Re: Client evaluation of services

[Gary <gdumbril@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

At 04:37 PM 09/03/98 -0500, Terry Murphy wrote:
>I currently am supervising a research student who is 
>examining clients perceptions of services received at a 
>specialist theraputic unit and comparing clients 
>experiences of this project to thier previous experiences 
>of the child protection system. Would anyone have any 
>particularly useful references or contacts on the subject 
>of client evaluation of child protection agencies.
>T.Murphy@tees.ac.uk
>

This was posted some time ago and I must have somehow missed it at the time.

I am a doctoral student and I plan to do my dissertation on client views of
child welfare services.

I have not heard of anyone doing the comparative type of study your student
is suggesting - but I like the approach!

As for straightforward studies of client views of child protection services
(CPS), there is not a lot around, but some of the best work I have seen has
come out of the UK (I notice that your e-mail address is from the UK).
Fisher, Marsh & Phillips "In and Out of Care" is impressive as is Cleaver
and Freeman's "Parental Perspectives in Cases of Suspected Child Abuse."
This later study is published by the folks at Dartington who have done
other work in this area (which I have not read yet).

There is some older research that has looked at CPS client views, including
some survey work into "client satisfaction" that the Child Welfare League
of America did some time ago.  I have done a fairly comprehensive lit
review and analysis of some of this earlier work and would be happy to send
a copy to your/your student.  I am also constantly looking for more
information in this area, so I would be keen to receive copies of any
information your student has pulled together and keen to hear more about
your students research.

Regards.
Gary C. Dumbrill
gary.dumbrill@utoronto.ca