Family feedback in Child Welfare Services: A systematic review of measures

Abstract

Background: Assessing family feedback in Child Welfare Services is embedded in family-centered practice, and the availability of validated, reliable instruments to perform this evaluation is essential for front-line practitioners, managers, and policymakers. Nonetheless, to date, no study has systematically identified and analyzed the measures in this field. Objectives: A systematic review of the literature following the PRISMA guidelines was conducted to identify, describe and conceptually and psychometrically assess all of the published measures of family feedback in Child Welfare Services. Method: A search of the measures published in peer-reviewed scientific journals in English, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, and French from 1980 to October 2013 was performed. Ten electronic databases and reference lists of relevant studies were consulted. In total, 13 studies including eight instruments were identified and analyzed. Results: Most studies omitted information regarding the descriptive characteristics of the instruments and made no reference to a conceptual model. In most cases, the development and validation processes of the instruments and their psychometric characteristics were insufficiently reported. Additionally, some relevant elements of family-centered practice were frequently omitted in the dimensions of the questionnaires. Conclusions: The scarcity of validated measures to evaluate family feedback in Child Welfare Services demands further research to develop new instruments that overcome these limitations. Recommendations for designing and validating future instruments are provided.