Related Factor on Social Workers’Ethical Decision Making Tendencies Toword out of Home Placement In Children and Juveniles Protective Services

• Main Authors: Tsai ,Burn, 蔡本源
• Other Authors: 翁毓秀
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2006
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/93u4nn

碩士 === 靜宜大學 === 青少年兒童福利研究所 === 94 === Inasmuch as the cases of child abuse are soaring in Taiwan year by year, this issue has become a focus of attention in the modern society. Besides, some scholars strongly appeal that it is inappropriate to overflow the placement cases since it will add on the cost of society and also the children will be difficult to return home after the placement. Thus, the researcher started from to understand the current situation of child protection service and placement in Taiwan, then to explore the social workers’ characters, background, and the ethical choices of social service practices. The causes for the social workers to choose out of home placement may be realized in terms of this analysis accordingly. This study targeted the social workers who are engaging in the services for child and adolescent protection in government agencies and NGOs as the research subject. The independent variable is the social worker’s character and background, the dependent variable is the social worker’s inclination to out of home placement and the medium variable is the social service ethical choice. This study will benefit the probe into the recruitment, training of child and adolescent protection social workers and the decision making of placement. There are 412 surveys have been sent out and 227 respondents were received from the government agencies while other 160 from NGOs to make the total number of returned survey to 387. The responding rate reached to 93.9%. The research drew to some conclusions as follows: 1. The social service ethical choice of child protection social worker is inclined to act utilitarianism, i.e. if the social workers have the options for the social justice, self protection and children’s benefit, they will preferably choose the last one. 2. To consider whether the abused children need out of home placement, the social workers will be inclined to place the cases first. The relatives are usually the first option for the urgent placement with child abuse cases. However, it may not be a permanent solution that results in a low placement rate. 3. The different characters of social workers apparently create the discrimination on the social ethical choices. 4. The different characters of social workers will differ in the decision for intervention, such as to have the placement with relatives, foster families or institutional placement. 5. If the service ethics of child protection social workers is more inclined to act utilitarianism, the workers will preferably choose placement with relatives and foster families. If the social worker’s ethic is rules utilitarianism oriented, the decision will be made to not placing the cases, or just choosing placement with relatives and institutional placement. If the social worker’s ethic is self-interest utilitarianism oriented, not placing the case, or placing with relatives or foster families will be more likely. 6. The social worker’s character and service ethical choice will significantly affect on making the decision on the out of home placement. The on-job training of social workers, the reason for him/her to engage in child protection service, his educational and religious backgrounds, having supervisor and age, etc… factors are the most influential to the decision. The researcher as per what he has learned proposes the following recommendations: 1. The government authority ought to enhance the pre-work and on job training constantly in order to cultivate the child protection social worker’s mission commitment and professional judgment. 2. The manpower of child protection service should be increased greatly and the budget has to boost up as well. It is required to closely maintain the relations with child abused families, readjust the services especially high-risk families preventive service for the purpose of reducing the needs for out of home placement. 3. Getting out of the corner for placement with relatives, and providing subsidy to the relatives as placement expenses that may encourage the relatives joining the services. The placement rate will rise up consequently and that might mitigate the harm to the children who are going to be taken away from their families. 4. Revising the foster service regulations, which have been proposed respectively by the local governments, and integrating the relative system in order to meet with the needs of foster placement and secure the right of children in foster services. 5. Enhancing the function of children placement service organizations and set up the relative assortment and classification system, bettering service image in order to establish an integrated child protection service network. 6. Establishing a good administrative system for social worker’s human resources management and upgrading the man power quality to ensure the service quality. 7. Strengthening and segmenting the supervising function of government social affairs departments in social service area to upgrade the supervisors’ competence and advance the specialization of social services.