Driving Child Protection Reform: Evidence or Ideology?

Abstract

The reform of child protection services in Australia has been, and continues to be, a priority for State and Territory governments. Therefore it is timely to consider the influences on reform; in particular, to understand how and why decision-makers might take some courses of action over others. In this article the particular influence of different forms of ideology are identified and described with reference to the case example of the reform of child protection services in Queensland after the inquiry by the Crime and Misconduct Commission in 2004. It is argued that ideology is both a useful conceptual tool and an influence on reform, from the point of identifying problems through to implementing solutions to address them, which can lead to taking a “wrong turn”. It is further proposed that critical awareness of the effects of ideology on the process of reform is required, lest it displace research-based evidence of “what works” as the basis for decision-making.

澳大利亚儿童保护服务的改革一直而且继续成为州和领地政府的优先考虑。因此，现在就应该研究改革所受到的影响；尤其要理解决策者如何、为何在行动上有先后缓急。本文特别指出并描述了几种意识形态的影响，讨论了2004年罪行与不端委员会进行调查之后昆士兰儿童保护服务的改革案例。作者认为，意识形态既是有用的观念工具，又会对改革——从问题确定到采取措施到解决问题——产生影响，有可能导致“错误的转变”。作者提出，关键要明白意识形态对改革过程的影响，不要让它取代研究证据，成为决策的基础。

Keywords:

• Child Protection
• Decision-making
• Organisational Restructuring
• Ideology