A conceptual model to guide collaborative reflective practice and values-driven child welfare decision-making

Child welfare professionals make critical decisions at every stage of a family's involvement with the child welfare system. Values, both explicit and implicit, play a meaningful role in complex decisions related to safety, foster care, well-being, and permanency. The promise of critical reflective practice and values-driven decision-making offers a stronger application of social work values which may in turn promote systems change efforts that endeavor to advance more equitable outcomes for children and families. This conceptual article discusses the role of social work values and principles in supporting decision-making efforts aimed at protecting children and reducing racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic disproportionalities in child and family outcomes. We present a three-point conceptual model and use the structured decision-making model as an example for how child welfare agencies can include values and collaborative reflective practice in decision-making within the child welfare system.