The influence of the number of child protection case conferences on the professional

Abstract

  This study examined the influence of the number of case conferences on the cognition of inter‒professional work. Case conferences, which are regarded as the foundation of regional councils for child protection, may be defined as meetings during which a number of professionals engage in discussion and communication to support clients. Case conferences are a tool for facilitating inter‒professional work. Because cognition exerts an impact on actions, this study focused on cognition among professionals to substantiate the influence of case conferences. Moreover, the reason why case conferences have been chosen as a tool for facilitating inter‒professional work was verified. The results of the questionnaire clearly indicated that the number of case conferences was correlated with the number of members and the variations in their occupational fields. Furthermore, the number of case conferences was correlated with “work with all members” and “focusing on the client/clients”, which were factors contributing to the cognition of inter‒professional work. These results suggested that the number of case conferences was responsive to variation among members. Furthermore, the number of case conferences was related with the recognition of the members of a case conference comprising a single team that could be referred to as “we.”