Public Perception of Child Welfare Services — Results of a Student Survey

Abstract

Students in undergraduate child welfare services courses were required to interview people in their home communities regarding perceptions of, and attitudes toward child welfare services. The exercise was successful in achieving the objectives of moving the course out of the classroom, increasing knowledge of course content, and providing some practice in interviewing and survey research. Some 4,000 respondents indicated consistency in perceiving some services as more important than others Criteria applied in ranking importance of services included blameability, moral censure, urgency, available alternatives, client vulnerability, service effectiveness, and numbers affected. While most people knew surprisingly little about child welfare services there was considerable public support for such services.