Why inspectorates simplify social problems

What is it about?

Inspectorates have more and more two roles: not only do the have to assess the quality of public services, they also have to improve these services and thereby solve social problems. Both tasks are difficult to combine. To assess services and sanction when necessary, inspectorates must judge with certainty whether the services of the organisations meet the requirements -or not. Yet, to solve social problems inspectorates are confronted by uncertainties about what works and controversies about who is responsible for what. In this study, we show how inspectorates tend to simply problems and hide uncertainty and/or controversy. Consequently, inspectorates present social problems, like poverty, as problems that can be managed and that tragedies, like a death of a child, can always be prevented.

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Why is it important?

In response to various tragedies concerning children and their families - for example, the baby Peter and Victoria Climbié in the UK and the Savanna, Gessica and Baby T in the Netherlands, inspectorates changed their role and methods. In the Netherlands, a partnership of five Dutch inspectorates was established to oversee the broad range of services for children and young people. This study describe and explains the role and methods of this new inspectorate.

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