Re: Client evaluation of services

[Tino Hammid <tinoh@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

>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


I think it would be interesting to attempt an explanation of the reasons
for the dearth of CPS client evaluation surveys.  My hunch is that because
of the sometimes contentious nature of child protection the client
responses might be predicted to be generally be negative.  From some client
perspectives a satisfaction survey would be asking if unwanted intervention
was ultimately welcome.  I also think that there might be a huge difference
in survey results depending on which members of the client family
contribute.  A family member who was also the reporter might have quite a
different view from the perpetrator or victim who did not make the report.

Tino Holden
tinoh@concentric.net