Flying under the radar: double standards frontline workers’ identification of vulnerable children

Frontline workers are central to welfare policy implementation, relying on discretion and rapid decisions often based on limited information. This study, based on vignette group interviews and semi-structured interviews (n = 90), examines how frontline workers identify signs of child vulnerability and how parental socioeconomic status influences these assessments and subsequent actions. Integrating street-level bureaucracy theory with status characteristics and double standards theory, the study refines understanding of how categorization processes may reinforce inequality. It demonstrates how double standards act as a mediating mechanism in the reproduction of stigmatization and inequality. By introducing the concepts of ‘type 1′ and ‘type 2′ errors, the study conceptualizes two distinct biases in frontline decision-making. These categories offer insight into how stigmatization operates in practice, particularly highlighting a neglected consequence: the risk of overlooking vulnerable clients who do not align with stereotypical expectations.