Provisions requiring multidisciplinary assessment of child protection cases

The process of reference and assessment of reported cases should involve a participatory, multi-disciplinary assessment of the short and long-term needs of the child. The views of the child as well of those of the care giver and family should be taken into consideration.

Provisions requiring multidisciplinary assessment of child protection cases (this map should be read together with the map on provisions introducing age requirements on the right of the child to be heard)

 
 

Source: FRA, 2014

  Yes, there are provisions
  Yes, there are statutory provisions
  No

Key findings

  • All EU Member States have provisions on individual needs assessment requiring the development of a care plan for children. Such provisions, however, do not always have statutory value.
  • Although the principle of best interests of the child is enshrined in law, most Member States lack criteria and practical guidance on how to assess it.
  • The principle of the right of the child to be heard is also enshrined in law. Very often however, particularly for children under 12 years of age, it lies within the discretion of the respective authorities.
  • Provisions on multidisciplinary assessment exist in the majority of Member States. Such provisions, however, often have no statutory value and the decision is left to the case manager or the leading social worker on the case.
  • Actual implementation also depends on whether provisions of concrete actions and structures exist, and whether they are described in the procedures and protocols (such as child conferences).
  • Requirements of multidisciplinary assessment are often applicable for second line assessment.
  • In many Member States, existing standards do not apply due to a lack of human resources and the heavy workload of professionals.

In six EU Member States (Finland, Greece, Latvia, the Netherlands, Slovakia and the United Kingdom), no provisions were identified on the multidisciplinary assessment of child protection cases. All other Member States do have specific provisions, but only in seven of them (Austria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Hungary, Lithuania and Romania) do these provisions have statutory value.

In some Member States, however, as for example in the Netherlands, although there is no mandatory provision, a multidisciplinary team of professionals de facto carries out the assessment. Both the Advice and Report Centres for Child Abuse (Advies- en Meldpunten Kindermishandeling) and the Child Care and Protection Board (Raad voor Kinderbescherming), which are responsible for assessing cases of potential abuse and deciding on child protection measures, have multidisciplinary teams.

Other Member States have developed multidisciplinary teams in the form of panels or other advisory bodies within the system and assigned assessment responsibilities, with cooperation protocols subsequently put in place. In Belgium for example, a protocol of cooperation has been signed between the Youth Care Services and the Birth and Childhood Office (Office de la Naissance et de l’enfance (ONE)), to facilitate cooperation between youth care workers and ONE social-medical workers or doctors.