IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/cysrev/v60y2016icp61-67.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

A qualitative study of collaboration between guardians ad litem and caseworkers in the child welfare system

Author

Listed:
  • Phillips, Jon D.

Abstract

Various agencies and professionals in the child welfare system work together to prevent and treat child maltreatment. Prior research suggests their ability to collaborate is related to outcomes for children and families and agencies often implement strategies to improve collaboration. However, a review of the literature indicated a lack of research on collaboration between Guardians ad litem (GALs) and child protective services caseworkers. Examination of this relationship is warranted considering federal law mandates GALs be appointed for children in all court-involved child protection cases. This qualitative study begins to address this gap by exploring the GAL perspective on factors that promote or inhibit collaboration between themselves and caseworkers. Interviews were conducted with 12 GALs in a mountain region state. Participants emphasized five individual-level factors that impact the frequency and quality of collaboration with caseworkers. These include frequent and open communication, mutual respect, understanding the other's role and responsibilities, having an open mind, and valuing collaboration. Participants described in detail how these factors facilitate collaboration despite the organizational and systemic obstacles to working together. The findings may help explain why collaboration does not necessarily occur in frontline practice despite the presence of organizational policies and procedures intending to improve collaboration. These findings have several implications for improving GAL–caseworker collaboration in order to better serve children and families in the child welfare system.

Suggested Citation

  • Phillips, Jon D., 2016. "A qualitative study of collaboration between guardians ad litem and caseworkers in the child welfare system," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 60(C), pages 61-67.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:cysrev:v:60:y:2016:i:c:p:61-67
    DOI: 10.1016/j.childyouth.2015.11.019
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0190740915301067
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.childyouth.2015.11.019?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Smith, Brenda D. & Mogro-Wilson, Cristina, 2007. "Multi-level influences on the practice of inter-agency collaboration in child welfare and substance abuse treatment," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 29(5), pages 545-556, May.
    2. Chuang, Emmeline & Wells, Rebecca, 2010. "The role of inter-agency collaboration in facilitating receipt of behavioral health services for youth involved with child welfare and juvenile justice," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 32(12), pages 1814-1822, December.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Cooley, Morgan E. & Thompson, Heather M. & Colvin, Marianna L., 2019. "A qualitative examination of recruitment and motivation to become a Guardian ad Litem in the child welfare system," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 99(C), pages 115-124.
    2. Bai, Rong & Collins, Cyleste & Fischer, Robert & Crampton, David, 2019. "Pursuing collaboration to improve services for child welfare-involved housing unstable families," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 104(C), pages 1-1.
    3. Phillips, Jon D. & Walsh, Matthew A., 2019. "Teaming up in child welfare: The perspective of guardians ad litem on the components of interprofessional collaboration," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 96(C), pages 17-26.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Phillips, Jon D. & Walsh, Matthew A., 2019. "Teaming up in child welfare: The perspective of guardians ad litem on the components of interprofessional collaboration," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 96(C), pages 17-26.
    2. McBeath, Bowen & Collins-Camargo, Crystal & Chuang, Emmeline & Wells, Rebecca & Bunger, Alicia C. & Jolles, Mónica Pérez, 2014. "New directions for research on the organizational and institutional context of child welfare agencies: Introduction to the symposium on “The Organizational and Managerial Context of Private Child Welf," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 38(C), pages 83-92.
    3. Bai, Rong & Collins, Cyleste & Fischer, Robert & Crampton, David, 2019. "Pursuing collaboration to improve services for child welfare-involved housing unstable families," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 104(C), pages 1-1.
    4. Colvin, Marianna L., 2017. "Mapping the inter-organizational landscape of child maltreatment prevention and service delivery: A network analysis," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 73(C), pages 352-359.
    5. Narendorf, Sarah C. & Brydon, Daphne M. & Santa Maria, Diane & Bender, Kimberly & Ferguson, Kristin M. & Hsu, Hsun-Ta & Barman-Adhikari, Anamika & Shelton, Jama & Petering, Robin, 2020. "System involvement among young adults experiencing homelessness: Characteristics of four system-involved subgroups and relationship to risk outcomes," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 108(C).
    6. Waldo, Jennifer A. & Henderson, Craig & Dauber, Sarah & Hogue, Aaron, 2021. "Differences in treatment trajectories between two profiles of adolescent systems involvement," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 121(C).
    7. Pittenger, Samantha L. & Moore, Kelly E. & Dworkin, Emily R. & Crusto, Cindy A. & Connell, Christian M., 2018. "Risk and protective factors for alcohol, marijuana, and cocaine use among child welfare-involved youth," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 95(C), pages 88-94.
    8. Peter Dithan Ntale & Jude Ssempebwa & Badiru Musisi & Genza Gyaviira Musoke & Kimoga Joseph & C. B. Mugimu & Ngoma Muhammed & Joseph Ntayi, 2020. "Gaps in the structuring of organizations in the graduate employment context in Uganda," Journal of Organization Design, Springer;Organizational Design Community, vol. 9(1), pages 1-10, December.
    9. Garcia, Antonio R. & DeNard, Christina & Ohene, Serena & Morones, Seth M. & Connaughton, Clare, 2018. "“I am more than my past”: Parents' attitudes and perceptions of the Positive Parenting Program in Child Welfare," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 88(C), pages 286-297.
    10. Onifade, Eyitayo & Barnes, Ashlee & Campbell, Christina & Anderson, Valerie & Petersen, Jodi & Davidson, William, 2014. "Juvenile offenders and experiences of neglect: The validity of the YLS/CMI with dual-status youth," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 46(C), pages 112-119.
    11. Chuang, Emmeline & Wells, Rebecca, 2010. "The role of inter-agency collaboration in facilitating receipt of behavioral health services for youth involved with child welfare and juvenile justice," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 32(12), pages 1814-1822, December.
    12. Kim, Minseop & Garcia, Antonio R. & Lee, Lewis H., 2021. "Dual system youth: Subsequent system re-entry after receiving mental health services," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 127(C).
    13. Wells, Rebecca & Gifford, Elizabeth J., 2013. "Implementing a case management initiative in high-need schools," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 35(5), pages 787-796.
    14. Le Helley, A. & Pla, H. & Eloi, C. & Balençon, M. & Sicotte, C., 2020. "Health pathways for children at risk in the Ille et Vilaine administrative division: A French perspective," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 112(C).
    15. Haight, Wendy & Waubanascum, Cary & Glesener, David & Day, Priscilla & Bussey, Brenda & Nichols, Karen, 2020. "The Center for Regional and Tribal Child Welfare Studies: Systems change through a relational Anishinaabe worldview," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 119(C).
    16. Kim, Minseop & Garcia, Antonio R. & Jung, Nahri & Barnhart, Sheila, 2020. "Rates and predictors of mental health service use among dual system youth," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 114(C).
    17. Iachini, A.L. & DeHart, D.D. & McLeer, J. & Hock, R. & Browne, T. & Clone, S., 2015. "Facilitators and barriers to interagency collaboration in mother–child residential substance abuse treatment programs," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 53(C), pages 176-184.
    18. Haight, Wendy L. & Bidwell, Laurel N. & Marshall, Jane Marie & Khatiwoda, Parmananda, 2014. "Implementing the Crossover Youth Practice Model in diverse contexts: Child welfare and juvenile justice professionals' experiences of multisystem collaborations," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 39(C), pages 91-100.
    19. Greenbaum, Chloe A. & Javdani, Shabnam, 2017. "Expressive writing intervention promotes resilience among juvenile justice-involved youth," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 73(C), pages 220-229.
    20. Trejos-Castillo, Elizabeth & Noriega, Ivette, 2020. "Mental and reproductive health in multisystem youth: An in-depth qualitative approach," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 109(C).

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:cysrev:v:60:y:2016:i:c:p:61-67. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/childyouth .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.