Using information extracted from recorded and transcribed conferences between case workers and parents at various stages in the child protective service case management process, the study looked at how decisionmaking occurred through negotiations between case workers and parents rather than through unilateral action by case workers. The researcher also explored the impact of situational and structural factors on negotiation and decisionmaking. She observed 91 conferences involving case workers and families; 39 conferences involved newly reported cases that required decisions on report validity, child protection, and the need for Department of Social Services intervention. In addition, interviews were conducted with 27 case workers and 17 family members immediately following the conference to gather firsthand impressions of what transpired during the conference. Study findings revealed that most decisions were made unilaterally by case workers. In 9 of 14 decisionmaking sequences that involved negotiation with alignment, the family aligned with the case worker's position. Of the five decisionmaking sequences resulting in alignment with the family's position, males appeared to have an advantage over females and nonoffending family members seemed to have an advantage over perpetrators in negotiations with case workers. Changes that the child protective service system can make to involve parents more without impinging on case worker authority are discussed. 18 references, 2 notes, and 2 tables