Risk and response: A mixed methods approach to enhance decision-making in child welfare (2007-2011)
Principal Investigator: Aron Shlonsky, University of Toronto
Funded by: SSHRC Standard Grant
The study complements a rigorous quantitative and prospective validation of Ontario’s new decision-making system with a qualitative analysis of narrative fields contained in each of the new tools, the investigative services case record, on-going service plan, and other relevant documents. This deeper understanding of the investigation and assessment process will shed light on how risk is interpreted and applied by caseworkers, and how services mitigate or exaggerate risk. As well, the new risk and clinical assessment tools can be improved through the potential discovery of new risk markers and clinically relevant factors that can be incorporated into the instruments over time. This mixed methods approach seeks to:
1. Increase the power and sophistication of risk assessment and clinical assessment tools;
2. Explore how risk is mitigated or exaggerated by clinical factors;
3. Explore how risk is mitigated or exaggerated by type and scope of services.
4. Better understand how context, services, and risk interact to shape outcomes for children and families.