Family separation or preservation? Attitudes and beliefs as sources of evidence for decision-making in child protection organisations

Abstract

Introduction. Child-protection measures are complex decisions to make, especially in the case of possibly separating children from their biological families. Unsurprisingly, the question of decision-making is recurringly addressed in practice and in the scientific literature. In this light, the issue of professional decisionmaking variability has received much attention, leading to the need to understand how and on what basis judgements and intervention recommendations are made. Methodology. The aim of this study was to analyse the variability of the decisions made by child protection professionals in the Basque Country regarding family preservation or separation measures. A quantitative methodology was followed to study the professionals' attitudes and beliefs as well as the organisational contexts of the decisions. A total of 204 responses were obtained from professionals working in different organisations, both in the public and private sectors. Results. Some variability was found in the professional decisions made based on the vignette proposed, and significant differences were observed in terms of attitudes towards the protection system, beliefs about the risk of intervention alternatives, and the organisational context. Discussion. Choices were related to personal attitudes and the perceived risks or benefits in each case. Thus, professionals who opted for family preservation displayed more favourable attitudes towards this measure and perceived a lower level of risk than professionals who opted for separation. There was also a tendency to homogenise decisions in some organisational contexts, especially in community social services, where there was almost no variability in the decisions made. Conclusions. Each professional judgement and decision are subject to a personal and organisational assessment filter, and this filter is a source of evidence as well as of theoretical and technical knowledge. To reduce decisionmaking variability, it is necessary to focus on personal variables which must be addressed in training and professional supervision settings. It is thus important to conduct further research on judgements and intervention decisions in organisational contexts in order to understand the role of the vision and mission of organisations in professional practice.