Displaying 1 - 10 of 14
Abstract
Background
Disparities in decision-making are a recognized concern within child protection systems and imply that marginalized groups are being treated unequally compared to majoritized groups. Previous studies reported that both ethnicity and the gender of the parent that maltreated the child seem associated with an increased likelihood that child protection agencies provide services after an investigation or that children are placed out of their homes.
Objective
We investigated whether migration background and the gender of the parent who maltreated the child seem…
Abstract
High rates of failed reunification indicate that family preservation (FP) does not necessarily lead to permanency for children. It could be argued that, in such failed cases, the decision-making process leading to the preservation of the family was inadequate. In order to gain insight into the role that decision-making plays in family preservation practice, we studied decision-making within an FP-intervention program provided by the Expertise Center. The Expertise Center explicitly combines treatment and decision-making in an assessment-based intervention that is provided to…
Abstract
Child protection matters from an important social and legal challenge, in which psychologists may be called upon to address a series of questions relevant for judicial decision-making. In an explorative manner, the current study investigates variables that influence psychological evaluators’ recommendations in child protection cases. The data is based on a quantitative content review of 103 psychological evaluation reports, conducted at an institute of forensic psychology in Germany. Using bivariate and logistic regression analyses, the following predictors were analyzed…
Abstract
Child welfare and child protection workers regularly make placement decisions in child abuse cases, but how they reach these decisions is not well understood. This study focuses on workers’ rationales. The aim was to investigate the kinds of arguments provided in placement decisions and whether these arguments were predictors for the decision, in addition to the decision-makers’ risk assessment, work experience and attitudes towards placement. The sample consisted of 214 professionals and 381 students from the Netherlands. The participants were presented with a vignette describing…
Abstract
Matching children with foster carers is an important step in every nonkinship family foster care placement. Although guidelines for matching are provided in several studies, the case-specific context of the decision can influence the practitioners' ability to adhere to these guidelines. Therefore, this study answers the following question: “How does the case-specific context influence the practitioners' decision-making process regarding matching in family foster care?” Using a qualitative design, 20 semistructured interviews were conducted with practitioners matching children with…
On 22 April, BCN Netherlands organized a seminar on gatekeeping in Utrecht, Netherlands. The goal of the yearly event was to share the theoretical framework, principles and practice, and experiences on gatekeeping with a broad audience, ranging from professionals in the development and child care sectors as well as individuals running small foundations supporting child care projects locally in the Global South. Approximately 70-80 participants, including members of the BCN steering committee attended the meeting.
The program included an introductory presentation by Maria Herczog, featuring…
This online resource provides an overview of research, conducted by the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA), on national child protection systems in the 28 European Union (EU) Member States. The research seeks to understand how national child protection systems work and to identify common challenges and promising practices. The data collected are organized around five main areas: (1) National legislative and regulatory framework; (2) National authorities responsible for child protection and service providers; (3) Human and financial resources, focusing on…
This article is part of a special edition of the journal Psychosocial Intervention (Volume 22 No.03 December 2013) focused on the state of child protection in a wide variety of countries with special attention to out-of-home care placements, principally family foster care and residential care, tough several aspects related to adoption were included as well. The articles in this special edition review the systems and practice in 16 countries chosen to represent very different cultural contexts,…
The European Commission adopted in February 2013 an important Recommendation (2013/112/EU) on Investing in Children, stressing the importance of early intervention and preventative approaches. Adopted together with its new Social Investment Package (SIP), it makes quality childcare one of its key policy areas to break the cycle of disadvantage in early years and reduce the risk of child poverty and social exclusion. Of particular note, the recommendation addresses the importance of children's care directly…
Institutions are often referred to as ‘orphanages’, but the term is misleading: in reality, the broad majority of children in institutions in Europe still have one or even both parents alive. For many, separation from the birth family could have been prevented with a timely provision of assistance and support. For others, a nurturing environment could be found in the enlarged family, a foster family or a family-like setting.
This briefing paper by Eurochild and Hope and Homes for Children seeks to address some of the key…