As described last week, recent research on Family Assessment (FA) – known generically nationwide as Differential Response – has concluded that this “family friendly” approach to child protection is neither safer nor more effective at family engagement than traditional investigations.
The study’s authors, Kathryn Piper et al, conclude their article with a number of recommendations that echo the legislative goals of Safe Passage. In particular:
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Delay assigning cases to FA or investigation until fact-finding is done
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Stop assigning cases to FA that include domestic violence, substance abuse, or prior child protection involvement
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Interview children separately from and prior to adults
We also applaud Piper et al’s plea to stop characterizing child protection workers as adversarial, judgmental and unnecessarily intrusive. Experienced social workers can and do investigate maltreatment allegations in a respectful and nonjudgmental way.