Comparison of parents' and social workers' assessments of the quality of life of children at risk

This study compares parents' and social workers' assessments of the quality of life (QOL) of children at risk and the contribution to these assessments of parents' economic status, receipt of professional intervention, and cooperation. The QOL of 52 children at risk, half who had been removed from home, half who were kept at home, was assessed by their parents and social workers, using a questionnaire based on Shye's Systemic Quality of Life Model. The parents rated the children's QOL in both settings higher than their social workers. However the disparity between the parents' ratings of the children's OQL in the two settings was smaller than that of the social workers. Moreover, the parents' economic status contributed to their own assessments, but not to the social workers'. Their cooperation contributed more to the social workers' assessments than to their own. The receipt of professional intervention contributed only to the social workers' assessments. The many differences in their QOL assessments underscore the need for a greater dialogue between social workers and parents, especially for a timely dialogue on the outcomes of the interventions.