Date on Capstone

4-2026

Document Type

Capstone

Degree Name

D.S.W.

Degree Program

School of Social Work, Social Work, D.S.W.

Committee Chair

Winters, Andrew

Committee Member

BrintzenhofeSzoc, Karlynn

Committee Member

Rhema, Susan

Committee Member

Golder, Seana

Committee Member

Archuleta, Adrian

Author's Keywords

Multidisciplinary teams (MDTs); Interprofessional collaboration in healthcare; Child protection teams (CPTs); Social Work in child abuse pediatrics; Professional hierarchy in healthcare teams; Interprofessional team functioning (AITCS-II)

Abstract

Abstract

Assessing the Relationship Between Professional Discipline and Perceptions of Team Functioning Within Hospital-based Multidisciplinary Child Abuse Teams

Nicolle Roth

04/03/2026

The multidisciplinary team (MDT) approach, professionals from various disciplines collaborating to solve a problem, has been used for decades in both child welfare and medicine. Benefits of the multidisciplinary approach have been documented through studies in both in the field of child abuse and the medical field and include improved outcomes, shortened intervention timelines, and economic advantages. Although multidisciplinary teamwork has been shown to be effective, not all professionals have the same level of skill in working within a team and challenges to team functioning arise when members are unable to collaborate effectively. The purpose of this study is to determine whether perceptions of team functioning differ between disciplines on hospital-based child abuse teams. Data was collected via an online survey and included the Assessment of Interprofessional Team Collaboration Scale II (AITCS-II) demographic and contextual information, questions regarding perceptions of hierarchy and one question exploring participants’ ideas for improving collaboration within their respective teams. Participants were current members of hospital-based child-abuse teams identified through purposive sampling. Results indicated that physicians consistently had a more positive view of collaboration than their social worker colleagues. Best practice guidelines for these teams suggest that social workers are necessary members, but if their input is undervalued, their effectiveness may be diminished. Further research is needed to determine the extent to perceptions of team functioning between discipline and the potential impact of those perceptions.

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