Family group decision-making for children at risk of abuse or neglect: A systematic review.

Tony Mcginn,Admire Chereni,Aron Shlonsky,Jason Wilson,Paul Best,Mphatso Kamndaya

doi:10.1002/cl2.1088

Abstract

Family group decision-making for children at risk of abuse or neglect: A systematic review.

Highlights

Capturing the scale of child maltreatment is difficult, but few would argue that it is anything less than a global problem which can affect victims’ health and well‐being throughout their life
Authors' Conclusions: The current evidence base, in this field, is insufficient to draw conclusions about the effectiveness of family group decision‐ making (FGDM). These models of child protection decision‐making may help bring about better outcomes for children at risk, or they may increase the risk of further maltreatment
This review finds that the evidence base supporting this approach is of poor quality with no clear finding that it is any better or worse than conventional approaches

Summary

Introduction

Capturing the scale of child maltreatment is difficult, but few would argue that it is anything less than a global problem which can affect victims’ health and well‐being throughout their life. Investigation and intervention for maltreated children are the subject of continued review and debate. Selection Criteria: Study samples of children and young people, aged 0–18 years, who have been the subject of a child maltreatment investigation, were eligible for this review. Any form of FGDM, used in the course of a child maltreatment investigation or service, was considered an eligible intervention if it involved: a concerted effort to convene family, extended family, and community members; and professionals; and involved a planned meeting with the intention of working collaboratively to develop a plan for the safety well‐being of children; with a focus on family‐centred decision‐making. Data Collection and Analysis: Two review authors independently extracted the necessary data from each study report, using the software application Covidence.

Objectives

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion