Study title

Child Welfare in the Best Interest of the Child: Interviews 2021-2022

Dataset ID Number

FSD3786

Persistent identifiers

https://urn.fi/urn:nbn:fi:fsd:T-FSD3786
https://doi.org/10.60686/t-fsd3786

Data Type

Qualitative

Authors

• Pösö, Tarja (Tampere University)

Abstract

The data consists of individual and group interviews related to services for families with children and child welfare. The interviews focus on the assessment of child well-being and the related process in situations where the central question is whether the case is a "child welfare case". The data was collected from child welfare professionals and supervisors in different municipal organizations, as well as from child welfare client workers and experts by experience. The experts are young adults with experience of child welfare themselves and parents with a child who has had client experience of child welfare.

The interviews consist of four different interview frames, each targeting a different group. The interviews with professionals started by presenting the interviewees with a fictional situation related to a contact with a psychologist at a family counselling centre. The following questions deal with what could follow from this contact. First, the interviewees were asked about the assessment process related to the fictional situation. They were asked about who they would potentially undertake an assessment, who in their organization would be doing the assessment and who they would seek to involve in the assessment process. Professionals were also asked whether they had a model for evaluation that guided their activities.

The third section deals with the child and family factors of the fictional situation. Interviewees were asked what information or factors would influence the decision to use services under the Social Welfare Act. This was followed by a discussion of the organization and the service system. Questions included how the services in place influence the assessment and how differences in views about what is in the best interests of the child are resolved. Finally, interviewees were asked how they would seek to ensure that the assessment was carried out in the best interests of the child and what factors might challenge the best interests of the child assessment.

Background information included the role of the interviewee and, for employees, possible information on the work team, supervisor position and job title. The data were organised into an easy to use HTML version at FSD.

Keywords

adolescents; child protection; children; evaluation; families; social services; social work; social workers

Topic Classification

• Medical and health sciences (Fields of Science Classification)
• Children (CESSDA Topic Classification)
• Specific social services: use and availability (CESSDA Topic Classification)
• Social welfare systems/structures (CESSDA Topic Classification)
• General health and well-being (CESSDA Topic Classification)

Series

Individual datasets

Distributor

Finnish Social Science Data Archive

Access

The dataset is (C) available only for research including master's theses.

Data Collector

• Pösö, Tarja (Tampere University)
• Lamponen, Tuuli (Tampere University)
• Aarnio, Noora (Tampere University)
• Heino, Eveliina (Tampere University)
• Veistilä, Minna (Tampere University)
• Repo, Jenni (Tampere University)

Funders

• Ministry of Social Affairs and Health

Time Period Covered

2021 – 2022

Collection Dates

2021-10-01 – 2022-04-01

Nation

Finland

Geographical Coverage

Finland

Analysis/Observation Unit Type

Organization/Institution

Event/Process/Activity

Universe

Child welfare professionals, superiors, client developers and experts by experience

Time Method

Cross-section

Sampling Procedure

Non-probability: Purposive

Teams of evaluation professionals have been invited to participate in a group interview of professionals from a nationwide coverage of the central municipalities of the current wellbeing services counties and occasionally from some smaller municipalities. Teams of evaluation professionals have been invited to participate in a group interview of professionals from a nationwide coverage of the central municipalities of the current wellbeing services counties and occasionally from some smaller municipalities. The superiors have been asked to participate in the same regional logic of the study, so that the superior would be responsible for assessing the service needs of children and families in his/her own organisation. Client developer/experts by experience have been invited to participate from organisations or municipalities organising such activities on a nationwide basis and with the participation of both so-called child and parent experts.

Collection Mode

Face-to-face interview

Telephone interview

Web-based interview

Research Instrument

Interview scheme and/or themes

Semi-structured questionnaire

Data Files

59 transcripts in ODT file format. Additionally, the data were organised into an easy to use HTML version and a CSV version.

Data File Language

The data files of this dataset are available in the following languages: Finnish.

Qualitative data are available in their original language only and are not translated.

Data Version

1.0

Completeness of Data and Restrictions

To prevent identification of respondents, the researcher has anonymised the data by removing information about the interviewees' names, places of residence and workplaces, and by coarsening job titles.

To prevent identification of respondents, the data has been further anonymised in accordance with the researcher's anonymisation guidelines by removing the names and locations of the interviewees at FSD. Changes made at FSD are marked with [[double square brackets]].

Citation Requirement

The data and its creators shall be cited in all publications and presentations for which the data have been used. The bibliographic citation may be in the form suggested by the archive or in the form required by the publication.

Bibliographical Citation

Pösö, Tarja (Tampere University): Child Welfare in the Best Interest of the Child: Interviews 2021-2022 [dataset]. Version 1.0 (2023-11-09). Finnish Social Science Data Archive [distributor]. https://urn.fi/urn:nbn:fi:fsd:T-FSD3786

Deposit Requirement

Notify FSD of all publications where you have used the data by sending the citation information to user-services.fsd@tuni.fi.

Disclaimer

The original data creators and the archive bear no responsibility for any results or interpretations arising from the reuse of the data.

Related Publications

Jaakola, A.-M., & Pösö, T. (2022). Lapsen tilanteen arvioiminen lastensuojelussa: analyysia asiakasturvallisuuden ja laadun näkökulmasta. Janus Sosiaalipolitiikan Ja sosiaalityön Tutkimuksen Aikakauslehti, 30(4), 359-375.

Heino, Eveliina, Veistilä, Minna & Lamponen, Tuuli (2023) Changes to assessments of child well-being brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic - Finnish family services and child welfare services supervisors' perspective. European Journal of Social Work.