NCJ Number
204308
Journal
Child Abuse & Neglect Volume: 25 Issue: 1 Dated: January 2001 Pages: 47-64
Editor(s)
Richard D. Krugman,
John M. Leventhal
Date Published
January 2001
Length
18 pages
Annotation
This study examined the relationships among various parental features, child protection workers’ assessment of the quality of life that the parents make it possible for the child to enjoy, and the workers’ decisions on removal.
Abstract
The decision as to whether or not to remove a child from his or her biological parents is one of the most important and difficult decisions that a child protection worker makes; yet the law does not provide clear guidelines as to when such a decision should or should not be taken. Most studies have found that the factors most closely related to the decision of removal are the features of the parents, especially those of the mother. Despite the large number of studies, major questions still remain. The current study sought to answer two questions: 1) to what extent are the parental features that are associated with the workers’ assessment of the parents’ enabling quality of life that same as those that are associated with the decision to remove the child; and 2) to what extent do the parental features and the workers assessment of the parents’ enabling quality of life contribute to their decisions on the removal of children from their homes? The sample consisted of 194 child protection officers from all over Israel. The workers completed a parental features questionnaire, child injury questionnaire, and Shye’s Systematic Quality of Life Questionnaire on two children, ages 3-13, with whom they had dealt with in the previous 6 months; one was the last child they had removed from the home, the other the last child they had decided to keep at home. Analysis of the questionnaires found that parental cooperation with the worker, relationship with the child, addiction, and cleanliness were related to both the decision and the assessment of enabling quality of life. Parents’ poverty, criminality, psychological problems, and cognitive impairment were related only to the workers assessment of parents enabling quality of life. Family status was related only to the decision to remove. While injury to the child was associated with the decision to remove the child, it added virtually nothing to the explanation of the decision beyond parental features and enabling. The author concludes that the findings show only partial overlap between the variable related to the assessment of the parents’ enabling their child good quality of life and the variables related to the decision to remove the child. The study, while limited, highlights the discrepancy between the variables associated with the assessment of the parents’ enabling their children’s quality of life and those associated with the choice of intervention. Study limitations are discussed. References and tables