Balancing equality and equity in decision-making practice: Using standardised tools in child welfare services

Abstract

There has been an increased use of standardised assessment tools in child welfare services, aiming to enhance the quality of decision-making and to ensure equality of practice. At the same time, standardisation has been criticised as undermining professional expertise and being unable to meet families’ individual needs. By focusing on the relationship between standardisation and professional practice, this paper examines how child welfare professionals balance principles of equity and equality in their assessments guided by a standardised tool. A qualitative design was chosen to explore these professionals’ knowledge perspectives and reflective practice when using a common standardised assessment tool in Norway. We used several qualitative data sources, including interviews, fieldwork and case documents from two local authorities. We interviewed 28 child welfare professionals, 22 case workers and six managers. The data were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. The findings show that professionals adhere to the standardised tool to ensure objective and equal practice but also exercise professional expertise and discretion to ensure a tailored and equitable practice. Finally, facilitating a “sharing culture” to exchange views on the content of the tool is considered important when adopting the standardised assessment tool into practice. We conclude that standardisation alone does not guarantee equal and equitable practices. The use of standardised tools must be combined with discretionary practices. This calls for a flexible practice with a broadened knowledge base and a sharing culture that fosters critical reflection among professionals.