Child Welfare Practice in Organizational and Institutional Context

Abstract

Child welfare policy changes have intensified the need for effective child welfare practice, yet little is known about the everyday practices of frontline child welfare caseworkers. Based in Michael Lipsky’s theory of street‐level bureaucracy, this study explores child welfare practice through interviews with frontline caseworkers and observations in juvenile court. The study suggests that best practices in child welfare are compromised not only by organizational pressures, such as time limitations, but also by pressures to conform practices to the expectations of powerful institutions in the organizational environment.