Child Risk Assessment and Placement Decision Making By Social Workers in the Israeli Arab Sector

Introduction:

The decision to treat children in their own community or adversely to place them at out-of-home settings might change their lives, and also their families' lives. These decisions are vital and accordingly leave their mark on children's mental development. In Israel, such decisions are made by “treatment planning committees”, composed of professional social workers, including the family case manger, child protection officer, and other related professionals. While the final decision is a product of the group decision making, this group process is based on the personal risk assessment and planned decision of each member of the committee. It is hypothesized that such risk assessments and decisions are influenced not only by the objective risk to the child, but also by other factors such as (1) the level of change in the child’s condition, (2) level of parental cooperation, and by (3) the child’s gender.

Methods:

The study used an experimental design within a cross-sectional survey framework. A series of vignettes were constructed, describing a child at risk. Three variables were randomly manipulated: change in the child’s condition, parental cooperation, and child’s gender. The sample was a purposive convenience sample, consisting of 130 social workers, of the Arab sector in Israel, involved in treatment planning committees. Each worker was asked to respond to eight randomly selected vignettes. Responses included the perceived risk to the child, and placement recommendation. Each questionnaire also asked of the workers’ socio-demographic background, professional training, and specific professional role. Regression analysis was carried at the vignette level, controlling statistically for within worker clustering using robust standard errors within a Generalized Estimating Equations (GEE) model.

Results:

Improvement in the child condition and parental cooperation, have turned to be significantly and negatively associated with subjective risk assessment and out-of-home placement decisions (recommendations). Child’s gender and the worker’s professional background variables had no significant effects.

Conclusions and Implications:

The results are discussed within the framework of reasoned vs. heuristic decision making processes, on the one hand, and power relations between workers and clients. Assessing risk to children and making placement decisions are influenced by professionally based heuristics, which at times may bias the risk assessment and decision making process. The significant role of “parental cooperation” in such processes is particularly alarming, as it indicates the need of the social workers for conforming and obedient “subjects”.