Too Hot or Too Cold? UConn Researcher Finds ‘Goldilocks Problem’ in Child Welfare Decision-Making
A major tool widely used in child welfare decision-making - and the way agencies try to implement it - may be hindering social workers.
An assessment tool commonly used in social work can be a hindrance when applied too rigidly or too loosely, according to researchers (Adobe Stock). Copy Link
How could this have happened?
What went wrong?
What do we do to make sure it never happens again?
When a family becomes erroneously or unnecessarily enmeshed in the child welfare system, that burden is largely invisible – a burden borne mostly by the family itself.
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How could this have happened?
What went wrong?
What do we do to make sure it never happens again?
When a family becomes erroneously or unnecessarily enmeshed in the child welfare system, that burden is largely invisible - a burden borne mostly by the family itself.
In both situations, the fault for the systemic failure is often placed on the caseworker - overburdened, under-resourced, and forced to make quick and critical judgments about the risk of harm or neglect to children.
But, according to new study coauthored by a researcher in the UConn School of Social Work, a major tool used in child welfare decision-making - and the way agencies try to implement it - may be part of the problem.