The impact of parent advocacy type on child protection case conference intervention decisions: a vignette study

This study investigated the impact of three parent advocacy types—self-advocacy, independent legal advocacy by a lawyer, and independent nonprofessional advocacy by a parent’s neighbor—on social workers’ intervention decisions in formal child protection case conferences. We used an experimental survey design including vignettes that manipulated the identity of the person who voiced the parent’s wishes about solutions for the family. Data were collected from 170 social workers via online questionnaire. Findings show independent nonprofessional advocacy had a significant effect on decision making, increasing the odds that social workers would select out-of-home placement intervention, against the parent’s wishes, compared to cases of self-advocacy. No such effect was found for independent legal advocacy. To conclude, independent advocacy should not be practiced nonprofessionally, because it may lead to unfavorable outcomes for parents. Beneficial independent advocacy should shed light on social workers’ informal expectations of parents.