Hospital-Based Health Care Workers’ Experiences of Involvement in Perinatal Child Protection Processes: A Scoping Literature Review Protocol.
Creators: name: Fisher, Colleen
name: Harries, Maria
name: O'Donnell, Melissa
name: Johnsen, Maegan
Publisher: name: OSF Registries
Year: 2023
Subjects: subject: Public Health
subject: Other Medicine and Health Sciences
subject: Medicine and Health Sciences
subject: Social Work
subject: FOS: Sociology
subject: Health Services Administration
subject: Medical Education
subject: Mental and Social Health
subject: Social and Behavioral Sciences
subject: Nursing
subject: FOS: Health sciences
subject: Interprofessional Education
subject: #Western Australia
subject: #clinical research
subject: #maternal health #child protection #infant removal #interdisciplinary practice #hospital social work #child abuse

description: Objective: This review aimed to identify and synthesise qualitative literature pertaining to the perspectives of Hospital Based Health Care Workers (HBHCWs) with experiences of involvement in child protection processes occurring in the perinatal period . Introduction: Despite increased attention being paid in the literature to child protection interventions occurring in the perinatal period, limited evidence exists which pertains to the perspectives of the HBHCWs involved in these processes. This scoping review was undertaken as part of a PhD research project which aims to explore and understand the multidisciplinary perspectives of HBHCWs who support pregnant women, mothers and infants with child protection involvement in Western Australia. Inclusion criteria: To be considered for inclusion, sources must employ qualitative methods, be published in English from January 1, 2000, pay specific attention to the perspectives of Hospital Based Health Care Workers who have experience of involvement in perinatal child protection processes. Methods: Seven academic and professional bibliographic data bases were searched using a multi-stringed approach in consultation with a specialist librarian from the University of Western Australia. The search was undertaken across databases Ovid MEDLINE, CINAHL Plus, PsychINFO, ProQuest, Web of Science (WoS), SCOPUS and Informit between May 1 and June 30, 2022. Results: 18 qualitative sources were identified as meeting the inclusion criteria for this review. These sources indicated that provision of perinatal healthcare at the interface of statutory child protection is an inherently conflictual experience for HBHCWs; an experience which gives rise to internal, interpersonal and interorganisational tensions. Involvement in child protection processes can have an enduring impact on the HBHCWs involved, especially in cases when statutory action occurs at or soon after birth, where an infant is removed by child protection authorities at a hospital. Addressing the needs of HBHCWs appropriately at a peer, managerial and organisational level is essential to ameliorate risk to staff wellbeing and performance. Conclusions: There are significant gaps in the qualitative literature pertaining to the experiences of HBHCWs who provide services at the interface of maternity and paediatric healthcare and child protection. Further research is required which ensures a diverse range of multidisciplinary voices are contributing to the evidence used to inform and improve training, education and safety of HBHCWs employed at the interface of healthcare and child protection.