Abstract Out-of-home placement decisions are complex due to unpredictable nature of the cases, major impact on the family and the involvement of professionals from multiple disciplines. Previous...Show moreAbstract Out-of-home placement decisions are complex due to unpredictable nature of the cases, major impact on the family and the involvement of professionals from multiple disciplines. Previous research on agreement regarding placement decisions shows inconsistent findings. Case factors have previously been investigated in studies for risk assessment instruments, risk factors and protective factors in families. In addition, the mindset towards change can play a role in making a placement decision. The current study investigated whether (1) there is a difference in the weight of the various case factors (child factors, professional support factors and family factors), (2) there is a relationship between the weight of the case factors and professional background and (3) there is a relationship between the weight of the various case factors and the mindset towards change. 22 children's judges, 31 youth care workers, 36 Master's students Youth Law and 38 Master’s students Pedagogical Sciences participated in the study. Participants read 4 vignettes and filled in questionnaires on the weighting of the case factors after reading each vignette. Mindset towards change was measured once with a questionnaire. The results showed that the weighting of case factors differed significantly. Child factors weighed most heavily in the decision, followed by professional support factors and family factors, respectively. Professional background was unrelated to the weighting of the case factors. There was an interaction effect for the Master's students in Pedagogical Sciences, who seemed to weigh Professional Support Factors and Child factors with almost equal value while the other groups distinguished between the two factors. Weighting of the case factors and the mindset towards change were unrelated. Future research is needed to provide tools and points for improvement for better final decisions. Keywords: out-of-home placement, decision-making, mindset, case factors, child factors, care factors, parent factors, family factors, vignettesShow less
