@misc{9226549,
  abstract     = {{Child welfare workers are constantly making critical and potential 
life-altering decisions regarding children and their families. This 
study examines how incorporating and understanding families’ local 
rationality may influence safety assessments and service 
recommendations conducted during an investigation. Furthermore, this 
research explores how workers interpret family dynamics and 
behaviours within complex situations. For this thesis, ten semi
structured interviews were completed with investigative workers from 
the Maine Office of Child and Family Services (OCFS) using a 
qualitative design. During this study, four key themes emerged: the 
tension between procedural and relational decision-making in child 
welfare, the important role experience plays in understanding 
families’ perspectives, the impact that local rationality can have 
on decision-making in child welfare cases, and how safety science 
training, especially around local rationality, could potentially 
improve these skills. Findings suggest that while procedural 
requirements such as policy and procedures have an important role in 
ensuring child safety, being able to integrate the families’ 
perspective may lead to more informed and effective decisions for 
children and their families. Given the high staff turnover rate 
child welfare has experienced for years, this study suggests that 
integrating safety science principles into training and supervision 
will help newer workers acquire these necessary decision-making 
skills and at the same time improve retention.}},
  author       = {{Carey, Megan}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Through the Family’s Eyes: How Local Rationality Can Shape Child Welfare Decision Making}},
  year         = {{2026}},
}