Abstract

The study describes the decision making of a hospital-based child protection team (CPT) considering whether to report a case to the community child protective services (CPS). The contents of case files were analyzed using a comprehensive structured questionnaire. The sample includes all referrals of children aged from birth to nine years who arrived at the hospital from 1991 through to 2006 to the CPT. Nine hundred and fifteen cases were studied, 54.2 per cent of them reported to CPS. The decision to report to CPS was predicted well (81.7 per cent accurate predictions) by case information. Socio-demographics (single-parent and poor families are reported more), physical signs and assessments of child and parents' negative reactions to the investigation predicted reporting. The authors conclude that the findings indicate CPT uses systematic decision processes that reflect current knowledge in this area. The importance of socio-demographics in predicting the decision may reflect the importance of family stress or stereotypical views of practitioners. The authors recommend that structured instruments be considered. Rigorous methods and training should be developed to ensure that judgements of parents are made in a reliable and valid manner, and do not reflect prior biases and stereotypes.