The Relationship Between Caseworker Assessments of Clients' Social Networks and Child Welfare Placement Outcomes.

In this study, caseworkers provided information regarding a mother's number and quality of social supports and whether an infant was removed from her care. Analyses indicated that infants were less likely to be removed from the mother's care when caseworkers viewed maternal social supports as positive. This association was strongest when the caseworker identified only positive supports, with no contacts defined as nonpositive. Mothers who were assessed to have no intimate relationship or low level of commitment were nearly twice as likely to have their children in foster care compared to mothers assessed to be in a mid-to-high level of committed relationship. Results suggest that caseworkers' distinctions between positive and nonpositive social networks influence removal decisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]