3,074 results
Search Results
2. Call for papers
- Published
- 2010
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
3. Commentary on the two linked papers “A comparison of state support” and “Supporting young people from care to adulthood”
- Author
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Ward, Jade, primary
- Published
- 2019
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
4. More than a piece of paper?: Personal education plans and ‘looked after’ children in England
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Hayden, Carol
- Published
- 2005
5. Call for papers
- Author
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McAuley, Colette, Pecora, Peter J., and Whittaker, James K.
- Published
- 2008
6. Call for papers
- Author
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Berridge, David
- Published
- 2006
7. Call for papers
- Author
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Biehal, Nina
- Published
- 2005
8. Call for papers
- Author
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Biehal, Nina
- Published
- 2004
9. Call for papers
- Author
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Biehal, Nina
- Published
- 2003
10. Commentary on the two linked papers 'A comparison of state support' and 'Supporting young people from care to adulthood'
- Author
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Jade Ward
- Subjects
Health (social science) ,Sociology and Political Science ,State (polity) ,media_common.quotation_subject ,Psychology ,Developmental psychology ,media_common - Published
- 2019
11. Call for papers
- Published
- 2010
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
12. Call for papers
- Author
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Colette McAuley, Peter J. Pecora, and James K. Whittaker
- Subjects
Health (social science) ,Sociology and Political Science - Published
- 2008
13. Call for papers
- Author
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Nina Biehal
- Subjects
Health (social science) ,Sociology and Political Science - Published
- 2003
14. Residential care as an alternative care option: A review of literature within a global context.
- Author
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Giraldi, Miriana, Mitchell, Fiona, Porter, Robert Benjamin, Reed, Douglas, Jans, Valérie, McIver, Leanne, Manole, Mihaela, and McTier, Alexander
- Subjects
MEDICAL quality control ,MEDICAL databases ,CULTURE ,WELL-being ,CHILD care ,SYSTEMATIC reviews ,CHILD development ,WORLD health ,SOCIOECONOMIC factors ,MEDICAL protocols ,MAPS ,RESIDENTIAL care - Abstract
While there is unequivocal agreement on the need to support families and to avoid all unnecessary separation, there are ongoing debates across policy and practitioner communities nationally and internationally, around the place of residential care within the range of alternative care services which should be available to children who need them. This paper presents the findings of a review of evidence looking at the function, quality and outcomes of residential care based on 111 papers identified for inclusion using systematic searches. The review identifies definitional ambiguity in the use of the terms 'residential' and 'institutional' care in the literature, which, alongside the different cultural, social and economic contexts, makes generalizing challenging. However, we found insufficient evidence to substantiate claims that residential care is inherently unsuitable. We identify research gaps in the literature, including in relation to quality, children's perspectives and factors that impact upon the suitability of residential care for different children, before discussing implications of the findings for research, policy and practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2022
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
15. Navigating risk: Young women's pathways through the care, education and criminal justice systems.
- Author
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Larsson, Birgit, Schofield, Gillian, Biggart, Laura, Ward, Emma, Dodsworth, Jane, and Scaife, Victoria
- Subjects
- *
PSYCHOLOGICAL resilience , *SECONDARY analysis , *QUALITATIVE research , *FOCUS groups , *RESEARCH funding , *INTERVIEWING , *PSYCHOLOGY of women , *EXPERIENCE , *CAREGIVERS , *THEMATIC analysis , *CRIMINAL justice system , *MOTHERHOOD , *EDUCATIONAL attainment , *TRANSITION to adulthood , *SELF-perception , *ADOLESCENCE ,MEDICAL care for teenagers - Abstract
The criminalization of young women in care remains an important practice and policy issue in England despite 2018 national guidance and the subsequent development of local authority protocols to reduce the criminalization of care‐experienced young people. This paper contributes to the emerging research on young women whose behaviour challenges professionals, through secondary analysis of case file data and narrative interviews with 24 care‐experienced young women from a national project on care and offending. Analysis focused on young women's pathways through the care, justice and education systems and identified five domains within young women's lives where available risk or resilience factors were significant in directing young women towards prosocial opportunities, to new types of victimization or to criminalization and offending. These domains consisted of placements and caregiver relationships; partner relationships; pregnancy and motherhood; participation in education; and the transition to adulthood through leaving care. The paper concludes with implications for practice for professionals working with young women, in particular emphasizing that how the care, justice and education systems respond to young women can contribute to negative pathways or transform them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2024
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
16. Realizing the potential of a strengths‐based approach in family support with young people and their parents.
- Author
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Devaney, Carmel, Brady, Bernadine, Crosse, Rosemary, and Jackson, Rebecca
- Subjects
PROFESSIONAL practice ,WELL-being ,PATIENT advocacy ,PROBLEM solving ,INFORMATION services ,FAMILY support ,STAKEHOLDER analysis ,COMMUNITY health services ,COMMUNITY-based social services ,INTERPERSONAL relations ,QUALITY of life ,SOCIAL services ,PSYCHOLOGICAL adaptation ,PSYCHOLOGICAL resilience ,PARENTS ,HEALTH promotion - Abstract
This paper on a strengths‐based approach (SBA) to practice is based on empirical research with stakeholders involved in an intensive support programme for young people at risk and their parents in Ireland. The Youth Advocate Programme (YAP) model provides wraparound support to respond to their needs by focusing on their competencies and their coping skills and building networks of community‐based supports. The model includes parents or carers in the suite of support offered by advocates. An SBA to practice has been discussed for some time in academic literature and practice guidance. However, it tends to be considered primarily in relation to social work practice, and there is ongoing ambiguity as to what it actually involves in day‐to‐day engagement with individual family members. Insightful, rich accounts of SBAs as part of routine practice provided by young people, parents and practitioners form the basis to this paper and detail how these approaches support the development of hope‐inspiring relationships and promote positive change. Relevant literature and research situates the debate on the experience of using SBA, the wider challenges faced by families, the impact of SBA in practice on those receiving the support service and its potential for use in the wider continuum of children and family services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2023
- Full Text
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17. Trauma then and now: Implications of adoption reform for First Nations children.
- Author
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Turnbull‐Roberts, Vanessa, Salter, Michael, and Newton, B. J.
- Subjects
ADOPTION laws ,ATTITUDE (Psychology) ,HISTORICAL trauma ,GROUP identity ,ETHNOPSYCHOLOGY ,HEALTH care reform ,CHILD welfare ,AUTONOMY (Psychology) ,ABORIGINAL Australians ,THEMATIC analysis ,DATA analysis software ,CIVIL rights ,CHILDREN - Abstract
Currently, Aboriginal children are significantly over‐represented in the out‐of‐home‐care system. Drawing on Aboriginal trauma scholarship and decolonizing methodologies, this paper situates the contemporary state removal of Aboriginal children against the backdrop of historical policies that actively sought to disrupt Aboriginal kinship and communities. The paper draws on submissions to the 2018 Australian Senate Parliamentary Inquiry into Adoption Reform from Aboriginal community controlled organizations and highlights four common themes evident throughout these submissions: (i) the role of intergenerational trauma in high rates of Aboriginal child removal; (ii) the place of children within Aboriginal culture, kinship and identity; (iii) the centrality of the principles of self‐determination and autonomy for Aboriginal communities and (iv) Aboriginal community controlled alternatives to child removal. Acknowledging the failure of both federal and state reforms to address the issues raised in these submissions, the paper reflects on the marginalization of Aboriginal voices and solutions within contemporary efforts to address the multiple crises of the child protection system and the implications for the future of Aboriginal children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2022
- Full Text
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18. The panopticon looms: A gendered narrative of the interlocking powers of welfare intervention and criminalization.
- Author
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Clarke, Becky and Leah
- Subjects
- *
CHILD welfare , *SEXISM , *POWER (Social sciences) , *PSYCHOLOGY of women , *DECISION making , *SOCIAL case work , *SOUND recordings , *THEMATIC analysis , *EXPERIENCE , *CAPITAL punishment , *CRIMINAL justice system , *CASE studies , *JUDGMENT (Psychology) , *MANAGEMENT , *PSYCHOLOGICAL vulnerability , *GOVERNMENT regulation , *GENDER-based violence - Abstract
This paper presents a case study narrative of one woman. Drawing on her storied recollections, from infancy into childhood through young motherhood into adulthood, we trace the interlocking relationship between policies and practices intended to offer welfare support facilitating her criminalization. A collaborative approach to producing knowledge, representing 8 years of narrative, dialogue and reflection surfaces a looming panopticon. The gendered power of the state to intervene across the life course is revealed, as is the failed and harmful nature of this panopticon. Three distinct themes emerge from the analysis: the power to define and the fixing nature of gendered policy and practice narratives; the gendered control strategies that reproduce harms in women's lives; and the lifelong nature of the panopticon for some girls and women. Cutting across these experiences are processes of silencing and ultimately resistance, strategies for surviving the enduring forms of institutional surveillance and intervention. The paper closes with clear implications for the hegemonic trio of social science research and social work and criminal justice policy and practice. We must confront and dismantle our complicity in the silent silencing and gendered harms of the panopticon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2024
- Full Text
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19. Teenagers in foster care: Issues, themes, and debates from and for practice and policy.
- Author
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Shuker, Lucie, Sebba, Judy, and Höjer, Ingrid
- Subjects
CHILD sexual abuse risk factors ,CONTROL (Psychology) ,AUTONOMY (Psychology) ,CHILD welfare ,FOSTER children ,FOSTER home care ,INTERPERSONAL relations ,PARENTING ,POLICY sciences ,PSYCHOLOGICAL resilience ,SOCIAL stigma ,MEDICAL care for teenagers ,LGBTQ+ people - Abstract
The task of fostering adolescents is unique, requiring skills, qualities, and information that acknowledge each young person's particular needs. This editorial summarises a range of research in this special issue covering parenting styles, transitions out of care, child sexual exploitation, and the needs of LGBTQ and separated teenagers. Three themes emerging from the papers are discussed: autonomy and control; risk, resilience, and trauma; and relationships, identity, and stigma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2019
- Full Text
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20. Biographical histories of gendered parental substance use: Messages from mothers to professionals as to what interventions help or hinder journeys of recovery.
- Author
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Thompson, Kellie
- Subjects
RESEARCH ,PSYCHOLOGY of parents ,SUBSTANCE abuse ,FOCUS groups ,CONVALESCENCE ,RESEARCH methodology ,INTERVIEWING ,SOCIAL stigma ,FEAR ,EMOTIONAL trauma ,EXPERIENCE ,QUALITATIVE research ,PATIENT-professional relations ,BIOGRAPHY (Literary form) ,SHAME ,THEMATIC analysis - Abstract
This paper reports on data that is part of a wider evaluation of a small‐scale project that offers support to parents, children and families affected by alcohol and substance use. Using semi‐structured interviews and a focus group, the data in this paper explore mother's sense making of their substance use and their experiences of various professional interventions which have helped or hindered their personal journeys of recovery. Mothers' narratives suggested a self‐critical inner dialogue conceptualized as shame. Fear of stigma and a sense of shame derived from historical abuse and had a profound effect on how mothers perceived themselves and how they negotiated a web of professionals involved in their lives. Community projects with a focus on understanding mothers and their needs, and not the risk they posed to their children, were considered most supportive. Interventions working within a non‐judgemental and empathetic framework that fostered the importance of relationships and connection had a greater impact on mothers' long‐term recovery goals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2022
- Full Text
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21. Moving from 'what we know works' to 'what we do in practice': An evidence overview of implementation and diffusion of innovation in transition to adulthood for care experienced young people.
- Author
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Alderson, Hayley, Smart, Deborah, Kerridge, Gary, Currie, Graeme, Johnson, Rebecca, Kaner, Eileen, Lynch, Amy, Munro, Emily, Swan, Jacky, and McGovern, Ruth
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PSYCHOLOGY information storage & retrieval systems ,ONLINE information services ,WELL-being ,SOCIAL participation ,TRANSITION to adulthood ,EMPLOYMENT of people with disabilities ,TRANSITIONAL care ,SYSTEMATIC reviews ,HUMAN services programs ,EXPERIENCE ,INTERPERSONAL relations ,EMPLOYMENT ,MEDLINE ,DIFFUSION of innovations ,FOSTER home care - Abstract
Global research has shown that most young people who are care experienced are not prepared to transition to independent living at 18 years of age and require support into early adulthood. We used rigorous systematic methods to identify English‐based peer reviewed and grey literature describing innovations relevant to care experienced young people as they transition into adulthood, with a focus upon lessons for their implementation and diffusion. We synthesised the evidence narratively and organise data linked to seven key areas important to the transition to adulthood: (1) Health and well‐being; (2) relationships; (3) education and training; (4) employment; (5) participation in society; (6) accommodation; (7) other. Twenty‐five papers met our inclusion criteria. This review has found that, whilst there are a broad spectrum of innovations taking place within the social care environment for care experienced young people to support their transition into adulthood, there exists limited insight into how best to support implementation and diffusion of evidence‐based innovation. We drew upon the 'Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research', developed in the setting of clinical service delivery, to highlight challenges in implementing and diffusing evidence‐based innovation for care experienced young people transitioning into adulthood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2023
- Full Text
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22. Conversations about violence, risk and responsibility with divorced and support‐seeking fathers in Sweden.
- Author
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Bruno, Linnéa and Eriksson, Maria
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RISK of violence ,SOCIAL support ,FATHERS' attitudes ,SOCIAL workers ,CHILD abuse ,FAMILY separation policy, 2018-2021 ,INTERVIEWING ,HELP-seeking behavior ,GENDER ,INTIMATE partner violence ,RISK assessment ,COMMUNICATION ,SOUND recordings ,CHILD welfare ,RESEARCH funding ,PSYCHOLOGY of fathers ,CONTENT analysis ,FAMILY relations ,AGGRESSION (Psychology) ,DIVORCE - Abstract
The aim of this paper is to analyse approaches to issues of risk, responsibility and representations of violence in women social workers' conversations with alleged or confirmed violent fathers. The study adds to a growing body of research on agencies' handling of intimate partner violence (IPV) in the context of separation. Empirically, the study draws from 12 structured, audio recorded and transcribed interviews with support‐seeking and divorced fathers, from five municipalities in Sweden, conducted as part of a cooperation project in which a risk‐detection method (Family Law Detection Of Overall Risk Screen [FL‐DOORS]) was also tested. The results suggest a tension between different professional tasks. To validate information on IPV, detect risk and enhance a child perspective competes with other professional projects, most obviously with promoting cooperation between parents. The study confirms previous research, which demonstrates unique challenges facing women social workers and counsellors when working with men as perpetrators. In conclusion, the paper concurs with the call for a focus on responsibility and on safe parenting in professional conversations with allegedly or confirmed abusive fathers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2023
- Full Text
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23. Looked after children's right to contact with birth parents: An Australian study.
- Author
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Healy, Karen, Walsh, Tamara, Venables, Jemma, and Thompson, Kate
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HUMAN rights ,FAMILY reunification ,THEORY of knowledge ,INTERVIEWING ,QUALITATIVE research ,COMPARATIVE studies ,RESEARCH funding ,PSYCHOLOGY of foster children ,PARENT-child relationships ,THEMATIC analysis ,JUDGMENT sampling ,DATA analysis software - Abstract
In Australia, there are more than 46 000 children in out‐of‐home care (OOHC). Most of these children have been in OOHC for more than 2 years. Similarly, there are more than 407 000 children in the United States and over 80 800 in England who are 'looked after' with approximately one third of these children being in OOHC for more than 2 years. This paper concerns 'looked after' children's rights to contact with their birth parents. The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) requires child protection systems to recognize the rights of children to maintain contact with their families except where this is not in the child's 'best interests'. In this paper, we report on a qualitative study conducted in Australia exploring legal and family support practitioners' perceptions of barriers to contact between children in OOHC and their birth parents. The thematic analysis identified four themes: These were as follows: a focus on systems driven responses; lack of cultural recognition and responsiveness; carers' disconnection from birth parents; and parents' exclusion. We discuss the implications of these findings for understanding and recognizing children's right to contact with birth parents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2023
- Full Text
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24. Editorial: Transitions from care to adulthood—Persistent issues across time and place.
- Author
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Stein, Mike and Ward, Harriet
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TRANSITION to adulthood ,SOCIAL support ,SERIAL publications ,PRACTICAL politics ,DEVELOPMENTAL psychobiology ,SOCIOECONOMIC factors ,CONFLICT (Psychology) ,CHILD welfare ,GOVERNMENT policy ,SEX crimes ,SOCIAL case work ,FOSTER home care ,POWER (Social sciences) - Abstract
An introduction is presented in which the editor discusses the various topics within the issue, including child welfare policies, the effects on girls of educational systems at Pauper Schools, and the leaving care law and policy in Scandinavian countries.
- Published
- 2021
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25. Restoring Children From Out‐of‐Home Care: Insights From an Aboriginal‐Led Community Forum.
- Author
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Newton, B. J., Gray, Paul, Cripps, Kyllie, Falster, Kathleen, Katz, Ilan, Chiswell, Kimberly, Wellington, Lisa, Ardler, Richard, Frith, Fiona, Jones, Tori, Kent, Mandy, and Tong, Neika
- Abstract
ABSTRACT Restoring children from out‐of‐home care (OOHC) to their families is the preferred outcome for all children removed by child protection services, yet little is known about how restoration processes are experienced by families and services supporting them. This paper provides important insights about Aboriginal child restoration from 40 practitioners and stakeholders at a community forum led by Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations in regional New South Wales (NSW), Australia. This is one component of larger Aboriginal‐led research, which investigates child protection experiences and pathways to successful restoration in NSW and the data source for this paper. The community forum explored the issues for families navigating family preservation, OOHC and restoration within child protection and legal systems. Findings include the need for a continuum of support for families throughout their engagement with child protection systems and crucially following the removal of their children. Barriers to effective restoration practice included a lack of access to meaningful and ongoing preservation services, insufficient cultural care planning and family finding efforts that are often too late, the pressure on services to support families without adequate capabilities or enough resourcing, the lack of transparency and the complexities in navigating the restoration process, and the lack of culturally informed support for children and their families while children are in care. Implications for policy and practice are discussed. This paper contributes to understanding practice, processes and barriers for restoration, particularly focused on the perspectives of Aboriginal families and communities, with potential insights for practice within Australia and internationally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2024
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
26. Manoeuvring Among Institutions and Pandemic Restrictions: When the Fantasy of Parenting After Divorce or Breakup and the Respective Emotions Matter.
- Author
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Hejzlarová, Eva M.
- Abstract
ABSTRACT Understanding social factors that affected how people interpreted the meanings of COVID‐19 measures is important in postpandemic times. This study applies perspectives from research on emotions as one of the possible explanations and focuses on how institutions and their measures are perceived in the context of individual emotional situations. The aim of the study is to understand how parents with joint or shared custody arrangements in Czechia understood COVID‐19–related state interventions and how they dealt with those interventions in their lives. Analysing 16 interviews with these parents, who are considered a potentially vulnerable group, and their interplay with pandemic public policy, the paper suggests the importance of parenting fantasy. The term ‘fantasy’ builds on Illouz's scholarship and reflects individual sense‐making (ideas or practices) based on close and intense personal relationships related to parenting. This paper claims that the existence of this fantasy (in the form of a fulfilled parenting fantasy) or its non‐existence (in the form of a disruption of parenting, called a negative relationship by Illouz) codetermined how these parents dealt with the pandemic measures—whether (and how strongly) they conformed to them or whether they perceived (or used) them as a threat. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2024
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
27. Social Work Practices: silences and elisions in the plan to transform the lives of children looked after in England
- Author
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Paul Michael Garrett
- Subjects
Government ,Health (social science) ,Sociology and Political Science ,Social work ,Green paper ,business.industry ,media_common.quotation_subject ,Neoliberalism ,Poison control ,Public administration ,Private sector ,Suicide prevention ,White paper ,Law ,Medicine ,business ,media_common - Abstract
This paper critically examines the government's proposals for the reform of services for children in public care, or ‘looked after’, in England and, more specifically, the proposal to set up Social Work Practices (SWPs, see Note 1). These are envisaged as groups of social workers, commissioned by but independent of local authorities. The changes have been mapped out by a Green Paper Care Matters: Transforming the Lives of Children and Young People in Care published in October 2006, a subsequent working group report, and Care Matters: Time for Change, a White Paper published in June 2007. This was followed, in November, by the publication of the Children and Young Persons’ Bill. It is argued that there are, at least, two issues which could be focused on by those seeking to counter moves to introduce SWPs. First, the enhanced role being given to private sector providers because, it is maintained, public services provided by local authorities are unambiguously ‘failing’ children. Second, the fact that the views of parents and ‘looked after’ children are mostly excluded from the dominant and ‘official’ discourse on SWPs.
- Published
- 2008
28. The role of the voluntary, community and social enterprise sector in Early Help: Critical reflections from embedded social care research.
- Author
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El‐Hoss, Thomas, Thomas, Felicity, Gradinger, Felix, and Hughes, Susanne
- Subjects
- *
PREVENTION of child abuse , *COMMUNITY health services , *CHILD welfare , *CORPORATE culture , *SOCIAL workers , *OCCUPATIONAL roles , *RESEARCH funding , *FOCUS groups , *DEBATE , *INTERPROFESSIONAL relations , *QUALITATIVE research , *ETHNOLOGY research , *INTERVIEWING , *COMPASSION , *RESPONSIBILITY , *CHILD health services , *VOLUNTARY health agencies , *PARENT attitudes , *SOCIAL case work , *SOCIAL work research , *THEMATIC analysis , *RESEARCH methodology , *ATTITUDES of medical personnel , *TRUST , *ORGANIZATIONAL change , *SOCIAL support , *MEDICAL practice , *GOVERNMENT regulation - Abstract
The independent review of children's social care (2022) has proposed a radical reset of England's children's services, shifting a remote, assessment heavy system towards one that works alongside communities to help prevent statutory interventions. However, notions around the harnessing of community resources to deliver Early Help are often underpinned by assumptions regarding the voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) sector and the ease with which such organizations can be integrated into preventative strategies. This paper reports findings from embedded research within a unitary authority in Southwest England during remodelling of its Early Help service to work more collaboratively with local VCSE organizations. The study generated data from ethnographic observations, semi‐structured interviews and focus groups with 95 participants, including local parents, service providers, VCSE organizations and Council leaders. The findings illustrate that families value the compassionate, responsive and flexible support available within many VCSE settings. However, differences in practice cultures, regulatory pressures on statutory providers, the need to (re)build trust in communities and sensitivities around power‐sharing and resourcing meant negotiating VCSE sector integration was fraught with complexities. Few studies have gained such privileged access to a Local Authority's remodelling of Early Help services, and this paper has significant insights for the debates surrounding the independent review of children's social care (2022) and its recommendation to bring services 'closer to communities'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2023
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
29. Participation in social, leisure and informal learning activities among care leavers in England: positive outcomes for educational participation
- Author
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Katie Hollingworth
- Subjects
education.field_of_study ,Medical education ,Health (social science) ,Sociology and Political Science ,Green paper ,Population ,Informal learning ,Educational attainment ,Disadvantaged ,Pedagogy ,Social care ,Sociology ,education ,Public care - Abstract
Against a background of research and national statistics that consistently show that educational participation and achievement of young people in and leaving care is significantly lower than is the case for the non-care population, previous research has shown the positive impact that social, leisure and informal learning activities can have on the educational participation and achievements of young people, and particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds. The UK: Care Matters Green Paper stated that involvement in leisure and social activities can have a positive impact on the self-esteem of young people in and leaving care and upon their educational attainment and later success in the labour market. - This paper reports on the English results of a cross-national study of young people from a public care background and their pathways to education in Europe. Using case study examples it explores the impact that social, leisure and informal learning activities can have on educational participation and educational pathways of young people in and leaving care. The paper argues that, in view of these findings, encouraging and supporting young people in and leaving care into these types of activities should be a priority for social care professionals, carers and teachers.
- Published
- 2011
30. An exploratory study of capacity to change at family level in families with adolescents experiencing emotional and behavioural difficulties.
- Author
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Ratkajec Gašević, Gabrijela and Platt, Dendy
- Subjects
- *
FAMILIES & psychology , *CHILD welfare , *FAMILY psychotherapy , *LIFE change events , *QUALITATIVE research , *INTERPROFESSIONAL relations , *AUTONOMY (Psychology) , *DEFENSE mechanisms (Psychology) , *INTERVIEWING , *AFFECTIVE disorders , *BEHAVIOR , *GOAL (Psychology) , *PROBLEM solving , *FAMILY relations , *SCAPEGOAT , *ATTITUDE (Psychology) , *THEMATIC analysis , *MOTIVATION (Psychology) , *FAMILY attitudes , *RESEARCH methodology , *RESEARCH , *INTENTION , *CHANGE , *PUBLIC welfare , *SOCIAL support , *SECONDARY traumatic stress , *ADOLESCENCE - Abstract
The context of this paper is family situations where young people are experiencing significant behavioural and emotional problems. Based on a qualitative study, it offers an empirical and theoretical contribution to the understanding of family‐related factors that promote or hinder behaviour change. Data were collected through face‐to‐face, semi‐structured group interviews with nine families (28 participants), all of them mandatory recipients of child welfare services in Croatia. Thematic analysis comprised primary coding designed to elicit information about individual family members' capacity for change and secondary coding of family‐level phenomena. The results indicated 10 phenomena that were judged to represent factors that helped or hindered change. The discussion section suggests three broad categories of capacity to change at family level (Goals and Priorities; Problem solving dynamics; and Development of role relationship). This analysis is offered as the basis for an examination of the concept of family capacity for change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2024
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
31. 'Who's got my back?': Worker safety in the context of domestic abuse.
- Author
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Humphreys, Cathy, Isobe, Jasmin, and Kertesz, Margaret
- Subjects
- *
CORPORATE culture , *DOCUMENTATION , *GOVERNMENT policy , *FOCUS groups , *RESEARCH funding , *COMMUNITIES of practice , *QUALITATIVE research , *WORK environment , *ETHNOLOGY research , *PROFESSIONAL identity , *THEMATIC analysis , *DOMESTIC violence , *SOCIAL support , *DATA analysis software , *INDUSTRIAL safety , *INDUSTRIAL hygiene , *WELL-being - Abstract
The safety of practitioners working in the area of domestic abuse is a current subject of research and practice concern, as services endeavour to better understand constantly evolving tactics of violence and abuse and respond appropriately. This paper reports on a subset of findings from a practice‐led research project focussed on capacity‐building workers and their organizations to address domestic abuse, which highlighted the ongoing concerns expressed by practitioners—particularly female practitioners—about their own physical, emotional, and professional safety. Ethnographic notes were taken of Community of Practice discussions in four regions of New South Wales, Australia, involving 69 senior health practitioners from a range of service streams: specialist domestic abuse, mental health, substance use, and child protection. Themes identified through thematic analysis included the following: a tailored approach to practising safely; attending to physical safety; threats to professional identity; promoting emotional well‐being; documentation to support worker safety; and attending to cultural safety. These themes are encapsulated in the practitioner question: Who's got my back?—highlighting the importance of legislation, policy, and practices that provide an environment in which safety and support are embedded in a culture of care at every organizational level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2024
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
32. Creating equilibrium: Four relational mechanisms that facilitate positive change.
- Author
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Sanders, Jackie and Liebenberg, Linda
- Subjects
- *
POWER (Social sciences) , *RECOGNITION (Psychology) , *CONTROL (Psychology) , *INTERVIEWING , *LONGITUDINAL method , *SIMULATION methods in education , *CLIENT relations , *RESEARCH methodology , *INTERPERSONAL relations - Abstract
This paper uses critical realism to identify mechanisms that activate successful relationships. It draws data from a longitudinal, mixed‐methods study of youth who used multiple services. It examines functionality of four relational mechanisms: power, recognition, responsiveness and mutuality that lead to positive change and explores the implications of these for practice with youth with complex needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2024
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
33. An exploratory evaluation of a model of care for youth who are at risk of sexual exploitation and human trafficking.
- Author
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McDonald, Kyla P., Fisher, Riana, and Connolly, Jennifer
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- *
PREVENTION of child sexual abuse , *HUMAN trafficking prevention , *CHILD sexual abuse risk factors , *CHILD welfare , *RISK assessment , *INTERNET searching , *HUMAN services programs , *RESEARCH funding , *QUALITATIVE research , *EVALUATION of human services programs , *AT-risk people , *CONTENT analysis , *INTERVIEWING , *PEDIATRICS , *THEMATIC analysis , *LONGITUDINAL method , *TEENAGERS' conduct of life , *RESEARCH , *PSYCHOLOGICAL vulnerability , *CHILD behavior - Abstract
The sexual exploitation of children and youth remains a critical issue within the child welfare system, despite the limited availability of models of care to support these vulnerable individuals. The START with the YOUTH (STAR‐Y) program adopts a preventative approach, offering personalized care and wraparound support to youth exhibiting at‐risk behaviours. This paper employs a case study methodology using both thematic and content analyses to longitudinally assess the effectiveness of this exploratory program. This evaluation encompasses a comprehensive assessment of various factors associated with the risk of sexual exploitation among program participants. Throughout the program's extended duration (originally planned for one year), predefined risk factors, including concerning Internet behaviours, were monitored and analysed. Qualitative data were gathered through interviews and observations, focusing on the experiences of both the youth and their foster parents. The results highlight the program's successful implementation, with youth enrollment (N = 3) demonstrating a reduction in sexual exploitation risk factors over time, including a decrease in behaviours such as concerning Internet usage. The importance of wraparound support and the foster parent‐youth relationship in mitigating risk and nurturing resilience became evident. This exploratory evaluation serves as the initial phase of a comprehensive assessment aimed at understanding how to effectively support youth within this population, including those at higher risk, such as those possibly involved in sex trafficking. The study's findings provide valuable insights into strategies for mitigating the risk of sexual exploitation among vulnerable youth, informing future endeavours to develop and implement similar programs within the child welfare system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2024
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
34. Growing up in foster care: providing a secure base through adolescence
- Author
-
Gillian Schofield and Mary Beek
- Subjects
Government ,Longitudinal study ,Health (social science) ,Sociology and Political Science ,media_common.quotation_subject ,Developmental psychology ,Adult life ,Foster care ,White paper ,Transformational leadership ,Quality (business) ,Psychological resilience ,Psychology ,Social psychology ,media_common - Abstract
As the UK Government White Paper, Care Matters: Time for Change, suggested, foster children need the care system to provide them with good quality foster family care that will help them through childhood to success and fulfilment of their potential in adult life. This paper draws on the third phase of Growing Up in Foster Care, a longitudinal study of 52 children in planned, long-term foster care (1997–2006). It aims to increase our understanding of the transformational power of foster family relationships over time and particularly in adolescence. It shows how a secure base parenting model, using concepts from attachment and resilience, can be applied to foster care of adolescents. The paper uses case material to demonstrate each dimension of this secure base model and to emphasise how, even when adolescents have had stable and effective placements, they are likely to need support through into adulthood.
- Published
- 2009
35. 'Because I'm a kid ...': The struggle for recognition of children and young people involved in child and family social work.
- Author
-
Mitchell, Mary
- Subjects
RECOGNITION (Psychology) ,SOCIAL participation ,PROFESSIONAL practice ,RESEARCH methodology ,FAMILIES ,RETROSPECTIVE studies ,VIDEOCONFERENCING ,INTERVIEWING ,QUALITATIVE research ,DECISION making ,INTERPROFESSIONAL relations ,SOCIAL services ,THEMATIC analysis ,SOCIAL case work - Abstract
Children's participation in decision‐making remains a key focus of social work practice. Yet the protection and participation of children in our society remains a setting of tension for children, families and practitioners. Drawing on evidence from a retrospective qualitative study on Family Group Conferencing, this paper uses the lens of recognition theory to highlight the experiences of young people more broadly in the social work system. The study found social workers' attitudes affected children and young people's capacity to be 'partners' in decision‐making. Feelings of misrecognition can create barriers for how children and young people perceive and interact with social work professionals. While small, this study sheds light on the experiences of young people's struggles for recognition when involved in the social work system. Further research is needed on this topic to fully understand the implications of (mis)recognition in social work practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2022
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
36. ‘They feel like another child in care has their back’: An exploration of peer support between looked after children in Scotland.
- Author
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Irvine, Sheena and Emond, Ruth
- Abstract
The Independent Care Review in Scotland has encouraged a policy shift towards recognizing young people's potential to contribute to their own and others' experiences of care. This paper makes an important contribution to debates around the role of children in the social support systems of others who have experienced loss and trauma. It reports on a research project which explored young people's views on peer support in care and their experiences of it. It highlights the crucial role that ‘peers’ play in looked after children's social support systems at both an individual and systemic level. Friendships, in this context of a social support system based on a shared set of experiences, were regarded as transformative. Barriers to the formation of such social support systems also emerged, for example, limited understanding within the ‘adult’ support system of the significance and benefits of relationships among children. Young people experienced their peer social support systems as overlooked, downplayed or misunderstood by adults. As a result, decisions and actions were often taken which disrupted or, in some cases, destroyed effective social support systems. The paper argues for changes in practice to support the friendships looked after children have whilst in care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2023
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
37. Adapting private family time in child protective services decision‐making processes.
- Author
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Lalayants, Marina and Merkel‐Holguin, Lisa
- Subjects
FAMILIES & psychology ,ANTI-racism ,RESEARCH methodology ,SOCIAL justice ,INTERVIEWING ,QUALITATIVE research ,SELF-efficacy ,FAMILY attitudes ,CHILD welfare ,CHILD health services ,DECISION making ,DESCRIPTIVE statistics ,RESEARCH funding ,PSYCHOLOGICAL adaptation ,EMPIRICAL research ,SOCIAL responsibility - Abstract
The Family Group Conference (FGC) is grounded in a rights‐based framework, whereby children and their families have the right and responsibility to be primary decision‐makers when child protection issues arise, and the statutory agency has the responsibility to convene the entitled members of the family network to lead the decision‐making. A distinct core component of FGC—private family time (PFT)—allows families to discuss the information and formulate their responses and plans privately during conferencing. This paper describes how a large child welfare agency in the United States adapted PFT in two ways: (1) including a parent advocate (PA) and (2) abbreviating the amount of time allowed for this discussion. Given the lack of empirical research on the PFT component, this qualitative exploratory study sought to understand the functions and perceived impacts of PA‐supported PFT during initial child protective services (CPS) conferences at which decisions of child removal or placement were being contemplated. PFT served multiple beneficial functions and impacted families in several positive ways: families gained greater awareness of safety concerns, felt empowered and confident in the preferred safety and service plan, became increasingly engaged and involved in the case decision‐making process and ultimately felt less apprehensive. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2023
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
38. Documentary analysis of the legal and policy framework of transracial adoption in South Africa.
- Author
-
Luyt, Jean and Swartz, Leslie
- Subjects
CULTURE ,DOCUMENTATION ,HUMAN services programs ,CHILDREN'S accident prevention ,INTERRACIAL adoption ,GOVERNMENT policy ,CHILD welfare - Abstract
Transracial adoption was legalized in South Africa through legislative reform as South Africa moved into a post‐apartheid era of non‐racialism. Transracial adoption offers one option of placement for Black children in need of alternative care. However, adoption continues to face obstacles to implementation, including cultural obstacles which impact on placement of Black African children. This paper reports on adoption statistics on national adoption in the period 2013–2021 and a documentary analysis of the current legal and policy framework governing transracial adoption. We cover international instruments, local laws, including the Children's Act of 2005, and relevant policy documents designed to facilitate the implementation of adoption. We show that the law is supportive of transracial adoption, but that policy documents offer a somewhat contradictory stance to the practice. The lack of success of transracial adoption as a child protection strategy does not lie within the legal framework but may lie in the difficulties in interpreting and implementing the range of different policies by those implementing these policies. More research into the implementation practice of these bureaucrats is required to understand the underutilization of transracial adoption as a placement option for Black children in South Africa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2023
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
39. Parenting through the lenses of risk and othering: Constructions of parental cannabis use in child protection court proceedings.
- Author
-
Saar‐Heiman, Yuval, Gupta, Anna, and Roets, Griet
- Subjects
LEGAL status of children ,COURTS ,MOTHERS ,CANNABIS (Genus) ,SUBSTANCE abuse ,JUDGMENT (Psychology) ,CHILD abuse ,PRACTICAL politics ,PARENTING ,BEHAVIOR disorders in children ,QUALITATIVE research ,COMPARATIVE studies ,DESCRIPTIVE statistics ,RESEARCH funding ,SOCIAL skills ,JUDGMENT sampling ,THEMATIC analysis ,PARENT-child relationships ,JUVENILE delinquency ,DISEASE complications - Abstract
The construction of parents' cannabis use in the context of child protection has far‐reaching implications for how their parenting is perceived and assessed and for the decisions made regarding their children's lives. Yet little is known about the meanings various stakeholders in child protection processes attribute to parents' cannabis use. This paper aims to explore constructions of parents' cannabis use in child protection court proceedings and position them within a political and social context. A qualitative data mining method was used to examine 32 Family Court judgements in care proceedings that involved parents using cannabis in England and Wales. The analysis of the judgements revealed that most portrayed parents' cannabis use as a negative, deviant and harmful activity. Three constructions of cannabis use were identified: cannabis use as a risk to children, cannabis use as proof of parents' deficits, and cannabis use as (responsible) self‐medication. The discussion considers the findings in light of two social and political processes that underpin child protection policy and practice: the adoption of a risk perspective and the manifestation of othering processes. Implications for policy and practice highlight the importance of developing a critical framework for responding to parental cannabis use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2023
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
40. Beyond co‐occurrence: Addressing the intersections of domestic violence, mental health and substance misuse.
- Author
-
Humphreys, Cathy, Heward‐Belle, Susan, Tsantefski, Menka, Isobe, Jasmin, and Healey, Lucy
- Subjects
PROFESSIONAL practice ,SUBSTANCE abuse ,FOCUS groups ,RESEARCH methodology ,DOMESTIC violence ,MENTAL health ,INTERVIEWING ,CONCEPTUAL structures ,RESEARCH funding ,ETHNOLOGY ,THEMATIC analysis ,DATA analysis software ,PARENTS ,MENTAL illness - Abstract
This paper reports an Australian project designed to simultaneously explore and capacity build professional practice when working at the intersection of parental mental health and/or problematic substance use and domestic violence (DV). Data from this paper are derived from two main sources: observations and ethnographic notes obtained during 28 Community of Practice (CoP) meetings and semi‐structured interviews with 28 CoP participants. Participants were front‐line workers from a range of government and non‐government organizations providing services to families experiencing DV across three Australian states who participated in The STACY Project: Safe and Together Addressing ComplexitY. Thematic analysis was employed to examine the research questions: How do professionals and organizations understand and respond to families experiencing DV, parental mental health difficulties and problematic substance use issues? How did practitioners report participation in the STACY Project reorienting professional practice with families experiencing DV, parental mental health difficulties, and substance misuse issues? This paper reports workers' exploration of practice implications. The research found that 'domestic violence blind' practice has become entrenched at the intersections of child protection, substance misuse and mental health problems, but a shared framework could bring practitioners from diverse sectors together to generate new ways of working with these complex problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2022
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
41. Aboriginal parents' experiences of having their children removed by statutory child protection services.
- Author
-
Newton, BJ
- Subjects
CONTROL (Psychology) ,ACTION research ,CHILD welfare ,CRIME ,ETHNOPSYCHOLOGY ,DOMESTIC violence ,FOSTER home care ,INTERVIEWING ,PARENT-child relationships ,SUBSTANCE abuse ,PARENT attitudes ,INDIGENOUS Australians - Abstract
The number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children living in out‐of‐home care has more than doubled in the past decade. Research into the experiences of parents who have had their children removed is an emerging area; though very few of these studies are specific to Indigenous children and families. This paper presents a participatory research study that explored the experiences of a group of Aboriginal Australian parents who have had their children removed by child protection authorities in one Australian state, New South Wales. This paper highlights the challenges for Indigenous families navigating the child protection system, specifically the ongoing experience of feeling powerless following the removal of their children, and in creating environments that maintain quality relationships with their children. The paper then offers suggestions for supporting families in light of the findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2020
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
42. Factors Influencing the Outcomes of Discharge of Care Order Proceedings: An Examination of National Data, Children's E‐Records and Professional Interviews.
- Author
-
Staines, Jo, Stone, Beth, Roy, Jessica, and Macdonald, Gillian
- Subjects
- *
CHILD abuse laws , *WORK , *CHILD welfare , *PARENTS , *SOCIAL justice , *RESEARCH funding , *GOVERNMENT policy , *FOCUS groups , *PROFESSIONAL practice , *SOCIAL workers , *INTERVIEWING , *PARENT-child relationships , *INSTITUTIONAL care of children , *LAWYERS , *SOCIAL worker attitudes , *FAMILIES , *POPULATION geography , *AGE distribution , *DESCRIPTIVE statistics , *COURTS , *WORKFLOW , *THEMATIC analysis , *JURY , *ELECTRONIC health records , *RESEARCH methodology , *STATISTICS , *PSYCHOLOGICAL abuse , *GUARDIAN & ward , *DATA analysis software , *SOCIODEMOGRAPHIC factors , *CUSTODY of children , *EXPERIENTIAL learning ,RESEARCH evaluation - Abstract
Understanding more about the discharge of care orders is vital—whether a care order remains in place has significant implications for children and their families and for local authorities. While there has been comprehensive research about the process and outcomes of care proceedings, much less is known about the discharge of care orders—particularly how, why and when care orders are ended and the differences between applications that are granted and those that are not. The present study combined data from an anonymized administrative data on discharge applications, a detailed analysis of children's e‐records and qualitative interviews with family justice professionals to create the first detailed profile of discharge applications across England and Wales. This paper reports, for the first time, the number of discharge applications and outcomes across England and Wales, highlighting regional as well as between‐country variation. Drawing on data from children's e‐records and interviews with professionals, highlighting how and why local authorities are more likely to submit discharge applications, and to have applications granted, than parents. Recommendations are made for how to adapt professional practice and policy around discharge applications to better meet the needs of children and families. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2024
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
43. Improving the accuracy of social work judgements: A proof‐of‐concept study of a training programme.
- Author
-
Wilkins, David
- Subjects
- *
FAMILIES & psychology , *SOCIAL workers , *ADULT child abuse victims , *PILOT projects , *QUESTIONNAIRES , *SOCIAL services , *PARENT-child relationships , *RETROSPECTIVE studies , *DESCRIPTIVE statistics , *SOCIAL worker attitudes , *SOCIAL perception , *SOCIAL case work , *LONGITUDINAL method , *ETHICAL decision making , *FAMILY attitudes , *MEDICAL records , *ACQUISITION of data , *DOMESTIC violence , *PATIENT-professional relations , *ONLINE education , *ATTITUDES of medical personnel , *JUDGMENT (Psychology) , *SOCIAL support , *QUALITY assurance , *CASE studies , *NEEDS assessment , *FORECASTING , *CRITICAL thinking , *GROUP process - Abstract
Child and family social workers routinely make professional judgements involving significant legal and moral questions (e.g. whether a child has been abused) and more 'everyday' issues (e.g. will the child be re‐referred again if we close the case now?) Yet the world is capricious, and we rarely know with certainty what is going to happen in future or the likely impact of our different choices. Given the consequences of their judgements and decisions, it is imperative that social workers are provided with the best possible support. This paper reports a proof‐of‐concept study of a set of interventions to improve the judgemental accuracy of social workers: (i) a survey to identify respondents with above‐average existing abilities, (ii) training sessions on cognitive debiasing and (iii) structured group working and (iv) three methods for aggregating individual judgements. Findings indicate that it is possible to measure the accuracy of social work judgements in relation to case‐study materials and retrospective questions, while the feedback about the training was largely positive. Any future studies should aim to recruit a more diverse set of respondents, test judgemental accuracy in relation to prospective judgements and explore what types of questions would be most helpful for real‐world decision‐making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2024
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
44. The politics of care and confinement: Disabled people's affective lives during COVID‐19.
- Author
-
Loughnane, Cliona and Edwards, Claire
- Subjects
- *
HOME care services , *RESEARCH funding , *ANGER , *QUESTIONNAIRES , *RESTRAINT of patients , *EMOTIONS , *ONLINE social networks , *EXPERIENCE , *ACTION research , *PRACTICAL politics , *SOCIAL support , *MEDICAL needs assessment , *PEOPLE with disabilities , *COVID-19 , *COVID-19 pandemic , *HOPE - Abstract
This paper explores the affective and material impacts of the reconfiguration of caring on disabled people's lives during the pandemic. We draw on a series of focus groups and interviews with a group of nine disabled people with mobility or sensory impairments, many of whom were politically active in the arena of disability rights and independent living. This work forms part of a wider project re‐imagining care practices and policies. We reveal the interplay of emotion, affect and socio‐material conditions in disabled people's pandemic lives and reflect on how pre‐existing diminished care landscapes compounded COVID‐19's impacts. With support services shuttered and people confined at home, many disabled people experienced a renewed dependence on family care or found their care needs reduced to functional tasks undertaken by rota‐filling workers. We document participants' emotional experiences of loss, fear and anger deriving from changes in their one‐to‐one care interactions and arrangements but also wider societal narratives positioning disabled people as both vulnerable to, and carriers of, disease. Drawing together the crisis' affective and material effects, we demonstrate how disabled people politicized their affective experiences of anger and hope through online organizing to challenge the diminution of supports and demand affective justice from the care system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2024
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
45. The social support systems of mothers with problematic substance use in their infant's first year.
- Author
-
Tsantefski, Menka, Briggs, Lynne, and Griffiths, Jessica
- Subjects
- *
SUBSTANCE abuse , *CHILD welfare , *INTERPROFESSIONAL relations , *DATA analysis , *QUANTITATIVE research , *ATTITUDES of mothers , *DESCRIPTIVE statistics , *CHI-squared test , *MOTHER-infant relationship , *SURVEYS , *LONGITUDINAL method , *PSYCHOLOGY of mothers , *SOCIAL networks , *RESEARCH , *COMMUNICATION , *STATISTICS , *SOCIAL support , *MOTHERHOOD , *DATA analysis software , *PSYCHOLOGICAL tests , *CUSTODY of children - Abstract
The infants of women with histories of problematic alcohol and other drug use are among the most vulnerable children known to statutory child protection services, which they enter at a younger age, and in which they remain longer. The net results include overwhelmed child protection systems and the birth of subsequent children conceived to ease women's grief at the loss their infants. Without adequate and appropriate support to the mother and her family, the pattern repeats. Obstetric services have an important role to play in the assessment of risk and protective factors in the perinatal period and in determining pathways to service provision. A comprehensive assessment considers the availability and quality of informal support prior to activation of formal systems of support, both statutory, where engagement is mandated, and non‐statutory, where support is offered on a voluntary basis. This paper uses quantitative methods to explore the social networks of women with problematic substance use in the transition to motherhood and the relationship between formal and informal support systems and infant outcomes. Surveys were held with two counsellors from the Women's Alcohol and Drug Service (WADS), a specialist obstetric clinic in Melbourne, Australia, and with 18 child protection workers. In addition, the Norbeck Social Support Questionnaire (Norbeck, 1984; Norbeck et al., 1983) was administered with 20 participating mothers to measure levels of formal and informal support, as well as the type and quality of support available to mothers over a 12‐month period, and to consider the provision of social support against known outcomes for infants. The findings demonstrate that WADS counsellors made several referrals for most women but that there was little in the way of long‐term follow‐up by non‐statutory service providers, with most women experiencing a dramatic drop in support over the 12‐month period. Women whose main informal support was from a domestically violent partner, and those who had been in out‐of‐home care in their own childhood, were particularly vulnerable to losing the care of their infant. The role of child protection varied markedly across the 12‐month period, particularly in relation to the extent that a relationship between formal and informal systems of support for mothers and their infants could be established. Overall, the study findings demonstrate that mothers experienced diminishing formal and informal support over time and that the quality of social support available to the mother was more important in terms of outcomes for women and their infants than the quantity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2024
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
46. Mothering and everyday life during and in the aftermath of domestic violence among women with immigrant backgrounds in Norway.
- Author
-
Hauge, Mona‐Iren and Kiamanesh, Parvin
- Subjects
INTIMATE partner violence ,MOTHERHOOD & psychology ,PSYCHOLOGY of abused women ,ATTITUDE (Psychology) ,CHILDREN'S accident prevention ,DIVORCE ,EMOTIONS ,DOMESTIC violence ,IMMIGRANTS ,INTERVIEWING ,MARITAL status ,MATHEMATICAL models ,MOTHER-child relationship ,PSYCHOLOGY of mothers ,QUALITATIVE research ,THEORY ,FAMILY relations ,SOCIAL support ,SOCIOECONOMIC factors ,DESCRIPTIVE statistics - Abstract
This paper focuses on how immigrant women experience and negotiate their everyday life with children prior to and after leaving a violent partner. Twenty‐three women staying at domestic violence and abuse shelters with their children were interviewed about their experiences with assistance services and their everyday life with their children. At the time of the interviews, most of the women were legally separated or divorced and were either living in or in touch daily with shelters. In this paper, we look at some of the challenges that women face when exposed to violence in a relationship that involves children. Being exposed to violence from a partner raises a number of economic, practical, and emotional concerns, both prior to and after leaving. For the mothers in our study, maintaining a regular routine is key to making the children feel safe in an unpredictable setting. For many, economic dependence on the partner is replaced with economic dependence on assistance services after leaving the partner. Services must recognize that providing help to mothers who have left a violent partner constitutes more than just practical support but is crucial for mothers' ability to re‐establish a predictable everyday life with their children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2020
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
47. Convergent spaces: Intersectional analysis of ethnic minority status and childhood disability in Irish safeguarding work.
- Author
-
Flynn, Susan
- Subjects
ATTITUDE (Psychology) ,CHILD welfare ,ETHNIC groups ,GROUP identity ,INTERNATIONAL relations ,MINORITIES ,CULTURAL pluralism ,RACE ,CHILDREN with disabilities - Abstract
The core argument of this paper is that intersectionality provides a constructive conceptual lens for the convergence of ethnic minority status and childhood disability in Irish child protection and welfare. The utility of intersectionality in this paper lies in broadening the scope of reflection on the complex intersections of ethnic minority status and childhood disability. Within this, intersectionality is implicitly situated within an overarching critical disability studies perspective. Theoretically informed commentary on the literature attends to three aspects of practice. These are respectively novel intersections of ethnic minority status and childhood disability, as a consequence of intensifying globalization; compounded levels of risk; and the importance of nonconflation of potential sites of oppression, such as race and disability. Overall, the intention of the paper is to be illustrative. Specifically, analysis is presented as an aid to students and practitioners, moving forward, in negotiating a complex and dynamic field of practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2020
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
48. Removing gender barriers: Promoting inclusion for trans and non‐binary carers in fostering and adoption.
- Author
-
Brown, Claire and Rogers, Michaela
- Subjects
ADOPTION ,CONCEPTUAL structures ,FAMILIES ,FOSTER home care ,GENDER identity ,INTELLECT ,PARENTING ,SOCIAL case work ,SOCIAL services ,PROFESSIONAL practice ,LGBTQ+ people - Abstract
This paper offers a conceptually informed analysis of fostering and adoption social work and argues for more consistent inclusion of trans and non‐binary people. The conceptual framework through which we explore current policy and practice is set out to provide clarity about the ways in which we employ the concepts of trans, gender diversity, and cisgenderism (a prejudicial ideology). We employ the notion of cisgenderism as a critical lens through which to overview fostering and adoption social work within the context of trans inclusion. Focus is turned to the existing literature relevant to trans parenting, trans‐headed families, and the field of fostering and adopting. We highlight significant knowledge gaps in this regard. We then argue that if fostering and adoption social work is to embody inclusive practice with trans people, a new culture must be embedded to promote collaborative working, enhance knowledge, and improve service provision. The paper concludes by asserting that such an approach must be underpinned by an understanding, acceptance, and appreciation of people who identify as trans and/or as non‐binary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2020
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
49. From communication to co‐operation: Reconceptualizing social workers' engagement with children.
- Author
-
Ruch, Gillian, Winter, Karen, Morrison, Fiona, Hadfield, Mark, Hallett, Sophie, and Cree, Viv
- Subjects
CHILD welfare ,COMMUNICATION ,CONCEPTS ,DATABASE management ,EMOTIONS ,INTERPROFESSIONAL relations ,MEDICAL personnel ,BODY language ,PRACTICAL politics ,PROFESSIONAL employee training ,PROFESSIONAL ethics ,REFLECTION (Philosophy) ,RITES & ceremonies ,SOCIAL case work ,SOCIAL services ,PSYCHOLOGY of social workers ,EVIDENCE-based medicine ,PROFESSIONAL practice ,SOCIAL boundaries ,TASK performance ,PATIENTS' families ,SOCIAL worker attitudes - Abstract
Communicating and engaging with children is a foundational component of child care social work practice, but all too frequently, in the wake of serious incidents, it is the focus of criticism. Drawing on findings from a large‐scale ESRC‐funded research project conducted in the four U.K. nations, this paper explores, through a psychosocial analytic lens, how social workers anticipate, enact and reflect on their encounters with both children and their families. Close analysis of what social workers said about their practice alongside what they were observed to do in practice revealed perceptions, patterns and processes of communication that, first, minimize emotions and the complexity of the professional task and second, overly privilege verbal interaction. Drawing on Sennett's (2012) ideas this paper offers a reconceptualisation of this professional task, from a communicative to a co‐operative one. It affords and creates a space in which social workers can develop more attuned communicative practices that include rituals, gestures and the minimal use of force. The theoretical insights and evidence‐informed practice recommendations arising from this research have conceptual significance for the social work discipline and practical significance for the child care social work profession, across national and international contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2020
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
50. Familial relational experiences of a child born into the midst of parental drug misuse and its longevity impact.
- Author
-
Smith, Mia Dawn
- Subjects
CHILD development ,CHILD behavior ,EXPERIENCE ,FATHER-child relationship ,INTERPERSONAL relations ,MOTHER-child relationship ,PARENTING ,SUBSTANCE abuse ,FAMILY relations ,DRUG abusers ,DISEASE duration - Abstract
This paper details a study that listened and empowered an adult (Beth, a pseudonym), through the use of a life story methodology, to reflect on her childhood experiences of parental drug misuse. Voice Relational Analysis was applied to Beth's life story to assist the researcher to unravel and cipher, through the complexities and nuances of her voice, Beth's familial relational experiences and the lengthy lineage these have had on her ability to relate with others. This paper highlights the somewhat complex composition of her interpersonal relationships and reveals how she related both positively and negatively within them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2020
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
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