Abstract

Assessing and responding to risks to children’s safety is a primary concern of the child protection system (CPS), and decision-support tools have been developed to assist child welfare workers (CWW). Yet, a limited understanding of CWWs’ decision-making experiences impedes our efforts to effectively support them. This qualitative study examines the unique characteristics of decision-making in CPS through focus groups involving CWWs from an agency in California. Five themes emerged: CWWs’ responsibilities, decision-making characteristics, domain-specific complexities, and CWWs’ perspectives on fairness in decision-making. The findings highlight the need to incorporate CWWs’ experiences and insights in developing future decision-support tools.

Date

January 1, 2025

Authors

Eunhye Ahn, Fred Morstatter, Debra Waters-Roman, Lindsey Palmer, Jacquelyn McCroskey

Journal

Journal of Public Child Welfare

Volume

19

Issue

1

Pages

229-252

Publisher

Routledge