The Use of Criteria for Decision Making in Child Placement Situations
Meddin, Barbara Ann Jacobson
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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/71482
Description
Title
The Use of Criteria for Decision Making in Child Placement Situations
Author(s)
Meddin, Barbara Ann Jacobson
Issue Date
1982
Department of Study
Social Work
Discipline
Social Work
Degree Granting Institution
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Degree Name
Ph.D.
Degree Level
Dissertation
Keyword(s)
Social Work
Abstract
The main focus of this dissertation was to study the making of the protective custody placement decision concerning a child(ren) involved in an abuse or neglect situation. Two major research questions were addressed. They were: (1) What criteria do child protective service workers use to make protective custody decisions in abuse and neglect case situations? (2) What is the impact of varying organizational effort regarding a formal decision making model and the training of direct service workers in its use in order to increase agreement of placement decisions between those CPS workers and a panel of experts.
The research validated the use of five key variables which function as criteria for making the placement decision. Risk to the child of further abuse and/or neglect was identified as the primary variable used. Severity of the current incident, functioning of the prime caretaker, cooperation of the prime caretaker, and the age of the child were variables identified that serve as operational definitions or indicators of that risk.
The research also demonstrated that a formal decision making model including specific policies and procedures explicating the criteria to be used for making the placement decision enhances the consistency of the workers' decisions. That consistency can be further enhanced if training in the use of the model and monitoring are provided.
Furthermore the research demonstrated that respondents with B.S.W. degrees made decisions that were more consistent with a panel of experts than respondents with other educational backgrounds. Respondents with M.S.W. degrees were less likely to place the child involved in the abuse or neglect situation than any other educational group studied. Finally, as the length of experience of the respondent increased, the rate of placement decreased.
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