Decision making in Dutch child welfare:Child's wishes about reunification after out-of-home placement

The child is a major stakeholder in the decision whether to continue placement in foster care or to reunify her or him with the biological family. This study investigated whether Dutch social workers are influenced by the child’s wish in their recommendations about reunification. Data were gathered from 120 child welfare professionals and 120 students who read a vignette about a child in foster care and completed a questionnaire about their reunification recommendation. Results showed a weak, but significant relationship between the child’s wish and the recommendation (Cramer’s V = 0.295 and 0.188,respectively). Also, a moderating effect was found: participants who explicitly mentioned the child’s wish in their justifications gave a recommendation that was significantly associated with the child’s wish (p < 0.05) while, with those who did not mention the child’s wish, there was no association. The results might seem obvious, but they are not consistent with prior research. The findings show that children might influence the decision-making process by stating their wishes. Raising children’s awareness about this could be useful; believing that they are active agents regarding their own care might enhance motivation, co-operation and faith in their future. Explanations and implications of the results are discussed