Responses towards child abuse and neglect: comparing policies and practices between England, the Netherlands and Germany - Decisions at the end of child protection investigations: a three country comparison

Background and objectives: Child protection policies raise critical questions about the state’s attempts to balance both the rights of children and parents and the responsibilities of parents and the state. An analysis of... [ view full abstract ]

Background and objectives: Child protection policies raise critical questions about the state’s attempts to balance both the rights of children and parents and the responsibilities of parents and the state. An analysis of thresholds for state intervention, the mix of voluntary and compulsory measures, and the rationales and decisions at the end of child protection investigations provide important insights in the relation between these aspects. Furthermore, the study investigates, whether there is a difference between policies and practices and whether there child protection action relates to the structure of the child protection system.

Method: Over 1,200 case files of investigations into suspected child maltreatment were analyzed by trained coders. Results are controlled for severity.

Results: Though England is the only country with a timeline for the assessment of possible child maltreatment by law, practice shows that the deadlines often are not met. In the Netherlands, waiting lists are common, even in cases of suspected child maltreatment. The average time up to a decision is the longest in the Netherlands.

There are significant differences at the end of the investigations between the three countries with regard to the risk. Germany has the highest proportion of cases were no future harm is seen. We find the lowest proportion in the Netherlands.

The proportion of involuntary support is highest in England. Out of home placements are more frequent in England and Germany than in the Netherlands. The planned other support measures show their dependency on structural system characteristics: health care professionals are far more often involved in planned support measures in England than in the Netherlands and Germany.

Conclusion: Decisions in child protection are at least partly system and policy driven. Maltreated children and their families face several kinds of support and have thereby different opportunities for their development between countries.