Giving up the ghost: Findings on fathers and social work from a study of pre-birth child protection

This article reports findings from an ethnographic study of pre-birth child protection, conducted in an urban Scottish setting. The study was designed to explore the interactions between practitioners and families in the context of child protection involvement during a pregnancy. This research aimed to understand the activities that constituted pre-birth child protection assessment, and the meaning attached to those activities by social workers and expectant parents. Very different perspectives on fathers and fatherhood emerged through the study. Fathers shared their feelings of familial tenderness in the context of research interviews. Yet social workers often focused on the risks that the fathers posed. This focus on risk led professionals to ignore or exclude fathers in significant ways. Fathers were denied opportunities to take an active role in their families and care planning for their infants, whilst mothers were over-responsibilised. Children meanwhile were potentially denied the relationship, care and identity benefits of involved fatherhood. This article shows how pre-birth child protection processes and practice can function so as to limit the contribution of expectant fathers. The way that fathers and fathering are understood continues to be a wider problem for social work, requiring development through research and practice. This study was not immune to the challenge of involving men in social work research in meaningful ways. Nevertheless, the findings highlight how participation in social work research can create a forum for fathers to share their concerns, and the importance of their perspective for practice