Toward a general model for child welfare and protection services: A meta-evaluation of international experiences regarding the adoption of the Framework for the Assessment of Children in Need and Their Families (FACNF)

Abstract

The United Kingdom has been at the forefront of an international movement to reform child welfare and protection systems both in terms of responding to children in difficulty and developing methods for organising such responses. More specifically, England and Wales have initiated a model of professional practice for vulnerable children and their families: the Framework for the Assessment of Children in Need and Their Families. This analytical and intervention framework has since been adopted in fifteen countries. This article reveals the results of a meta-evaluation of research that examines the implementation experiences and results of the framework in order to identify common and specific empirical elements related to its effectiveness. A content analysis of 50 documents reveals, in particular, the desirability of having organisational arrangements that, at the local level, foster leadership, inter-organisational collaboration, professional training, implementation planning, ownership of the target model, allowance of time for implementation and ownership of the target model, the use of information technology and communication, and reflexion. Promoting these elements reduces their observed counterparts such as confusion, cognitive biases, and faulty and uneven knowledge among the local partners. The results also indicate that professionals who use the framework ultimately make better assessments of the complex situations they face, have a more holistic and child-centered point of view, and consequently plan better interventions. The model increases inter-professional and inter-organisational collaboration. It also increases the participation of children and parents in the provision of services intended for them, yet slightly below expectations. The meta-evaluation also reveals that few evaluative studies address the impact of the model on the welfare of children. Finally, this article underscores the urgent need for incorporating measurements of child development into practice and evaluative research.Assessment Case management Children and families in need Framework for the Assessment of Children in Need and Their Family Meta-evaluation Professional practice model