Parents' experiences of child protection practice in Denmark

Not much research focuses on how parents perceive and experience child protection practice although the voices of service users are important in the development of social work within Child Welfare Services. This article contributes to a growing body of research that takes the user perspective as its point of departure when conducting research in social work. Drawing on a qualitative study, this article explores how 17 parents have experienced assessment processes in Denmark. Several studies indicate that parents who by themselves initiate child protection assessment have a greater chance of achieving positive experiences of assessment processes. As the large majority of the parents in this study by themselves initiated the assessment, it seems paradoxical that most of the parents report solely negative experiences. The article discusses different entries into child protection assessments (referral or the parents' own initiative) and suggests that time (in the sense of progression in the assessment) is an important dimension to take into account particularly when it comes to parents who wish to engage in child protection assessments.