Decision-Making Factors in the Mandatory Reporting of Child Maltreatment
Tóm tắt
The goal of this exploratory study was to investigate the factors that may impact a social worker’s decision to report suspected child maltreatment. A volunteer sample of social workers (n = 439) from Ontario, Canada completed an online survey where they reviewed three hypothetical vignettes of potential child maltreatment (exposure to intimate partner violence, physical, emotional). Social workers responded to questions regarding their decision-making and the factors which would impact their reporting decision (legal requirements, ethnicity of caregivers, circumstances around disclosure, reporting history, consultation or supervision, field of practice). A series of multiple logistic regression analyses were performed for each version of the three vignettes. The study found that consultation or supervision were significant predictors in social worker’s decision to report suspected child maltreatment. Peer consultation may assist with emotional regulation and provide an outside perspective to guide decision-making.
Tài liệu tham khảo
Alvarez, K. M., Kenny, M. C., Donohue, B., & Carpin, K. M. (2004). Why are professionals failing to initiate mandated reports of child maltreatment, and are there any empirically based training programs to assist professionals in the reporting process? Aggression and Violent Behavior, 9(5), 563–578. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.avb.2003.07.001.
Ashton, V. (1999). Worker judgements of seriousness about and reporting of suspected child maltreatment. Child Abuse & Neglect, 23(6), 539–548. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0145-2134(99)00032-0.
Barsky, A. (2010). Ethics and values in social work: An integrated approach for a comprehensive curriculum. New York: Oxford University Press.
Bennet, L. (2008). The “Spanking” Law: Section 43 of the Criminal Code. Ottawa: Parliament of Canada.
Bogo, M., Paterson, J., Tufford, L., & King, R. (2011a). Supporting front-line practitioners’ professional development and job satisfaction in mental health and addiction. Journal of Interprofessional Care, 25, 209–214. https://doi.org/10.3109/13561820.2011.554240.
Bogo, M., Paterson, J., Tufford, L., & King, R. (2011b). Interprofessional clinical supervision in mental health and addiction: Toward identifying common elements. The Clinical Supervisor, 30(1), 124–140. https://doi.org/10.1080/07325223.2011.564961doi.
Bogo, M., Regehr, C., Logie, C., Katz, E., Mylopoulos, M., & Regehr, G. (2011). Adapting objective structured clinical examinations to assess social work students’ performance and reflections. Journal of Social Work Education, 47(1), 5–18.
Brown, R., & Strozier, M. (2004). Resisting abuse at what cost? The impact of mandated reporting laws on the process and content of therapy. Contemporary Family Therapy, 26(1), 45–60. https://doi.org/10.1023/B:COFT.0000016911.48414.7d.
Canadian Association of Social Workers. (2005). Code of ethics. Ottawa: Author.
Chang, J., Rhee, S., & Weaver, D. (2006). Characteristics of child abuse in immigrant Korean families and correlates of placement decisions. Child Abuse & Neglect, 30, 881–891. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2006.03.002.
Courtois, C. (1988). Healing the incest wound: Adult survivors in therapy. New York: Norton.
Crenshaw, W. B., Crenshaw, L. M., & Lichtenberg, J. W. (1995). When educators confront child abuse: an analysis of the decision to report. Child Abuse & Neglect, 19(9), 1095–1113. https://doi.org/10.1016/0145-2134(95)00071-F.
Criminal Code, R. S. C. (1985) c. C-46.
Cyr, C., Michel, G., & Dumais, M. (2013). Child maltreatment as a global phenomenon: from trauma to prevention. International Journal of Psychology, 48(2), 141–148. https://doi.org/10.1080/00207594.2012.705435.
Delaronde, S., King, G., Bendel, R., & Reece, R. (2000). Opinions among mandated reporters toward child maltreatment reporting policies. Child Abuse & Neglect, 24(7), 901–910. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0145-2134(00)00151-4.
Drake, B., Jonson-Reid, M., & Sapokaite, L. (2006). Re-reporting of child maltreatment: does participation in other public sector services moderate the likelihood of second maltreatment report? Child Abuse & Neglect, 30(11), 1201–1226. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2006.05.008.
Dubowitz, H. (1997). Ethical issues in professionals’ response to child maltreatment. Child Maltreatment, 2(4), 348–355. https://doi.org/10.1177/1077559597002004008.
Finucane, M. L., Peters, E., & Slovic, P. (2003). Judgment and decision-making: The dance of affect and reason. In S. L. Schneider & J. Shanteau (Eds.), Emerging perspectives on judgment and decision research (pp. 327–364). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Fleming, P., Biggart, L., & Beckett, C. (2015). Effects of professional experience on child maltreatment risk assessments: a comparison of students and qualified social workers. British Journal of Social Work, 45(8), 2298–2316. https://doi.org/10.1093/bjsw/bcu090.
Fontes, L. A. (2005). Child abuse and culture: Working with diverse families. New York: The Guilford Press.
Gambrill, E. (2005). Critical thinking in clinical practice: Improving the quality of judgments and decisions (2nd edn.). Hoboken: Wiley.
Gambrill, E., & Shlonsky, A. (2000). Risk assessment in context. Children and Youth Services Review, 22(11/12), 813–837. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0190-7409(00)00123-7.
Gilbert, R., Kemp, A., Thoburn, J., Sidebotham, P., Radford, L., Glaser, D., & MacMillan, H. L. (2009). Recognising and responding to child maltreatment. Lancet, 373, 167–180. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(08)61707-9.
Gladding, S. T., Remley, T. P., & Huber, C. H. (2001). Ethical, legal, and professional issues in the practice of marriage and family therapy (3rd edn.). New York: Merrill Prentice Hall.
Glancy, G. D., Regehr, D., & Bryant, A. G. (1998). Confidentiality in crisis: Part I – The duty to inform. Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, 43, 1001–1005. https://doi.org/10.1177/070674379804301004.
Graham, J. R., Brownlee, K., Shier, M., & Doucette, E. (2008). Localization of social work knowledge through practitioner adaptations in Northern Ontario and the Northwest Territories, Canada. Arctic, 61(4), 399–406. https://doi.org/10.14430/arctic48.
Harries, M., & Clare, M. (2002). Mandatory reporting of child abuse: Evidence and options. Perth: University of Western Australia.
Healy, A. (2009). How effectively do people learn from a variety of different opinions? Experimental Economics, 12, 386–416. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10683-009-9220-1.
Hong, G. K., & Hong, L. K. (1991). Comparative perspectives on child abuse and neglect: Chinese versus Hispanics and Whites. Child Welfare, 4, 463–475.
Humble, M. N., Lewis, M. L., Scott, D. L., & Herzog, J. R. (2013). Challenges in rural social work practice: when support groups contain your neighbors, church members, and the PTA. Social Work with Groups, 36, 249–258. https://doi.org/10.1080/01609513.2012.753807.
Kenny, M. C. (2001). Child abuse reporting: teachers’ perceived deterrents. Child Abuse & Neglect, 25, 81–92. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0145-2134(00)00218-0.
King, C. B., & Scott, K. L. (2014). Why are suspected cases of child maltreatment referred by educators so often unsubstantiated? Child Abuse & Neglect, 38, 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2013.06.002.
King, G., Reece, R., Bendel, R., & Patel (1998). The effects of sociodemographic variables, training, and attitudes on the lifetime reporting practices of mandated reporters. Child Maltreatment, 3(3), 276–283. https://doi.org/10.1177/1077559598003003007.
Kriz, K., & Skivenes, M. (2010). Child-centric or family focused? A study of child welfare workers’ perceptions of ethnic minority children in England and Norway. Child and Family Social Work, 17, 448–457. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2206.2011.00802.x.
Lau, K. J., Krase, K., & Morse, R. H. (2009). Mandated reporting of child abuse and neglect: A practical guide for social workers. New York: Springer Publishing Company.
Lee, B., Thomson, F., Fallon, E., Trocmé, B. N., & Black, T. (2017). Asian-Canadian families involved in the child welfare system in Canada: a mixed methods study. Child Abuse and Neglect, 70, 342–355. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2017.06.022.
Lee, B., Thomson, F., Trocmé, E., Fallon, N. B., & Black, T. (2016). Delineating disproportionality and disparity of Asian-Canadian versus White-Canadian households in the child welfare system. Child and Youth Service Review, 70(2016), 383–393. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2016.10.023.
Levi, B. H., & Crowell, K. (2011). Child abuse experts disagree about the threshold for mandated reporting. Clinical Pediatrics, 50(4), 321–329. https://doi.org/10.1177/0009922810389170.
Liber, E., Fung, H., & Leung, P. W. L. (2006). Chinese child-rearing beliefs: key dimensions and contributions to the development of culture-appropriate assessment. Asian Journal of Social Psychology, 9, 140–147. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-839X.2006.00191.x.
Lonne, B., Parton, N., & Thomson, J. (2008). Reforming child protection. London: Routledge.
Maiter, S. (2004). Considering context and culture in child protection services to ethnically diverse families: an example from research with parents from the Indian sub continent (South Asians). Social Work Research and Evaluation, 5, 63–80.
Mathews, B., & Bross, D. C. (2008). Mandated reporting is still a policy with reason: empirical evidence and philosophical grounds. Child Abuse & Neglect, 32, 511–516. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-9685-9_1.
Mathews, B., & Kenny, M. C. (2008). Mandatory reporting legislation in the United States, Canada, and Australia: a cross-jurisdictional review of key features, differences, and issues. Child Maltreatment, 13(1), 50–63. https://doi.org/10.1177/1077559507310613.
McDaniel, M. (2006). In the eye of the beholder: the role of reporters in bringing families to the attention of child protective services. Children and Youth Services Review, 28, 306–324. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2005.04.010.
McLaughlin, A. M., Rothery, M., Babins-Wagner, R., & Schleifer, B. (2010). Decision-making and evidence in direct practice. Clinical Social Work Journal, 38, 155–163. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10615-009-0190-8.
Merali, N. (2002). Culturally informed ethical decision-making in situations of suspected child abuse. Canadian Journal of Counselling, 36(3), 233–244.
Mishna, F., Bogo, M., Root, J., Sawyer, J., & Khoury-kassabri, M. (2012). “It just crept in”: the digital age and implications for social work practice. Clinical Social Work Journal, 40(3), 277–286. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10615-012-0383-4.
National Association of Social Workers. (2008). Code of ethics. Washington, DC: Author.
O’Sullivan, T. (1999). Decision-making in social work. London: Macmillan Press Ltd.
Office of the Auditor General of Ontario. (2015). Annual report. Toronto: Queen’s Printer.
Ontario Association of Children’s Aid Societies. (2016). Eligibility spectrum. Toronto: Author.
Packer, C., Runnels, V., & Labonté, R. (2015). Canada’s response to female genital mutilation: are we failing our girls? Canadian Medical Association Journal, 187(6), E188-E189. https://doi.org/10.1503/cmaj.141215.
Paul, R., & Elder, L. (2006). Critical thinking: Learn the tools the best thinkers use. Columbus: Pearson Prentice Hall.
Practice and Research Together. (2012). Taking the path less travelled: Critical thinking for child welfare practitioners. Toronto: Author.
Reitsma-Street, M. (1989). More control than care: a critique of historical and contemporary laws for delinquency and neglect of children in Ontario. Canadian Journal of Women & Law, 3, 510.
Statistics Canada. (2011). National household survey. Ottawa: Government of Canada.
Sue, V. M., & Ritter, L. A. (2007). Conducting online surveys. Los Angeles: Sage.
Tang, C. S. K. (2006). Corporal punishment and physical maltreatment against children: a community study on Chinese parents in Hong Kong. Child Abuse and Neglect, 30, 893–907. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2006.02.012.
Terao, S. Y., Borrego, J., & Urquiza, A. J. (2001). A reporting and response model for culture and child maltreatment. Child Maltreatment, 6(2), 158–168. https://doi.org/10.1177/1077559501006002008.
Trocme, N., Fallon, B., MacLaurin, B., Sinha, V., Black, T., Fast, E. … Holroyd, J. (2010). Canadian incidence study of reported child abuse and neglect – 2008: Major findings. Ottawa: Minister of Public Works and Government Services Canada.
Trocme, N., Knoke, D., Fallon, B., & MacLaurin, B. (2009). Differentiating between substantiated, suspected, and unsubstantiated maltreatment in Canada. Child Maltreatment, 14(1), 4–16. https://doi.org/10.1177/1077559508318393.
Tufford, L. (2012). Clinician mandatory reporting and maintenance of the therapeutic alliance (Unpublished doctoral dissertation), University of Toronto, Toronto.
Tufford, L., Bogo, M., & Asakura, K. (2015). How do social workers respond to potential child neglect? Social Work Education, 34(2), 229–243. https://doi.org/10.1080/02615479.2014.958985.
Tufford, L., Bogo, M., Katz, E., Lee, B., & Ramjattan, R. (2018). Reporting suspected child abuse and neglect: educating social work students in decision-making and maintaining the relationship. Journal of Social Work Education, (in press).
US Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Administration of Children, Youth, and Families, Children’s Bureau. (2017). Child maltreatment 2015. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office. Retrieved from http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cb/research-data-technology/statistics-research/child-maltreatment.
Weinstein, B., Levine, M., Kogan, N., Harkavy-Friedman, J. M., & Miller, J. M. (2000). Mental health professionals’ experiences reporting suspected child abuse and maltreatment. Child Abuse & Neglect, 24, 1317–1328. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0145-2134(00)00191-5.
Wilks, T. (2004). The use of vignettes in qualitative research into social work values. Qualitative Social Work, 3(1), 78–87. https://doi.org/10.1177/1473325004041133.
World Health Organization (WHO). (2013). European report on preventing child maltreatment. WHO Regional Office for Europe. Retrieved from http://www.euro.who.int/__data/assets/ pdf_file/0019/217018/European-Report-on-Preventing-Child-Maltreatment.pdf.
Zhu, Y., & Tang, K. L. (2012). Physical child abuses in urban China: victims’ perceptions of the problem and impediments to help-seeking. International Social Work, 55(4), 574–588. https://doi.org/10.1177/0020872811425806.