The Descriptive Tyranny of the Common Assessment Framework: Technologies of Categorization and Professional Practice in Child Welfare.

Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article

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Standard

The Descriptive Tyranny of the Common Assessment Framework: Technologies of Categorization and Professional Practice in Child Welfare. / White, Susan; Hall, Christopher; Peckover, Sue.
In: British Journal of Social Work, 2008.

Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article

Harvard

White, S, Hall, C & Peckover, S 2008, 'The Descriptive Tyranny of the Common Assessment Framework: Technologies of Categorization and Professional Practice in Child Welfare.', British Journal of Social Work. https://doi.org/10.1093/bjsw/bcn053

APA

White, S., Hall, C., & Peckover, S. (2008). The Descriptive Tyranny of the Common Assessment Framework: Technologies of Categorization and Professional Practice in Child Welfare. British Journal of Social Work. https://doi.org/10.1093/bjsw/bcn053

Vancouver

White S, Hall C, Peckover S. The Descriptive Tyranny of the Common Assessment Framework: Technologies of Categorization and Professional Practice in Child Welfare. British Journal of Social Work. 2008. doi: 10.1093/bjsw/bcn053

Author

White, Susan ; Hall, Christopher ; Peckover, Sue. / The Descriptive Tyranny of the Common Assessment Framework: Technologies of Categorization and Professional Practice in Child Welfare. In: British Journal of Social Work. 2008.

Bibtex

@article{d38e8fa4060742ae940db7c6ee29dc02,

title = "The Descriptive Tyranny of the Common Assessment Framework: Technologies of Categorization and Professional Practice in Child Welfare.",

abstract = "The Common Assessment Framework is a standard assessment tool to be used by all professionals working with children for assessment and referral. The CAF is hailed as a needs-led, evidence-based tool which will promote uniformity, ensure appropriate {\textquoteleft}early intervention{\textquoteright}, reduce referral rates to local authority children's services and lead to the evolution of {\textquoteleft}a common language{\textquoteright} amongst child welfare professionals. This paper presents findings from a study, funded under the Economic and Social Research Council's e-Society Programme. Our purpose in is not primarily evaluative, rather we illustrate the impacts of CAF as a technology on the everyday professional practices in child welfare. We analyse the descriptive, stylistic and interpretive demands it places on practitioners in child welfare and argue that practitioners make strategic and moral decisions about whether and when to complete a CAF and how to do so. These are based on assessments of their accountabilities, their level of child welfare competence and their domain-specific knowledge, moral judgements and the institutional contexts in which these are played out.",

keywords = "assessment, ethnography, common language, every child matters",

author = "Susan White and Christopher Hall and Sue Peckover",

year = "2008",

doi = "10.1093/bjsw/bcn053",

language = "English",

journal = "British Journal of Social Work",

issn = "1468-263X",

publisher = "Oxford University Press",

}

RIS

TY - JOUR

T1 - The Descriptive Tyranny of the Common Assessment Framework: Technologies of Categorization and Professional Practice in Child Welfare.

AU - White, Susan

AU - Hall, Christopher

AU - Peckover, Sue

PY - 2008

Y1 - 2008

N2 - The Common Assessment Framework is a standard assessment tool to be used by all professionals working with children for assessment and referral. The CAF is hailed as a needs-led, evidence-based tool which will promote uniformity, ensure appropriate ‘early intervention’, reduce referral rates to local authority children's services and lead to the evolution of ‘a common language’ amongst child welfare professionals. This paper presents findings from a study, funded under the Economic and Social Research Council's e-Society Programme. Our purpose in is not primarily evaluative, rather we illustrate the impacts of CAF as a technology on the everyday professional practices in child welfare. We analyse the descriptive, stylistic and interpretive demands it places on practitioners in child welfare and argue that practitioners make strategic and moral decisions about whether and when to complete a CAF and how to do so. These are based on assessments of their accountabilities, their level of child welfare competence and their domain-specific knowledge, moral judgements and the institutional contexts in which these are played out.

AB - The Common Assessment Framework is a standard assessment tool to be used by all professionals working with children for assessment and referral. The CAF is hailed as a needs-led, evidence-based tool which will promote uniformity, ensure appropriate ‘early intervention’, reduce referral rates to local authority children's services and lead to the evolution of ‘a common language’ amongst child welfare professionals. This paper presents findings from a study, funded under the Economic and Social Research Council's e-Society Programme. Our purpose in is not primarily evaluative, rather we illustrate the impacts of CAF as a technology on the everyday professional practices in child welfare. We analyse the descriptive, stylistic and interpretive demands it places on practitioners in child welfare and argue that practitioners make strategic and moral decisions about whether and when to complete a CAF and how to do so. These are based on assessments of their accountabilities, their level of child welfare competence and their domain-specific knowledge, moral judgements and the institutional contexts in which these are played out.

KW - assessment

KW - ethnography

KW - common language

KW - every child matters

U2 - 10.1093/bjsw/bcn053

DO - 10.1093/bjsw/bcn053

M3 - Journal article

JO - British Journal of Social Work

JF - British Journal of Social Work

SN - 1468-263X

ER -

Research

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