Prioritising Cases in Youth Care

An Empirical Study of Professionals’ Approaches to Argumentation

Dados Bibliográficos

ID12902306
AutoresKoen Gevaert (0000-0002-9462-2796, Ghent University, autor correspondente), Sabrina Keinemans (Zuyd University of Applied Sciences), Rudi Roose (0000-0001-7508-4593, Ghent University)
Ano2022
Volume16
Fascículo4
Páginas380-395
Data de publicação2022-03-02
Peer ReviewedSim
Open AccessNão
TipoARTICLE
PeriódicoEthics and Social Welfare (JOURNAL)
Identificadores do periódicoISSN: 1749-6535 • E-ISSN: 1749-6543
EditoraTaylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/17496535.2022.2044882
OpenAlexW4214843129
IdiomaEN
Citações recebidas2
Referências citadas41

Social workers must often decide about priority at a case level, in a context of scarce resources. These decisions are disputable and controversial, which raises the question on what grounds are they made in practice. This article addresses that question through an empirical study of real-life case discussions in youth care in Flanders, the Dutch-speaking part of Belgium. Toulmin’s argumentation model is used to analyse the data. The study finds that most case discussions are processed in a rather technical manner. But where there is active deliberation, key incidents show that the decision-makers undertake active and personal interpretation of the situation at hand, and that they also take a personal stance on the criteria for assigning priority. In other words, their practice can be understood as a hermeneutical activity. The article’s main conclusion is that the prioritisation process illustrates the moral-political core that is present in any social work decision-making practice. As this moral-political core seems to be hidden most of the time behind a technical-rational approach, questions remain whether the professionals involved are aware that it characterises their own judgements and whether insights into its nature are stimulated

Argument (complex analysis · Argumentation theory · Context (archaeology · Core (optical fiber · Deliberation · Economics · Empirical research · Epistemology · Interpretation (philosophy · Political science · Politics · Positive economics · Process (computing · Public relations · Sociology · Computer Science · Ethics in medical practice · Healthcare Decision-Making and Restraints · Law · Medicine · Psychology · Social Psychology · Social Work Education and Practice