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PurposeWhile studies on service users’ participation and their perceptions on the quality of services exist, agreement between family members’ and practitioners’ assessments of the family’s situation has received less interest. The purpose of this paper is to investigate agreement and its effect on outcomes by comparing the viewpoints of three groups of informants (children, mothers and practitioners) in the context of statutory child protection in two study groups – one applying a systemic approach (SPM) and a service-as-usual control group (SAU).Design/methodology/approachA quasi-experimental repeated-measures study design was applied. Outcome data comprised 112 cases (SPM cases n = 56 and SAU cases n = 56) at three sites. Data was collected from all participants at baseline and six months later.FindingsFirst, practitioners’ analyses of a child’s need for protection did not meet family members’ expressed need for help. Second, child–mother agreement on the need for service intervention at T1 predicted a decrease in practitioner-assessed abuse or neglect from T1 to T2. In this sample, no differences were found between the two groups.Originality/valueThis study highlights the importance of making explicit the viewpoints of children, parents and practitioners in casework and research to improve understanding of how their perspectives differ over the course of the process and how possible initial disagreements affect outcomes.

Previous research indicates worse outcomes for children and young people in out-of-home care compared to their peers. To improve the quality of current residential care, research is needed to deepen our understanding of the key factors and mechanisms that explain the effectiveness of residential care on child level. The aim of this study is to evaluate the short-term (i.e., during care) effectiveness of residential care as a child welfare intervention by different service providers. The study includes two pre-specified primary child-level outcomes 1) psychosocial functioning, assessed through the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaires (SDQ) including both total difficulties scores and subscales and 2) attainment of individual goals of the child. Secondary outcome measures include improved experiences of emotional warmth and safety (CEWSS-A). Further associations between key characteristics of the residential care unit, the child and outcomes are assessed. The data consist of longitudinal survey data collected from 12-17-year-old children and staff in a total sample of public and private residential care units offering specialized care in three wellbeing services countries in Finland. The baseline (T0) data is collected between 1.4.2025-31.8.2026 with a follow up of 6 and 12 months for each child (T1 and T2). The data is primarily analysed with linear mixed models. Findings explore the short-term effectiveness and change mechanisms of residential care as \"service as usual\" to understand how it should be organised and produced to improve its ability to meet aims during care. The study design embraces the complexity and changeability on different levels of the residential care setting.