Re: Client evaluation of services

[Tino Hammid <tinoh@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

I'd say that Gary is a brave soul.  Hats off.  I believe if he succeeds in
producing a study or some other written account of his research that he
will have some difficulty in publishing it or having it cited.  It will be,
in effect, buried.  Though there are many bona-fide researchers, my opinion
is that this field is highly politicized and fraught with personal agendas
unrelated to scientific work or public and child welfare.  This atmosphere
is understandable in view of the present child protection system being
largely the result of a sociopolitical movement (see The APSAC Handbook on
Child Maltreatment, Introduction by David Finkelhor, Sage Publications,
1996).

Another noticeable absence is data on "iatrogenic" effects of the child
protection system.  If CPS and other entities involved with child
protection were truly interested in child welfare, they would certainly
want to devise some realistic cost/benefit assessment measure.  The "cost"
must include far more than money.  It would have to include the toll taken
on families by investigations, false allegations, unnecessary child
removals and false positives.  The attempts to diminish or not even account
for damage caused by CPS interventions is in itself evidence of a defensive
political stance.  The rise of the child abuse backlash is also evidence of
a political atmosphere.

Being a newcomer to this list, I'm wondering if it is always this quiet?

Tino Hammid


Gary C. Dumbrill wrote:

>Thanks to those who have been sending references and comments on client views.
>
>I agree with Tino that "there might be a huge difference in survey results
>depending on which members of the client family Contribute."  As a result
>of such differences, my research will focus on the views of parents'
>accused of child abuse and neglect.
>
>Tino's comments that it seems "important to attempt an explanation for the
>dearth of CPS client evaluation surveys" are interesting - I recently came
>to the same conclusion.  In my proposed research I want to know how parents
>accused of child abuse and neglect make sense of CPS interventions - how
>CPS interventions appear and are experienced from their perspective.
>
>I am beginning to think however, that I cannot just look at parents' views
>without considering a broader context these views exist within and I wonder
>if the "dearth of research" into client views may be is a part of the
>context I need to consider.  Tino's hunches seem logical - CPS client views
>of services might not get much attention because of
>anticipated negative responses.  Yet if this is the case, if client views
>of services are seldom canvassed by researchers, policy makers or service
>providers, can the client's experience of receiving CPS service really be
>understood without also understanding this wider context - in other words,
>is the dearth of research in this area a clue to context in which clients
>expereince CPS service?
>
>Any thoughts, speculations or comments are most welcome.
>
>Regards
>
>Gary C. Dumbrill
>
>gdumbril@rogerswave.ca
>gary.dumbrill@utoronto.ca
>cwr.utoronto.ca