Role perceptions of attorneys and caseworkers in child abuse cases in juvenile court.

Abstract

A four-county Indiana survey of the vast majority (approximately 90%) of the attorneys and public agency caseworkers involved in court actions on child abuse cases revealed considerable conflict over each other's role. The survey replicated the method used in previous research, which had yielded distinctly positive and negative results. The author discusses particularities of the four-county area and suggest ways to clarify roles and ameliorate the problem.