Developing a Case Typology for Children in Out-of-Home Care: Child Welfare Worker Perspectives
This study uses exploratory research methods to create a comprehensive list of case types for children entering out-of-home care placements. Child welfare workers' experiences were the primary source of data for this qualitative analysis. Researchers conducted focus groups in five urban counties in Minnesota. A case typology of 18 case types defined by 4 specific categories (parents' capacity or behavior, child reasons, problems in parenting, previous unsuccessful child welfare intervention) is presented. Data from worker perspectives are analyzed and compared with quantitative research to enhance conceptual understanding of case types, intervention strategies, and associated outcomes. Researchers discuss implications of a case typology, including potential benefits, in the application of intervention strategies, outcomes reporting, and data tracking.
A typology of child protective service cases: design and implementation issues for social work administrators.
Case typologies can help to delineate client problems and needs, inform the design of service delivery, and measure service outputs and outcomes. The author describes the development of a typology of the child protective services cases of one large public department of social services. To assist social work administrators develop and apply case classification schemes within their agencies, this typology is used to illustrate the following key conceptual and methodological issues: (1) reasons for case typologies: (2) identifying and selecting case attributes: (3) re-organizing and reducing the number of attributes: and (4) forming groups.
Neurorehabilitation: A Disciplined Disciplining Discipline
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