ABSTRACT
Evaluation research often starts out with the intention of bringing about change that is beneficial to both agencies and those whom they serve. Social service provision to families in New Zealand has been said to be revolutionised by this piece of legislation, and, indeed, the shift in focus from professionally driven service provision to family driven decision making has been internationally applauded as best practice in child protection and replicated in many other countries. A multi-level analysis of the in-depth qualitative interviews showed that the task of caring for a child who has suffered abuse and neglect is taxing on the whole caregiving family and not made any easier by virtue of a biological relationship. Participants included the children at the centre of the care and protection inquiry, immediate and extended family, neighbours and concerned community members, and the professional community of social workers, lawyers, medics, counsellors and teachers.
