Journal of Nursing, Social Studies, Public Health and Rehabilitation X:X | DOI: 10.32725/jnss.2026.016

Strengths and limitations of the methodological guide: assessing the situation of the child and their family in cases of parental conflict

Petra Vašinová ORCID...*, Jitka Vacková ORCID...
University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice, Faculty of Health and Social Sciences, České Budějovice, Czech Republic

Background: Assessing the family situation is a key component of the social and legal protection of children. However, in cases of conflictual separation or divorce between parents, workers in the social and legal protection of children face specific challenges, including the high emotional burden on parents, the difficulty of capturing the child's perspective, and working under time pressure.

Objective: The aim of this article is to analyze how workers at the Authority for the Social and Legal Protection of Children evaluate the current methodological guide "Vyhodnocení situace dítěte a jeho rodiny" (Assessing the situation of the child and their family), published by the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs in 2020, particularly in the context of parental conflict.

Methods: A qualitative study based on one focus group with five child protection workers from various regions of the Czech Republic. The data were analyzed using thematic analysis.

Results: The results show that the methodological guide is perceived as a useful framework that supports the structured assessment of the family's situation and the collection of relevant information. At the same time, however, participants pointed out its generality, administrative burden, and limited applicability in cases of parental conflict. In particular, the insufficient focus on the dynamics of conflict between parents, potential manipulation, and the distinction between parental narratives and the child's needs were identified as problematic.

Conclusion: The findings suggest that the current methodological guide provides an important general framework for assessing the family situation. However, in cases of parental conflict, it may need to be supplemented with conflict-specific guidelines, questions, and indicators that support a more consistent focus on the child's needs.

Keywords: Assessment of the child's situation; Child protection authority; High-conflict divorce; Parental conflict; Social and legal protection of children; Social work
Grants and funding:

The study was conducted as part of the grant project "Conflictual Divorces", registration number GAJU 140/2025/S, supported by the Grant Agency of the University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice. The project ran from February 1, 2025, to December 31, 2026. The principal investigator of the project is Petra Vašinová.

Conflicts of interest:

The authors have no conflict of interest to declare.

Received: June 7, 2026; Revised: September 10, 2026; Accepted: October 8, 2026; Prepublished online: October 8, 2026 

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