The impact of case characteristics on child welfare service investigations in Norway

Abstract

This article explores the extent of activities in child welfare investigations. Several studies have reported that families can experience an investigation as both stressful and intrusive (Harris 2012; Tembo and Studsrød 2019). The extent of the investigation and its relation to reported concerns is important to better understand the investigation phase. The aim of this study was to examine which case characteristics lead to either an investigation with a high activity level or an investigation with a low activity level. Few previous studies have been identified, resulting in an explorative approach. Designed as a case file study, 1,123 investigations from 16 agencies in Norway were included. Multi-nominal regression by the generalized linear mixed model was employed to assess the relationships between case characteristics and the extent of the investigations, accounting for differences between agencies. For investigations with low activity, the main predictor was concerns regarding medical and educational neglect. Predictors for high activity included younger children, concerns of physical/sexual abuse, and concerns regarding the child’s social relations.