Factors that are key influences to effective interprofessional collaborative child protection decision making and practice social workers' perceptions
Social work practitioner knowledge and understanding of interprofessional collaborative child protection decision making and practice is critical to addressing the incessant concerns about failings of social workers in their statutory lead role and to informing ongoing social work policy reforms regarding new directions for practice and training. This study investigated what social workers perceive as key influences to effective interprofessional collaborative child protection practice as well as the social workers perceptions of decision making during this process. Combining elements of two systems models, Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE) learning together systems model (SCIE, 2012) and Falkov's systemic family focussed model (Falkov, 2013) a constructivist interpretivist qualitative research design was adopted. Two qualitative research methods were employed: semi structured interviews were conducted with 16 social workers and direct, non participant, observations were carried out at 20 child protection meetings. Findings were later compared using a triangulation protocol to explore convergence between the two strands of data, and to ensure rigour and trustworthiness in the study. This study found that the effectiveness of interprofessional collaborative child protection decision making and practice, as perceived by social workers, and the systematic identification and the systemic understanding are determined by four factors: multi level relationship influences; multi level organisational influences; external influences and decision making influences. Multi level relationship influences are located at three different spheres: professionals' relationship influences; lead social workers' relationship influences and family members' relationships influences. The multi level organisational influences are also located within the interaction of three organisational levels: professionals, lead social workers and family members. Within each of these influences are 'barriers' and 'enablers' which can also be systematically identified and systemically understood. A number of key contributions to knowledge and originality were identified including: the development of a visual unified systemic conceptual model illustrating the systemic interaction between the various influences; evidence of the centrality of multi level relationship influences; evidence of the use of discretional intuitive multiple professional judgements and decision making criteria iv The main conclusion that can be drawn from this study is that research focused on social workers' knowledge and understanding of interprofessional collaborative child protection decision making and practice, as the lead professionals, proposes a conceptual model for the systematic identification of child protection concerns and the systemic understanding of this process, with some degree of discretion in professional judgement and decision making.