Decision making in Dutch child welfare:Child's wishes about reunification after out-of-home placement

The child is a major stakeholder in the decision whether to continue placement in foster care or to reunify her or him with the biological family. This study investigated whether Dutch social workers are influenced by the child’s wish in their recommendations about reunification. Data were gathered from 120 child welfare professionals and 120 students who read a vignette about a child in foster care and completed a questionnaire about their reunification recommendation. Results showed a weak, but significant relationship between the child’s wish and the recommendation (Cramer’s V = 0.295 and 0... Mehr ...