Investigating Social Workers’ Risk and Safety Assessment Process to Identify Parents’ Capacity to Change Their Behaviour
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.25159/2708-9355/19131Keywords:
risk and safety assessment, parents’ capacity, change behaviour, parents, social workersAbstract
Globally, social workers remove children from the parental home and place them in alternative care when home circumstances pose a danger to the children’s development. Prior to such removal, the social worker is required to conduct a risk and safety assessment of the parental home, involving both the child/ren and their parents, to identify parental capacity to change their own behaviour in preparation for later reunification. There is a gap in the literature about possible problems associated with assessing parents’ ability to change their behaviour, and the effective role of social workers in facilitating successful reunification. The study used a qualitative research approach, guided by an interpretivist paradigm and employing ethics of care as a theoretical lens, to investigate the process used by social workers to assess parents’ capacity to change their behaviour. Purposive sampling was used to recruit nine social workers and eight parents from the Department of Social Development and Rata Social Services, a child protection organisation in the Waterberg District, South Africa. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews. The study reveals that there is a lack of standardisation in risk and safety assessments, inconsistencies in using these assessments, a lack of parental involvement in assessments, and poor communication between social workers and the parents of removed children. The study recommends the use of standardised risk and safety assessments that clearly identify parents’ capacity to change their behaviour, communication channels, and ethical standards, prioritising parental engagement in decision-making. Such standards can improve assessments and have a positive impact on successful reunification.
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