The decision-making process in the field of child protection often involves a lot of complexity. In Catalonia, one of the measures that the Childhood and Adolescent Attention Teams (EAIA) have in order to support the children to remain with their family of origin is the Socio-educational Agreement (COSE) since the Law 14/2010 on Childhood. This article presents a first evaluation of the aspects of the design, development and technical application of the COSE in order to make proposals to improve, if applicable, its effectiveness. A mixed methodology has been followed, collecting quantitative and qualitative data through secondary analysis of the databases, and also the use of questionnaires and interviews with professionals and parents. The results show an increase in its use over the years but without consensus on its effectiveness, showing great variability throughout the territory. Recommendations are given to evaluate and improve their effectiveness as a measure aimed at overcoming situations of risk, rethinking the use of the economic benefit, re-elaborating their format and writing, and sharing knowledge and good practices among different areas.
Keywords
Children at risk, socio-educational agreement, child protection system, decision-making process
