Publications from ODSW Social Insights: Letters by DSW (Vol 2) | Page 167

Special Editions

(i) Best available empirical evidence – For instance research and analysis,
primary data collected, facts,
• what does research say about the best methods of working with children
who were emotionally abused?
(ii) Social workers’ judgment based on observations and assessment
• As practitioners, what have we observed and assessed to be the best
practice? (which AMK FSC has done)
(iii) Client characteristics – age, gender, culture, income, level of cognition,
mental health etc.
• what are the particular traits, characteristics, circumstances of our clients
that are unique, o r common?
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I am heartened to see that the book we are launching today has
captured the practices of working with children. This adds to existing
knowledge that is localised and contextualised. This is knowledge that is
very helpful to those working in child welfare or doing research on child
outcomes.
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In MSF, we have also conducted more research to inform practice
and to enhance our practice standard. One such research is the predictors
of re-entry and recurrence of child protection cases conducted through a
Master’s Independent Research 8 study by Ng Wei Chern using data from the
Child Protection Service. In this research, an interesting finding was that child
protection cases of emotional abuse coupled with other types of abuse, with
chronic concerns of care, had a higher chance of recurrence to child welfare
or protection or offending behaviour. A related study that the Ministry has
conducted is to examine the effects of poly-victimization on mental health
8

Ng, W. C. (2009). Profile of Child Protection and Child Welfare Cases with Recurrence
and Re-entrance for Cases Closed from 2002 to 2009 (Unpublished Independent Research
Study). George Warren Brown, Missouri.
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