The Office of Graduate Administration is pleased to announce that Monette Brideau Boyes will be defending their thesis as a candidate for the degree Master of Social Work.

You are encouraged to attend the defence. The details of the defence and how to attend are included below:

DATE: 08 April, 2024

TIME: 12:00 PM (PT)

DEFENCE MODE:HYBRID - In-person and Remotely via Zoom

In-Person Attendance: Senate Chambers, UNBC Prince George Campus

Virtual Attendance: Please contact the Office of Graduate Administration for information regarding remote/online attendance. 

To ensure the defence proceeds with no interruptions, please mute your audio and video on entry and do not inadvertently share your screen. The meeting will be locked to entry 5 minutes after it begins: ensure you are on time.

THESIS ENTITLED: FROM POLICIES TO REALITY: EXTERNAL FACTORS INFLUENCING DELEGATED CHILD PROTECTION WORKERS’ CHILD REMOVAL DECISIONS

ABSTRACT: Background: Child protection workers are responsible for making complex decisions to protect children from abuse and neglect. Child protection workers receive specialized training on how to make unbiased decisions based on evidence. Yet, external factors can influence the decision-making process. Method: A qualitative study using interpretative description was deployed and eight former child protection workers in northern British Columbia were interviewed. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with an emphasis on the external factors that may influence child protection workers’ decision to remove a child from a legal guardian. Results: Three main themes with 10 subthemes emerged from the data. The first overarching theme was pressure (workload, appearance, politics, and policies). The second overarching theme was hierarchy (management, team leader, team members, and experience). The final overarching theme was resources (support services and placements). The former child protection workers established and clarified external factors that may influence their decision-making process. Conclusions: Several external factors that influenced decision making in relation to the removal of a child from a legal guardian were identified. These findings may help inform professional training for future child protection workers.

COMMITTEE MEMBERSHIP:

Chair: Dr. Catharine Schiller, University of Northern British Columbia

Examining Committee Members:

Supervisor: Dr. Tammy Pearson, University of Northern British Columbia

Committee Member: Dr. Nancy Jokinen, University of Northern British Columbia

Committee Member: Dr. Jacqueline Holler, University of Northern British Columbia

External Examiner: Dr. Catherine Whalen, University of Northern British Columbia