The Missing Assessment Domain: Personal, Professional and Organizational Factors Influencing Professional Judgements when Identifying and Referring Child Neglect

Professionals encountering possible cases of child neglect facea complex task when judging whether a particular concern warrantsa referral to social work services. A study of referral practicein cases of child neglect, completed in the Republic of Ireland,highlighted that it is not just the nature of the concern thatinfluences referral practice but a range of other factors thatare not related to the needs of the specific child. Assessmentframeworks and tools, designed to assist practitioners makedecisions about potential cases of neglect, usually focus ontechnical–rational activity associated with assessingchildren’s needs, parenting capacity and family and environmentalfactors. The findings from the study described in this paperindicate that assessment practice is as much a practice–moralactivity as a technical–rational one. In other words,it is both a head and a heart activity. In this article, thefactors influencing practitioners’ approaches to the identificationand referral of cases of child neglect are explored. A rangeof factors appear to influence practice. These include the practitioner’sown perception of what comprises neglect and the extent to whichthey use ‘gut reaction’ or an evidence base to reachthis conclusion. Their interpretation of role and the viewsof their colleagues and team manager also influence practice.In addition, their perception of social work services and thebenefits of referral affect decisions to refer. Finally, theirown personal feelings such as fear, guilt, over-empathy andanxiety about the response of the community have an effect onpractice. The paper concludes by drawing together the findingsof the study to produce a ‘practitioner domain’alerting practitioners and managers to the head and heart activitieswhich influence referral practice.