How did I know when to report physical neglect? Ghanaian mothers’ views on delinquent child maintenance

Most Ghanaian mothers left to provide care for their children following separation or a divorce face challenges in meeting their children’s basic needs. To ensure that non-resident fathers are engaged in the caregiving, recourse is usually to social workers at the Department of Social Welfare (DSW). There is evidence that, with the intervention of social workers, some fathers agree to provide regular maintenance to support the care of their children. However, there are no empirical studies in Ghana about how mothers learn to report delinquent child maintenance cases. This qualitative study reports findings from in-depth interviews with 15 mothers in contact with the DSW about how they learnt to report delinquent child maintenance. The study revealed the media, knowledge of existing child welfare legislation and information from previous reporters as the factors that influenced mothers’ decision to seek recourse to the DSW. Therefore, social workers should be aware of these factors which they can utilise to promote the wellbeing of neglected children by encouraging service users’ reportage of parents neglectful behaviours.