Comparative analysis of child welfare in out-of-home care in Portugal and Azerbaijan

Abstract

As social work is a profession of human rights, protecting children’s rights and improving child welfare is one of its tasks. Therefore, this qualitative study aims to understand how child welfare is provided in out-of-home care in Azerbaijan and Portugal comparatively through the lenses of Bronfenbrenner's Ecological Systems Theory. The lack of research in the field, especially, reinforces the need for this research. Data was collected via semi-structured interviews with 3 participants from each country, with the limitation of a small sample size. Interview questions are made based on levels of ecological system theory. The transcripts from the Portuguese and Azerbaijani languages were translated into English, and the names of all the organizations and interviewees were kept anonymous. Data is analyzed via MAXQDA and categorized based on the levels of ecological system theory. Results showed both similarities and differences between the countries. Also, while some findings overlapped with previous research, some of them did not and also some of them are new findings in this research literature. The Findings opened new research directions for further investigation in the field to improve child welfare in Azerbaijan and Portugal.