Science or Discretion? Factors that Influence Social Workers’ Decision-making in Rendering Foster Care Services
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.25159/2708-9355/14968Keywords:
factors, decision-making process, social worker, foster child, foster parentAbstract
Scientific decision-making or discretion: what are the factors that influence the decision-making processes of social workers rendering foster care services? Social workers are required daily to decide whether a child at risk of harm and neglect should be moved to alternate care. A well-considered decision can result in positive outcomes, but a poorly conceived decision can have dire consequences for the child, biological parent and foster parents. This article is based on a study that investigated the factors that influence the decision-making processes of social workers rendering foster care services. The study employed a qualitative approach and a collective case study design. The population of the study was social workers and their supervisors rendering foster care services to government and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in Gauteng, South Africa. Purposive sampling and triangulation of data collection methods were used, namely, case file analysis and semi-structured interviews with social workers and supervisors. Both deductive and inductive data analysis approaches were adopted. Ethical clearance was obtained for the study, and before the commencement of data collection, participants were fully briefed about the study, and informed consent was obtained. Trustworthiness was addressed during the study. The findings on the factors influencing the decision-making process in the assessment phase, the placement phase, and the supervision phase will assist social workers in becoming more aware of factors that can consciously or unconsciously influence their decision-making. This will result in more uniform, transparent, and informed decision-making regarding the provision of foster care services.
References
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Brown, Helen Cosis, Judy Sebba, and Nikki Luke. 2014. The Role of the Supervising Social Worker in Foster Care. Oxford: Rees Centre for Research in Fostering and Education, University of Oxford.
Bruce, Linda. 2013. Reflective Practice for Social Workers. A Handbook for Developing Professional Confidence. Berkshire: Open University Press.
Buckley, Helen. 2003. Child Protection, Beyond the Rhetoric. United Kingdom: Jessica Kingsley Publishers Ltd.
Chateauneuf, Doris, Marie-Andrée Poirier, and Geneviève Pagé. 2021. “Decision-making in Foster Care: A View on the Dynamic and Collective Nature of the Process.” Journal of Social Work, 21 (4): 730–752. https://doi.org/10.1177/1468017320928825
Clarke, Anna Maria. 2020. “Foster Care Service Barriers and Social Work Practice in the Virgin Islands.” Doctoral Thesis. Walden University: Minnesota.
Creswell, John W., and Cheryl N. Poth. 2018. Qualitative Inquiry and Research Design. Choosing among Five Approaches. Los Angeles: Sage.
Delgado, Paulo, Vânia S. Pinto, João M.S. Carvalho, and Robbie Gilligan. 2019. “Family Contact in Foster Care in Portugal. The Views of Children in Foster Care and Other Key Actors.” Child and Family Social Work 24 (1): 98–105. https://doi.org/10.1111/cfs.12586
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Font, Sarah A. and Kathryn Maquire-Jack. 2015. “Decision-Making in Child Protective Services: Influences at Multiple Levels of the Social Ecology.” Child Abuse and Neglect 47: 70–82. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2015.02.005
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Hall, Katheran, Ann Skelton, and Sipho Sibanda. 2016. “Social Assistance for Orphaned Children Living with Family”. In The South African Child Gauge, edited by A. Delany, S. Jehoma and L. Lake. Cape Town: Children’s Institute.
Halkias, Daphne, Michael Neubert, Paul W. Thurman, and Nicholas Harkiolakis. 2022. The Multiple Case Study Design. Methodology and Application for Management Education. Routledge: UK. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003244936
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Hearle, Christopher and Kanchana N. Ruwanpura. 2009. “Contentious Care: Foster Care Grants and the Caregiver-Orphans Relationship in KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa.” Oxford Development Studies 37 (4): 423–437. https://doi.org/10.1080/13600810903305240
Huniziker, Stefan and Michael Blankenage. 2021. Comparing Types of Research Designs. Springer Gabler: Wiesbaden.
Keddell, Emily. 2014. Current Debates on Variability in Child Welfare Decision-making: a Selected Literature Review. Journal of Social Science, 3: 916–940. https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci3040916
Mampane, Mmathebe, and Eleanor, Ross. 2017. “Beyond the Silence: Emotional Experiences of Adolescents in Foster Care.” Southern African Journal of Social Work and Development. South Africa: Unisa Press.
McCafferty, Paul, Joe Duffy and David Hayes. 2021. “Permanency Decisions in Child Welfare: A Qualitative Study.” The British Journal of Social Work 51 (6): 2134–2154. https://doi.org/10.1093/bjsw/bcab095
Munro, Eileen. 2008. Effective Child Protection. 2nd edition. London: Sage.
Mmolokoe, Keoagile, A. 2017. “Evaluation of social work intervention in foster care placement in the Bojanala district of the North West province, South Africa.” Masters Dissertation. North-West University, Free State.
Nkosi, Winnie B. 2020. “Family Adjustment and Support Interventions in Foster Care Families: Experiences of Caregivers and Social Workers in the Amajuba District.” Masters Dissertation. University of KwaZulu-Natal: KZN.
O’Sullivan, Terence. 2011. Decisions Making in Social Work. 2nd edition. NY: Palgrave Macmillan.
Ross, Eleanor, Edmarie, Pretorius, Priscilla Gerrand, Motlalepule Nathane-Taulela, and Solomon Berhane. 2008. Foster Care among the Partner Organisations of the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund: The Impact of Systemic Structures, Challenges and Opportunities on the Well-Being of Foster Children. Johannesburg: Department of Social Work, University of the Witwatersrand.
Schiller, Ulene. 2015. “Exploring Adolescents’ Participation in Decisions Makings in Related Foster Care Placement in South Africa.” Social Work/Maatskaplike 51 (2): 12. https://doi.org/10.15270/51-2-413
Sibanda, Sipho and Antoinette Lombard. 2015. “Challenges Faced by Social Workers Working in Child Protection Services in Implementing the Children’s Act 38 of 2005.” Social Work/ Maatskaplike Werk 50 (3): 332–351. https://doi.org/10.15270/51-3-452
South Africa (RSA). 2006. Children’s Act No. 38 of 2005. Pretoria: Government Printers.
Storhaug, Anita Skårstad, Bente Heggem Kojan, and Grethe Fjellvikås. 2018. “Norwegian Child Welfare Workers’ Perceptions of Emergency Placements.” Child and Family Social Work (24): 165–172. https://doi.org/10.1111/cfs.12599
Taylor, Abigail. 2007. “Decision-making in Child and Family Social Work: The Impact of the Assessment Framework.” DPhil Thesis, UK, University of Durham.
Taylor, Brain. 2012. “Models for Professional Judgment in Social Work.” European Journal of Social Work 15 (4): 546–562. https://doi.org/10.1080/13691457.2012.702310
Tupper, Alex, Ross Broad, Natalia Emanuel, Andy Hollingsworth, Susannah Hume, Chris Larkin, Janna Ter Meer, and Michael Sanders. 2017. Decisions Making in Children’s Social Care-Quantitative Data Analysis. Research report. UK: Department of Education. https://doi.org/10.12968/cypn.2016.20.43
Wulczyn, Fred, Deborah Daro, John Fluke, Sara Feldman, Christen Glodek, and Kate Lifanda. 2020. Adapting a Systems Approach to Child Protection: Key Concepts and Consideration. New York: UNICEF.
Yin, Robert K. 2018. Case Study Research and Applications. Design and Methods. 6th edition. USA: The Guilford Press.
Zeijlmans, Kirti, Mónica López, Hans Grietens, and Erik J. Knorth. 2018. “‘Nothing Goes as Planned’: Practitioners Reflect on Matching Children and Foster Families.” Child and Family Social Work (23): 458–465. https://doi.org/10.1111/cfs.12437
Beckett, Chis. 2007. Child Protection: An Introduction. 2nd edition. Los Angeles: Sage.
Berrick, Jill D., Sue Peckover, Tarja Pösö, and Marit Skivene. 2015. “The Formalized Framework for Decision-Making in Child Protection Care Orders: A Cross Country Analysis.” Journal of European Social Policy 25(4):366–378. https://doi.org/10.1177/0958928715594540
Böning, Anneline, and Sandra Ferreira. 2013. “An Analysis of and Different Approach to Challenges in Foster Care Practice in South Africa.” Social Work/Maatskaplike Werk 49(4): 519–569. https://doi.org/10.15270/49-4-42
Brown, Helen Cosis and Keith Brown. 2014. Social Work and Foster Care. London: Sage. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781473922686
Brown, Helen Cosis, Judy Sebba, and Nikki Luke. 2014. The Role of the Supervising Social Worker in Foster Care. Oxford: Rees Centre for Research in Fostering and Education, University of Oxford.
Bruce, Linda. 2013. Reflective Practice for Social Workers. A Handbook for Developing Professional Confidence. Berkshire: Open University Press.
Buckley, Helen. 2003. Child Protection, Beyond the Rhetoric. United Kingdom: Jessica Kingsley Publishers Ltd.
Chateauneuf, Doris, Marie-Andrée Poirier, and Geneviève Pagé. 2021. “Decision-making in Foster Care: A View on the Dynamic and Collective Nature of the Process.” Journal of Social Work, 21 (4): 730–752. https://doi.org/10.1177/1468017320928825
Clarke, Anna Maria. 2020. “Foster Care Service Barriers and Social Work Practice in the Virgin Islands.” Doctoral Thesis. Walden University: Minnesota.
Creswell, John W., and Cheryl N. Poth. 2018. Qualitative Inquiry and Research Design. Choosing among Five Approaches. Los Angeles: Sage.
Delgado, Paulo, Vânia S. Pinto, João M.S. Carvalho, and Robbie Gilligan. 2019. “Family Contact in Foster Care in Portugal. The Views of Children in Foster Care and Other Key Actors.” Child and Family Social Work 24 (1): 98–105. https://doi.org/10.1111/cfs.12586
Department of Justice. 2011. North Gauteng High Court Order 21726/2011. May 2011. Internal document.
Department of Social Development (DSD). 2009. Guideline for the Effective Management of Foster Care in South Africa. Republic of South Africa. October 2019. Internal document.
Department of Social Development (DSD). 2012. Information Guide on the Management of Statutory Services. Republic of South Africa. June 2012. Internal document.
Dhludhlu, Sandile and Antoinette Lombard. 2017. “Challenges of Statutory Social Workers in Linking Foster Care Services with Socio-Economic Development Programmes.” Social Work/Maatskaplike Werk 53 (2): 165–185. https://doi.org/10.15270/53-2-564
Epstein, Richard A., David Schlueter, Kathy A. Gracey, Rameela Chandrasekhar, and Michael J. Cull. 2015. “Examining Placement Disruption in Child Welfare.” Residential Treatment for Children and Youth 32 (3): 224–232. https://doi.org/10.1080/0886571X.2015.1102484
Font, Sarah A. and Kathryn Maquire-Jack. 2015. “Decision-Making in Child Protective Services: Influences at Multiple Levels of the Social Ecology.” Child Abuse and Neglect 47: 70–82. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2015.02.005
Graham, J. Christopher, Alan J. Dettlaff, Donald J. Baumann, and John D. Fluke. 2015. “The Decision-making Ecology of Placing a Child into Foster Care: a Structural Equation Model.” Child Abuse and Neglect 49: 12–23. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2015.02.020
Hackett, Simon and Abi Taylor. 2014. Decision-making in Social Work with Children and Families: The Use of Experiential and Analytical Cognitive Processes. The British Journal of Social Work 44 (8): 2182–2199. https://doi.org/10.1093/bjsw/bct071
Hall, Katheran, Ann Skelton, and Sipho Sibanda. 2016. “Social Assistance for Orphaned Children Living with Family”. In The South African Child Gauge, edited by A. Delany, S. Jehoma and L. Lake. Cape Town: Children’s Institute.
Halkias, Daphne, Michael Neubert, Paul W. Thurman, and Nicholas Harkiolakis. 2022. The Multiple Case Study Design. Methodology and Application for Management Education. Routledge: UK. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003244936
Hammond, Kenneth, R.1996. Judgement and Social Policy. New York: Oxford University Press.
Hearle, Christopher and Kanchana N. Ruwanpura. 2009. “Contentious Care: Foster Care Grants and the Caregiver-Orphans Relationship in KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa.” Oxford Development Studies 37 (4): 423–437. https://doi.org/10.1080/13600810903305240
Huniziker, Stefan and Michael Blankenage. 2021. Comparing Types of Research Designs. Springer Gabler: Wiesbaden.
Keddell, Emily. 2014. Current Debates on Variability in Child Welfare Decision-making: a Selected Literature Review. Journal of Social Science, 3: 916–940. https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci3040916
Mampane, Mmathebe, and Eleanor, Ross. 2017. “Beyond the Silence: Emotional Experiences of Adolescents in Foster Care.” Southern African Journal of Social Work and Development. South Africa: Unisa Press.
McCafferty, Paul, Joe Duffy and David Hayes. 2021. “Permanency Decisions in Child Welfare: A Qualitative Study.” The British Journal of Social Work 51 (6): 2134–2154. https://doi.org/10.1093/bjsw/bcab095
Munro, Eileen. 2008. Effective Child Protection. 2nd edition. London: Sage.
Mmolokoe, Keoagile, A. 2017. “Evaluation of social work intervention in foster care placement in the Bojanala district of the North West province, South Africa.” Masters Dissertation. North-West University, Free State.
Nkosi, Winnie B. 2020. “Family Adjustment and Support Interventions in Foster Care Families: Experiences of Caregivers and Social Workers in the Amajuba District.” Masters Dissertation. University of KwaZulu-Natal: KZN.
O’Sullivan, Terence. 2011. Decisions Making in Social Work. 2nd edition. NY: Palgrave Macmillan.
Ross, Eleanor, Edmarie, Pretorius, Priscilla Gerrand, Motlalepule Nathane-Taulela, and Solomon Berhane. 2008. Foster Care among the Partner Organisations of the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund: The Impact of Systemic Structures, Challenges and Opportunities on the Well-Being of Foster Children. Johannesburg: Department of Social Work, University of the Witwatersrand.
Schiller, Ulene. 2015. “Exploring Adolescents’ Participation in Decisions Makings in Related Foster Care Placement in South Africa.” Social Work/Maatskaplike 51 (2): 12. https://doi.org/10.15270/51-2-413
Sibanda, Sipho and Antoinette Lombard. 2015. “Challenges Faced by Social Workers Working in Child Protection Services in Implementing the Children’s Act 38 of 2005.” Social Work/ Maatskaplike Werk 50 (3): 332–351. https://doi.org/10.15270/51-3-452
South Africa (RSA). 2006. Children’s Act No. 38 of 2005. Pretoria: Government Printers.
Storhaug, Anita Skårstad, Bente Heggem Kojan, and Grethe Fjellvikås. 2018. “Norwegian Child Welfare Workers’ Perceptions of Emergency Placements.” Child and Family Social Work (24): 165–172. https://doi.org/10.1111/cfs.12599
Taylor, Abigail. 2007. “Decision-making in Child and Family Social Work: The Impact of the Assessment Framework.” DPhil Thesis, UK, University of Durham.
Taylor, Brain. 2012. “Models for Professional Judgment in Social Work.” European Journal of Social Work 15 (4): 546–562. https://doi.org/10.1080/13691457.2012.702310
Tupper, Alex, Ross Broad, Natalia Emanuel, Andy Hollingsworth, Susannah Hume, Chris Larkin, Janna Ter Meer, and Michael Sanders. 2017. Decisions Making in Children’s Social Care-Quantitative Data Analysis. Research report. UK: Department of Education. https://doi.org/10.12968/cypn.2016.20.43
Wulczyn, Fred, Deborah Daro, John Fluke, Sara Feldman, Christen Glodek, and Kate Lifanda. 2020. Adapting a Systems Approach to Child Protection: Key Concepts and Consideration. New York: UNICEF.
Yin, Robert K. 2018. Case Study Research and Applications. Design and Methods. 6th edition. USA: The Guilford Press.
Zeijlmans, Kirti, Mónica López, Hans Grietens, and Erik J. Knorth. 2018. “‘Nothing Goes as Planned’: Practitioners Reflect on Matching Children and Foster Families.” Child and Family Social Work (23): 458–465. https://doi.org/10.1111/cfs.12437
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Published
2025-02-19
How to Cite
Botha, Petro, and Pathamavathy Naicker. 2025. “Science or Discretion? Factors That Influence Social Workers’ Decision-Making in Rendering Foster Care Services”. Southern African Journal of Social Work and Social Development 37 (1):18 pages. https://doi.org/10.25159/2708-9355/14968.
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