Multidisciplinary clinical consultation in child protection: Contextual influences and stakeholder perceptions of best practices
Item
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Title
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Multidisciplinary clinical consultation in child protection: Contextual influences and stakeholder perceptions of best practices
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Identifier
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d_2009_2013:ab3b43403b4a:10482
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identifier
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10695
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Creator
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Lalayants, Marina,
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Contributor
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Irwin Epstein
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Date
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2010
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Language
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English
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Publisher
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City University of New York.
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Subject
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Social work | Public policy | child abuse | child protection | child welfare | collaboration | multidisciplinary | teamwork
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Abstract
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Presented in this study are "best practices" drawn from a multi-method examination of an innovative multidisciplinary clinical consultation program in a large, governmental child protection agency.;Experiences of multiple key stakeholders (N=90) were studied through in-depth qualitative face-to-face interviews and were combined with quantitative data-mining of available consultation records (N=1,455) and ethnographic observation in order to derive organizational dimensions and practices associated with successful program implementation.;Using the program development theory by Tripodi, Fellin, and Epstein (1977) and Bielawski and Epstein (1984), the study described and evaluated the evolution of the multidisciplinary clinical consultation practice through the four stages of program initiation, contact, implementation, and stabilization. More specifically, this organizational case study portrays the collaborative process between clinical consultation teams, comprised of domestic violence, substance abuse, and mental health consultants and a team coordinator, and child protective caseworkers and supervisors; knowledge integration of domestic violence, mental health, and substance abuse in child protective work; contextual, structural, and organizational differences and influences; impact of collaboration on child protective staff and their decision-making about the cases; factors contributing to and inhibiting collaborations; strategies for overcoming the challenges in collaborations; and implications for practice.;The study findings suggest that multidisciplinary collaboration is multidimensional, interactional, and developmental. Many factors contribute to shaping "best practice" in multidisciplinary collaboration in child protection. These factors are interactional in nature and may facilitate or undermine collaborative practices. Synthesizing data from the study findings, six factors were identified as most important in achieving a best practice: preplanning, commitment, communication, strong leadership, understanding the cultures of collaborating agencies, and structural supports and adequate resources for collaboration. The strategies to achieve them must include efforts at dual levels: individual and organizational.;Although the data were drawn from only one program, the issues uncovered and generalizations drawn are consistent with research in other organizational environments suggesting that the types of difficulties experienced in the collaborative process may be highly transferable and strategies for improving collaborative practices may be applicable to a variety of settings.
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Type
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dissertation
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Source
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2009_2013.csv
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degree
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Ph.D.
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Program
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Social Welfare
