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Social workers in child welfare practice encounter dilemmas, tensions, contradictions, ambiguities, and ambivalence as they attempt to meet the competing demands of the Tri-sphere — the formal child welfare system, the professional theories and values guiding practice, and the child welfare service recipients. This study explored how these encounters result in worker burnout and how that is managed. The study used a constructivist grounded theory approach. Data were collected in St. John's, NL, Canada, employing in-depth individual interviews with 18 frontline child welfare social workers. Findings reveal that child welfare social workers regularly experience varied feelings and emotions of burnout and utilize a variety of self-care strategies to manage. Recommendations include a call for child welfare agencies to provide opportunities for workers to feel heard and acknowledged about any negative feelings and emotions, strengthen positive peer supports, and promote essential self-care practices such as offering reduced membership cost for physical activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• We examined the effects of family ethnicity on social workers' risk perceptions. • No significant effect of ethnicity was found on the level of risk perceived. • Ethnicity moderated the effects of two case characteristics on risk perception. • We found no significant effect of the family's socioeconomic status on risk perception. Studies have shown that children from some ethnic minority families are disproportionately represented in the child protection system. Ethnic-based treatment is problematic because it challenges whether child protection decision-making is based on the principle of 'the best interests of the child'. Roma children are also overrepresented in the child protection systems of many European countries, but little research has explored why this is so. The present study seeks to address this gap by examining child welfare workers' perceptions of risk at the early stages of child protection decision-making. The main research question is whether they perceive higher levels of risk if the parents are Roma. Method: We use data from a vignette-based survey conducted among child welfare workers (N = 600) in Hungary in 2018. The factors influencing social workers' risk perceptions are analysed using multilevel ordinal logistic regressions. The regression models of risk perception include case variables (harm to child, parents' ethnicity, mother's education, parents' employment, housing conditions, living environment, parental alcoholism, mother's willingness to cooperate), and the individual characteristics of the social worker. Ethnicity is examined individually as well as in interaction with other case characteristics. Results: Findings show that physical harm to the child, parental alcoholism, a messy living environment, and the non-cooperative behaviour of the mother increase the level of risk perceived by child welfare workers. There is no evidence of a statistical association between parental socioeconomic status and the social worker's perception of risk. Family ethnicity also does not have a statistically significant impact on risk perception (main effect). However, some case characteristics affect risk perception differently when the family is of Roma origin (interaction effects). Physical abuse has a strong effect on the social worker's perception of risk, but this effect is more modest when the family is of Roma origin. Likewise, the mother's non-cooperative behaviour is a risk-increasing factor, but this effect disappears for Roma families. Conclusions: Although, no ethnic bias was found in social workers' perception of risk, our findings indicate that the perception of risk for Roma families is less dependent on the circumstances of the case than for majority families. In some cases, this may lead to an unjustified overestimation of risk or, conversely, an underestimation when the family is Roma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Female, younger, racial minority child welfare workers have negative work perceptions. • Workers' use of third pronouns and emotional words reflects negative work perceptions. • Role and affiliation have the largest effect sizes in predicting work perceptions. • Workers need support in case management and trauma-informed care. High turnover rates among child welfare workers, including caseworkers and supervisors, are associated with negative attitudes and perceptions about work (NAPW). Our study aimed to (a) explore how child welfare workers' demographic characteristics, professional attributes, and their work narratives are related to NAPW and (b) extract themes from these narratives to understand their professional needs and concerns. In 2022, a statewide online survey was administered to active child welfare caseworkers and supervisors in a large Midwestern state. This survey, combining standardized scales and an open-ended question about work experiences, yielded numeric (N = 551 survey respondents) and text data (N = 2,193 words). We analyzed the numeric data using general linear modeling and the text data using natural language processing (NLP) techniques. Results showed that workers associated with higher NAPW were female, younger, from racial and ethnic minority backgrounds, less tenured, and more likely to be employed in public agencies and to work longer hours. They are predominantly caseworkers rather than supervisors. Worker role and agency affiliation had the largest effect sizes. NLP analysis showed that workers with more NAPW frequently used third-person pronouns and emotionally negative language, suggesting a disconnection from colleagues and job dissatisfaction. Caseworkers often used first-person singular pronouns, indicating feelings of isolation. Two key themes emerged: a) the need for better agency support during home visits and b) concerns over traumatic experiences and ineffective trauma-informed practices. The findings suggest that future interventions should prioritize the well-being of caseworkers in public agencies and consider language patterns in workers' narratives to understand their vulnerability to NAPW. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Young people with substance use problems often have an early sexual debut, an increased risk of sexually transmitted infections and unplanned pregnancies, and a high risk of experiencing sexual violence. At the same time, according to the national action plan on sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), the social services in Sweden have an important role in addressing sexual health in various contexts, such as in child welfare investigations. Therefore, this study has investigated how Swedish child welfare workers understand and relate to sexual health issues in child welfare investigations regarding young people with substance use problems. Following a strategic sampling, 15 child welfare workers were interviewed. The interviews were examined with a thematic content analysis with results showing that sexual health issues represented an area where knowledge was lacking. This was largely connected to that the child welfare workers had not been taught about SRHR in their bachelor's degree nor in their continued education within the child welfare system. As a result of this, they often developed their own individual, professional approach for assessing sexual health matters, guided by the principle of "not investigating more than necessary". When addressing sexual health in their assessment work, the child welfare workers primarily focused on risk, vulnerability and exposure. Not assessing young peoples' sexual health was seen as protecting the right to confidentiality and privacy. In summary, this meant that young people with a problematic substance use were seldom given opportunities to talk about their sexual health, and especially not about positive sexual experiences related to their substance use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Relationships between CWS and service providers are important to implementing IFPS. • Perceptions of child safety are important to consider in IFPS. • More evidence-based services are needed to satisfy needs of families involved in CWS. • IFPS's single service referral limits case manager workload and improves collaboration. The Family First Preservation Services Act (FFPSA) was passed in 2018 in part to increase use of evidence-based services among child welfare systems (CWS). As such, states have implemented new service models in order to fit legislation. The current manuscript reports on perspectives of CWS workers across one state regarding the utility of a new intensive family preservation services model. CWS personnel completed surveys (n = 279) and interviews (n = 17) to assess their perspectives on the strengths and weaknesses of the newly implemented intensive family preservation services model. Survey and interview data highlighted themes related to the importance of relationships between CWS personnel and service providers, perceived child safety under the new service provision model, and availability of services for families. Continued work is needed to improve cross-system collaboration between CWS and community service providers both in implementation and adoption of new service models as well as for sustainability of service models, as collaborative relationships are essential to successful service delivery and child safety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A lack of understanding and accommodation hinders ethnically diverse youth's access to social service and their mental wellbeing. • Cultural humility framework provides exceptional insights for situations where power imbalances exist between ethnic majority and minority groups. • Voices from the ethnically diverse social workers should be considered in promoting service inclusivity. • The role of negative emotions in promoting cultural inclusivity should be acknowledged and addressed. This article reports a qualitative study examining the cultural inclusivity of mainstream social services on the mental wellbeing of ethnically diverse youth in Hong Kong through the voices and perspectives of ethnically diverse social workers. It departs from the observation of ethnic disparities in service access in Hong Kong, adopts the cultural humility framework and draws on focus group interviews with nineteen ethnically diverse social workers. The findings reveal a lack of understanding of the challenges and sources of stress for ethnically diverse youth, a lack of awareness and recognition of power disparities, and insufficient organizational accommodation to serve ethnically diverse youth and to integrate ethnically diverse social workers. This study provides valuable insights for advancing cultural inclusivity in multicultural social work research and initiative. It confirms structural barriers like power dynamics and ethnocentrism in non-Western context while highlighting the overlooked role of emotions in fostering institutional change towards greater inclusivity. These multifaceted findings can inform future conceptualization and implementation of cultural inclusivity. Additionally, in promoting cultural humility, diverse voices from helping professionals, including ethnically diverse social workers, should be considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The factors that inhibit and promote professional interventions with young adults refer to social, formal-structural, and personal factors. Nevertheless, studies of these factors from social workers' perspective, and research of the inhibitors associated with the socio-cultural context of minority young adults, are few. The aim of the present study was to examine social workers' perceptions of the factors that inhibit and promote interventions in the socio-cultural and formal-structural context of at-risk young Arab-Palestinian women in Israel, who are at an intersection of marginal positions. Semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with 21 social workers. The findings revealed two themes: 1) Social workers' perceptions of the challenges in two dimensions, a) socio-cultural factors which include family centrality in the young women's life, and b) formal-structural inhibitors. 2) Promoting factors which include professional values and the need for cooperation between organizations themselves and with recipients of the services The findings were reviewed according to the intersectional invisibility model, and were based on the concept of institutional discrimination, which showed that at-risk young Arab women experience an intersectional invisibility of their identities and, at the same time, the social workers experience a conflicting situation within the wider context of intersectional discrimination. The paper concludes with recommendations to practitioners and policymakers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines Norway's child welfare service managers' perceptions of infection control measures on service functionality. The longitudinal study entailed nine rounds of surveys (N = 153–214) with child welfare managers between April 2020 and September 2021, collected by the Norwegian Directorate for Children Youth and Family Affairs after the onset of the Norwegian lockdown of March 2020. The findings suggest links between the strictness of measures and ability of child welfare services to ensure appropriate service delivery. Lockdown caused significant difficulties for many municipalities, while milder measures had less impact. We discuss some implications for practice with children and families. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Child Protective Service (CPS) workers experience workplace violence at the hands of their clients. Some of these incidents have led to severe injuries and fatalities. Legislation has been created to maintain workplace safety of employees in service- related fields; however, these policies have not extended into specific laws for CPS workers. Using grounded theory, this qualitative study examined the effectiveness of safety measures from the perspective of current and former CPS workers. A total of 10 former and current CPS workers were interviewed individually. This study found that workers believe increased legislation, funding, and training are needed to increase the safety of CPS workers as they investigate alleged child abuse and neglect cases. Legislative-related responses included police protections, armed self-defense, and a mandatory buddy system policy. Funding-related responses included hazardous duty pay, resources for families, employing more staff, and mental health services for CPS workers. Training-related responses included increased training for police officers and CPS workers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• 70–80 pct. of children in foster care had elevated scores on at least one parameter in a screening measure for learning. • Screening with ATT: LEARN carried out by social workers has proven useful as a tool to stimulate action. • Social workers turned their follow-up meetings into sessions characterizable as intelligent action with ATT:LEARN. There is a high and increasing awareness in the Nordic countries of the disadvantaged educational positions of children placed in out-of-home care. Accompanied by a political quest for solutions, this has had an impact on social workers' responsibilities, widening their primary focus on wellbeing to include learning. However, social workers in Denmark do not have a strong tradition of monitoring learning for children placed in out-of-home care, nor are they trained in methods of assessing educational performance. In this article we evaluate the practical use of an academic screening tool introduced as part of social workers' routine follow-up of children placed in foster care, examining the extent to which the screening is beneficial for their task of monitoring learning. As part of this we evaluate what the screening tool tells us about the children's academic challenges and to what extent the screening seems to impact subsequent choice of action. The combined use of screening for wellbeing and learning was tested in a large feasibility study involving 72 social workers in eight Danish municipalities. To evaluate the use of screening in routine follow-ups we gathered quantitative data on screening results and actions taken after follow-up meetings, conducted semi structured interviews with social workers and foster families, and observed social workers' meetings. Mixed-method analysis from a pragmatic perspective followed and shed light on the implications of screening for social work practice while mirroring the findings in Dewey's concept of intelligent action. Children in foster care are a group at high risk of falling behind in learning and academic skills. Consequently, a tool is required that stimulates action, and screening for learning is valued for its usefulness in that respect by the foster parents and social workers in our study. Screening for learning makes children's academic challenges a more explicit topic at school meetings, it supports a dialogue between foster parents and teachers on more equal terms as both parties have provided evaluation, and it tends to 'push' reluctant school systems as well as social workers to take action when a child is in need of further academic support. Many social workers in this study managed to integrate screening into their ordinary work, thereby making it a tool that supported them in turning their follow-up meetings into sessions characterizable as intelligent action. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Youth participation is encouraged through dialogue between young people and public institutions. • Youth workers perceive themselves as capable of innovating public policies for citizen participation. • To encourage community participation, collaboration between youth workers, young people, and adults should be encouraged. The European Union and Council of Europe (hereafter referred to as the EU and CE) encourage member states to promote and stimulate the active participation of young people through the role of youth workers. However, it is worth noting that the personal perceptions of youth workers may influence the actions they take to achieve this goal. This article aims to investigate the perceptions of youth workers and the characteristics and conditions of their interventions in promoting young people's participation in the community. To this end, six discussion groups were formed, consisting of 51 professionals working in this field in Catalonia, Spain. The findings suggest that youth workers associate the notion of participation with how young people dialogue with the public institutions. Although youth workers have observed self-managed forms of participation among young people, their aim is to improve the relationship between young people and institutions. They also acknowledge that young people are often on the margins of the local political context. Rather than being viewed as active citizens and central figures, young people are frequently seen as being in a learning and development phase towards adulthood. At the methodological level, youth workers use strategies based on socio-educational relationships and identify conditioning factors that limit the development of transformative policies for civic participation in their workplaces. It is recommended that the model for local youth policies be transformed into a more collaborative approach. This would involve collaboration between youth workers, young people and adults to foster innovative public participation policies that help promote the potential of municipalities for change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• How the impact of Covid-19 is experienced depends on the support systems available to people. • Contextual vulnerability is avoidable. • Countries in the global north with welfare regimes provided a level of support for their citizens during the Covid-19. • Global south countries like Ghana need to consider comprehensive health packages for citizens to mitigate the impact of future crisis. • The role of social capital in negotiating vulnerable situations is crucial. Leaning on Vulnerability as a theoretical foundation, this study explores the perspective of social workers in Ghana, a global south country, concerning the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on their clients. Using a descriptive qualitative approach as a methodological standpoint, the study engaged 25 social workers, consisting of ten males and 15 females, selected through snowball sampling and interviewed via telephone. Analysing the data thematically, the findings suggested that social workers informed that their clients were confronted with economic hardship, inadequate state support, and childcare and social capital challenges. The study thus proposes the establishment of social protection infrastructure in the form of fiscal support and universal healthcare coverage for citizens, as a buffer to ensure a stable livelihood for all in times of crisis. It further suggests improvement of internet facilities throughout the country, to enable families to stay connected. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Counseling was the primary mental health service provided by school social workers amid COVID-19 school reopening. • Barriers to service delivery included the virtual format of service delivery and emerging experiences of burnout. • Facilitators to providing mental health services included collaboration with school and community-based partners. • Participants wished schools had offered additional in-person mental health services and more professionals. Child and adolescent mental health needs are at unprecedented rates in the continued wake of COVID-19. While prior research has examined school mental health practice during initial COVID-19 school closures, few studies have examined school mental health practice amid COVID-19 school reopening. This exploratory study investigates school social workers' perceptions of their mental health service and support delivery during COVID-19 school reopening as well as the facilitators and barriers they experienced to delivering these supports. This study also examines school social worker's perceptions of the mental health supports they wished were offered. Fifteen current school social workers in one southeastern state who practiced during the first full school year amid COVID-19 school reopening (2020–2021) participated in virtual interviews. Interview data were analyzed using a qualitative content analysis approach. Findings suggest crisis intervention and counseling were primary mental health services provided by school social workers during this time, and barriers to service delivery included the virtual format of service delivery, emerging experiences of burnout, and a lack of mental health providers. Facilitators to providing mental health services included collaboration with school and community-based partners and supervisor support. Participants wished schools had offered additional in-person mental health services and supports and expressed a need for additional school mental health professionals to be hired. Implications are offered for school mental health practice and research with the aim of helping to inform ongoing responses to COVID-19, future crisis response planning, and areas for improvement in current school mental health approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The cost-effectiveness of child protection interventions is understudied. • Cost-effectiveness results are not directly transferable to complex populations. • The high prevalence of behavioral problems calls for high-quality research. • The segmentation of families is essential for cost-effective intervention targeting. Background: Children's behavioral problems have high prevalence among families in the child welfare system, raising the need for cost-effective ways to diminish the problems. Objective: We evaluated the cost-effectiveness of the Incredible Years® (IY) Parenting Program for children's behavioral problems compared with a treatment-as-usual (TAU) in families receiving child protection services (CPS) and other family support services in Finland, from the health and social care payer's perspective at the intervention end (post-assessment) and with a 12-month follow-up. Participants and setting: The randomized controlled trial included 102 families of 3–7-year-olds with behavioral problems. Families were recruited from CPS and other family support services in Finland. Methods: Incremental net monetary benefit analysis combined the costs and effects of IY intervention and TAU groups. Costs included intervention costs and register-based children's and mothers' health and social care costs. Effectiveness measures were the Eyberg Child Behavior Inventory and the Child Behavior Checklist. Results: In the post-assessment, the cost-effectiveness results varied according to the effectiveness measures. Compared to TAU, the IY intervention was either not cost-effective or the cost-effectiveness depended on the decision-makers' willingness to pay. In the 12-month follow-up, IY and TAU did not differ in costs or effects. Conclusions: The cost-effectiveness estimates from previously studied populations may not generalize to families receiving CPS. Families receiving CPS are in urgent need of cost-effective support to reduce the high prevalence of children's behavioral problems. Keywords: cost-effectiveness, parenting program, behavioral problems, child protection services, social services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The paper presents findings from a study of centre-based supervised child-parent contact. The purpose of the research was twofold: to ascertain the views and experiences of birth fathers on all aspects of the supervised child-parent contact they experienced in a centre; and to find out from centre supervisors their views of engaging fathers and supervising contact, and from key stakeholders and referral agents (a community project worker, a child protection social worker, Guardians ad Litem and a family law solicitor) their perceptions of the supervised contact provision in the centre. Interviews with five fathers having supervised child-parent contact and three focus group discussions with seven staff members and six stakeholders were undertaken. While the study is exploratory, the findings show that gender is a feature meriting consideration in the supervised child parent contact setting; and that child-centred values, family-centred values and the demands of operating the centre are held in tension so that the purpose and scope of supervised contact can be interpreted and experienced differently. While optimal supervised child -parent contact is generally perceived as a short-term arrangement, there was some evidence of long-term service use, which was a significant issue for the fathers concerned. The fathers valued relationship-based supervision practice to a greater extent than the supervisor and stakeholder participants, who put greater emphasis on skills required for supervision. Fathers expressed concerns about what they or their children can say or do during contact visits in view of how it may be observed, interpreted and reported. The findings suggest the need for a gender-sensitive approach in supervision practice; the value of a common framework for assessing what is observed in contact visits; and the intensification of strategies to facilitate and to recognise progress and the prioritisation of short term supervised contact arrangements with the required supports. Highlights • A qualitative study of centre-based supervised child-parent contact. • Gender features in supervised child-parent contact in diverse ways. • The purpose and scope of supervised child-parent contact can be interpreted and experienced differently. • Responsive short-term supervised child-parent contact with key supports is important for families. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract While there is evidence from the self-determination perspective for the positive impact of self-determination interventions on at-risk youth's transition outcomes, no research to date, has attempted to understand youth needs from both social service provider and youth client perspectives in the same study. The present study sought to generate a nuanced understanding of youth needs. For this purpose, the study was conducted in two phases. In phase 1, twenty-one social service professionals (case workers, social workers, counsellors, program supervisors) were interviewed to get an understanding of their perception of youth needs and how they are being met. In phase 2, 45 at-risk youths aged between 15 and 25 were interviewed to get an understanding of their perception of their most essential needs and how they are being served or under-served. Participants also completed a short survey on needs satisfaction, life satisfaction and resilience outcomes. Results revealed misalignment between the social service programmes and youths' articulated needs. The findings point towards the importance of considering the specific role of the psychological need for autonomy and relatedness in bridging the gap between service provision and client expectations. Recommendations for intervention researchers and practitioners are proposed. Highlights • This paper seeks to explore both youth and provider perspectives on service delivery. • It highlights the merit of a self-determination-based intervention approach as an effective way of enabling change for at risk youth. • It's a first study in Singapore that takes a self-determination perspective on youth needs [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Various studies have indicated the many risks that characterize the period of adolescence. However, not much attention has been dedicated to the phenomenon of repeated sexual victimization in adolescence and even less to this phenomenon when it occurs among peers. The current qualitative study was designed in order to explore this phenomenon via the perspectives of child advocacy center practitioners working with adolescent victims and their parents. The study findings indicated that the adolescents at the heart of this study had likely been at continuous risk, as they had shown ongoing signs of distress over the years. This risk was evident not only at the individual level but also at the level of the family, which was typified by a chaotic dynamic. The difficult relationship between the parents and their adolescent children was, in part, manifested in the parents' reactions to the abuse, as revealed in the theme of "She is the one to blame." Other study findings pointed to the school's potentially central role in these situations. One of this study's strongest recommendations is for immediate collaboration between the multiple systems in adolescents' lives, a previously suggested recommendation that, sadly, seems yet to have been implemented. Highlights • Repeated sexual victimization in adolescence which occurs among peers is understudied. • The victims had shown ongoing signs of distress over the years. • This risk was evident at the level of the family, which was typified by a chaotic dynamic. • The study findings pointed to the school's potentially central role in these situations. • The study recommendation is for immediate collaboration between the multiple systems in adolescents' lives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The purpose of this study is to explore child welfare workers' perspectives on ethnic matching in child welfare service delivery. Specifically, regarding ethnic matching; the authors investigate worker perceptions of advantages and disadvantages, worker preferences, 'goodness of fit' issues, barriers to implementation, enhancement of family engagement, and positive outcomes for families and children of color involved in child welfare services. Using qualitative interviews with child welfare workers who are currently or have recently been employed in public child welfare agencies in two states in the USA, this study provides direct input from frontline personnel and supervisors. A grounded theory analysis of participant responses produced results that reflect the complexities involved with ethnic matching. Themes highlight potential benefits and challenges concerning ethnic matching; along with identification of other issues involved with client outcomes. Study findings also provide contextual information for research, policy making, and practice concerning the manner in which services are provided to children of color, who are currently overrepresented in the system. Highlights • Ethnic matching may help reduce disproportionality in the child welfare system. • Ethnic matching can lead to 'goodness of fit' between workers and clients and enhanced engagement with families. • Though workers and clients may be ethnically matched; in some cases, cultural disconnects arise and can be problematic. • Feasibility is an issue since there are often not enough workers of various ethnicities to implement ethnic matching. • Ethnic mismatches are problematic in foster care between foster families and African American children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents findings of a study exploring professionals' understanding of the County Lines phenomenon. Employed across two voluntary sector young peoples' supported accommodation projects a purposeful sample of fifteen (n = 15) practitioners were recruited as study participants. The study purpose was to explore professional perceptions of criminal exploitation in the context of County Lines and identify how practitioners recognised and responded to children and young people at risk. Questions guiding the study included: (1) What are practitioners' perceptions of criminal exploitation and County Lines? (2) How do practitioners recognise and respond to children and young people at risk? With a review of literature, data collection methods comprised a: (1) case study vignette and (2) self-reporting questionnaire. Utilising aspects of content analysis combining highest frequencies of most common terms and references presented in data, comparable participant responses were coded into four (n = 4) key categories. Categories included: (1) Knowledge of criminal exploitation and County Lines (2) Recognising risk and vulnerability factors (3) Understanding methods of exploitation and responding to risk and (4) Practitioner attitudes, bias and stereotypes. Findings highlight disparities in professionals' understanding in relation to: (1) what County Lines is (2) how and why some children and young people are criminally exploited in the context of County Lines and (3) how practitioners identify and respond to children and young people at risk. Need for development of enhanced knowledge-depth for safeguarding practice is identified as required around practitioners' understanding of: (1) risk, vulnerability factors and the signs of criminal exploitation through County Lines (2) importance of ensuring multi-agency statutory safeguarding referrals and responses are undertaken (3) how legal frameworks including the National Referral Mechanism and Modern Slavery Act (2015) can offer victims protection and (4) importance of theoretically informed relationship-based practice with children and young people guided by trauma-informed principles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Practice directions should recognise multiple models of CSE and a wider context of vulnerability and unmet needs. • Anxieties about young people's sexual behaviours can detract from CSE making it challenging to identify and respond. • Outreach and support that addresses young people's emotional, social and practical needs are valuable directions. • Suitable placements and ensuring young people have a safe and stable home environment is vital to any response to CSE. • CSE responses should be guided by child-centred practice and informed by young people's perspectives. There is a growing interest in understanding and responding to child sexual exploitation (CSE) in Australia, but limited empirical research from Australian contexts. The research reported here contributes to the evidence base by considering challenges and best practices for responding to CSE from the perspectives of 15 caseworkers in a statutory child protection and out of home care environment in one Australian region. In so doing, the paper also offers insight into CSE along with consideration of the emerging practice directions and systems surrounding these in the Australian context. Findings point to potential problems arising from existing frameworks for understanding and responding to CSE. Participants held concerns about a narrow focus on young people's sexualised behaviours in the wider multi-agency care context. This was understood to obscure a more complex understanding of CSE and its broader context of vulnerability and connection to unmet needs – some of which can arise from the care context itself – making identification and intervention difficult. Findings align with research that emphasises outreach and intensive support for young people centring on strengthening connections, identifying and addressing unmet needs and sustaining safety through consideration of placements and living circumstances. Consideration of practice challenges and opportunities signals the importance of child-centred, wellbeing-oriented directions allowing for multiple models of CSE victimisation, underpinned by a shared language in the multi-agency context and enhanced provision in existing systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Various social, human and physical capitals are needed for home schooling. • Pre-existing capitals cannot predict the emergence of successful home schooling. • Homeschooling requires continuous internal and external interaction. • Social workers support families in interaction and promote necessary capitals. As a response to prevent the spread of COVID-19, during the spring of 2020, home schooling replaced classroom education. From the social worker's perspective, this paper explores how home school was organised among the social work client families and what types of resources were needed and launched to control the complexity of home schooling during the first wave of COVID-19 pandemic. The conceptual frameworks applied to theorise the self-organisation of home school and how resources were mobilised are complexity theory and social capital theory. The empirical analysis is based on digital diaries written by 33 Finnish social workers and analysed using a thematic qualitative content analysis. The findings demonstrate the intertwined combination of social (social environment and communication), human (cultural, psychological and pedagogical) and physical (technological, spatial and biological) capital needed for the successful self-organising of home schooling. These capitals cannot predict the emergence of successful home schooling, nor can they function as a resource alone because self-organisation requires interactions between all essential dimensions. The results provide a deeper understanding for social work professionals regarding schooling and organising multidimensional support for children and their families. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Case factors are the clearest category of factors affecting emergency decisions. • The dynamic between factors is central in understanding what affects decisions. • Organisational factors can counteract negative influence of decision-maker factors. • Organisational culture emphasizing reflection and awareness is crucial. Child welfare decisions are often made amid uncertainty, in which child welfare workers must consider a range of complex factors. Especially in emergency cases, the decision process is often challenging due to limited time and information. Based on individual interviews with child welfare workers from Norwegian child welfare services (n = 19) and emergency services (n = 7), this article examines what affects decisions being made in emergency cases. Interviews were thematically analysed. As a framework, the decision-making ecology is used as an inspiration. Results show that case factors influencing decisions were specifically the topic of concern; parents' attitudes; family network, and the child's wishes. One decision-maker factor was CW workers' experience, and for organizational factors , the participants emphasized clear routines for what to do in emergency cases, working as a team, and considering family networks. For external factors , other agencies' assessments of the case; guidelines, and available alternative measures were found to influence the decisions. These various factors seem to have a dynamic and, at times, competing influence in several cases. To facilitate better decision-making in emergency cases, child welfare leaders should foster an organizational culture that emphasizes reflection on and awareness of how different factors and their dynamics influence decisions. This could also serve as the foundation for policy changes related to external factors affecting these decisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The present study aims to explore the clustered nature in problem behaviors of victims of school bullying and how the problem behavior patterns are associated with intrapersonal and interpersonal resources. Using a wave of cross-sectional data from rural China, 262 victims (aged 12 to 16) were identified through the Olweus Bully/Victim Questionnaire. Based on the nomination of twelve local experienced teachers and social workers, a list containing ten problem behaviors was compiled. Latent class modeling was applied to examine the latent structure of victims' problem behaviors. Three latent groups were identified according to the list, namely the externalizing and internalizing behaviors group (Class 1), the internalizing behaviors group (Class 2), and the less-affected group (Class 3). The associations between problem behavior patterns and intrapersonal and interpersonal resources were tested using multinomial regression modeling. We found that higher depressive symptoms, lower self-efficacy, not living with parents, and fewer helpful friends were associated with more likelihood of falling into the Class 1 and/or the Class 2, while perceived supports from teachers did not predict the problem behavior patterns of victims of school bullying. Results of the present study shed lights on the patterns of problem behaviors of victims in the developing world, providing a useful baseline from which future studies can further explore interventions for victims of school bullying with different patterns of problem behaviors. Highlights • Three latent groups were identified among victims of school bullying in rural China based on their problem behaviors. • Victims with higher self-efficacy and less depression were less likely to be in the groups with severe problem behaviors. • Not living with parents and fewer helpful friends were related with more possibility to be in the groups with severe problem behaviors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper draws upon data from two separate studies to consider sexual health outcomes for young people in state care in Wales. Cross sectional analysis of the School Health Research Network Survey (2015) examined sexual health behaviours and outcomes of young people in foster care compared to those living in private households. The findings are contextualised with qualitative data (collected 2016) from social care professionals about their practice experiences of supporting sexual health development and seeking to prevent early pregnancy for young people in state care. Findings suggest that young people in state care in Wales experience poorer sexual health outcomes compared to those not in care. Insights from professionals suggest that whilst the state care system has the potential to identify and respond to young people's needs, its effectiveness can be compromised by issues of resources, value-based judgements related to the age at which young people could and should be sexually active, and individual choice and determinism. It is suggested that statutory monitoring of sexual health related outcomes is required, together with a review of policy and practice ‘with’, rather than ‘for’, young people in state care. Finally it is argued that increased attention on the quality as well as the quantity of relationships young people in state care have with carers and professionals may provide a simple but powerful policy approach in continued efforts to secure parity in respect of sexual health and development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Emerging adulthood is considered a risky and vulnerable period for young people leaving substitute care but a window of opportunity for the development of resilience and positive change. This study explores the challenges and resources in transition to adulthood from the point of view of 50 care leavers and caseworkers in Israel. The findings revealed several shared perspectives of the two group regarding the challenges and assets during this period including: economic hardship and limited support by their families as a struggle, and supporting professional relationships as an asset. While caseworkers focused on the care leavers' low awareness and realization of their rights as a challenge, care leavers emphasized their weak social ties and loneliness as their main challenge. In addition, self-reliance was described as a resource by the care leavers but not by the caseworkers. The study's findings emphasized the importance of belongings, companionship and emotional support care leavers need, and the meaningful role of professional relationships in the transition to adulthood. One of the practical conclusion was helping the care leaves to develop interdependence and relational connections, and at the same time encouraging the caseworkers to see the care leavers' self-reliance as a strength. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This analysis drew from a study in which child welfare professionals were interviewed about their definitions of “well-being” and the barriers and facilitators to promoting well-being in their daily practices. Participants consistently identified an unfortunate irony: that the practices they consider essential to promoting well-being are often constrained by system-wide efforts to ensure compliance with child welfare mandates, including the well-being mandate. The systems' need for data on accountability and compliance was often viewed as antithetical to practices of well-being for children and families. During in-depth interviews with 28 child welfare professionals in a large Midwestern city, casework was described as having two key dimensions: social work and paperwork. “Social work” was characterized as the work of building strengths-based relationships with clients. “Paperwork” was characterized as requirements to document practices to ensure compliance with institutional mandates. The latter form of work was often described as diverting time and attention away from the former. However, poignant counterpoints to this characterization of paperwork were provided, illustrating ways that it might facilitate social work. We propose a set of essential questions for future research in the role of paperwork in child welfare practice, including an exploration of what kinds of accountability paperwork enables and how these forms of bureaucratic authorship relate to other forms of communication and relationality in contemporary child welfare systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study adopted social network analysis (SNA) to interpret a Facebook fan page used by a youth outreach project in Hong Kong. The study aimed to: i) explore what types of open data can be captured from social media, ii) explore in what ways SNA metrics can be used to generate meaningful indicators that help track relationship changes, and iii) examine to what extent SNA findings agree with social workers' perceptions. These results preliminarily suggest the feasibility and validity of SNA in social work practice research. This study adds to the emerging knowledge base of how practitioners and researchers might use SNA to assess social networks, supplement need assessments, track service users' behavioural changes, and evaluate services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This qualitative study explores providers' experiences working with geographically mobile homeless youth in an area comprising small cities, suburban towns, and rural communities. In-depth interviews were conducted with eight homeless service providers in New York's Capital Region. The analysis centered on how providers understand the mobility of homeless youth and how the homeless service system impacts this mobility. Participants described mobility as an impulsive coping strategy, a process greatly influenced by service system and policy limitations, and a phenomenon that challenges traditional engagement strategies. Findings suggest opportunities for strengthening the service system through trauma-informed programming and policy, increased coordination with government entities, and assessing gaps in key services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In many countries, large numbers of left-behind children (LBC) grow up experiencing prolonged separation from their migrant worker parents. These children are known to be vulnerable to psychological and developmental problems. Drawing on qualitative interview data as well as ethnographic observations, a realist approach was applied in this study to evaluate the feasibility, acceptance, preliminary outcomes and potential sustainability of a community-based intervention to provide care and support to LBC, in a migrant-sending area of rural China. The intervention program comprised “Children's Clubs” in local communities, in which LBC participate in play and educational activities under the care and supervision of local volunteers. Twelve Clubs in 12 different villages were evaluated for the study. In each village, semi-structured interviews were conducted with three community stakeholders, and children and primary caregivers from two families, to examine their perceptions and experiences with regard to the intervention. Our findings indicated that most Clubs adapted the initial program theory and implementation plan to specific community contexts, particularly the socio-economic situation and the support from village leadership and other community members. Program implementation mechanisms consisted of integrating available resources, engaging local volunteers, and delivering various Club activities. Preliminary outcomes indicated the success in establishing a community care platform to benefit the emotional and behavioral wellbeing of LBC, and to enhance the community support networks. To ensure program sustainability, the Children's Clubs should explore new funding schemes, expand the pool of qualified volunteers, and improve the curricular and activities at the Clubs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives This study examines, from the caseworkers' point of view, which needs of children are the most difficult for parents in neglectful contexts to respond to and which risk factors make this response more difficult. Method A sample of 55 parents being followed by child protection services for neglect or high risk of neglect accepted to participate in the study. Their caseworker filled out a grid regarding the response provided to the children's needs and the risk factors in the family environment. Results The results indicate that the children's age is related to the difficulties of responding to their needs. The caseworkers are particularly concerned about guidance and boundaries provided to preschool-age children, but less so about that provided to school-age children. When the children's age is controlled for, parents' mental health problems explains a significant proportion of the variance in parents' response to their children's need for stimulation, emotional warmth, and guidance and boundaries. Caseworkers' worries about drug and alcohol misuse also explain a significant proportion of their concerns about the mothers' ability to ensure their child's safety. Conclusion Caseworkers are more worried about the parental response offered to preschool children than to school-age ones. However, a constant and coherent response to growing children is still important for their developmental trajectories. Moreover, mental health and substance abuse explain caseworkers' concerns about mothers' engagement toward their child. These data raise questions about which type of services to offer, because intervening in families where parents deal with personal issues while addressing child neglect is complex. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines how Child Protection Services (CPS) – involved parents and professionals describe coping with moral injury through resources available within their everyday lives. Moral injury refers to the lasting harm caused by one's own or another's actions in high-stakes situations that transgress deeply held moral beliefs and expectations. This harm can occur at multiple, interacting psychological, social and spiritual levels. We administered a modified version of the Moral Injury Events Scale (MIES) (Nash et al., 2013) to 38 CPS-involved professionals and 10 parents. We then conducted in-depth, semi-structured, audio-recorded individual interviews with them to elaborate their responses to the MIES, and reflect on scenarios involving moral injury. For the current study we analyzed the responses of those in the sample who reported moral injury (eight CPS-involved parents and 35 professionals.) None had received professional support to address their moral injury. Participants' described coping with moral injury through a variety of resources available in their everyday lives. Their coping strategies reflected multiple, interacting levels of the ecology. Participants contributed vivid and detailed accounts of coping through drawing upon and strengthening their: (a) psychological resources through stress reducing and meaning-making activities, mental toughness, agency, acceptance, strong values, self-reflection and forgiveness; (b) microsystems through social support and corrective experiences; (c) macrosystems through engagement in advocacy and social programs to support other parents; and (d) spiritual engagement. Our aim is to identify potential models of successful coping with moral injury in everyday life in order to identify viable targets for formal prevention and intervention efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The changing policy landscape with regards to marijuana and a growing epidemic related to opioid misuse may affect caseworkers' decisions to substantiate maltreatment involving use of those two substances. This study examined whether caseworkers factor marijuana and opioid use, including whether or not the drug was medically prescribed, into substantiation decisions. In this study, each respondent ( n = 467) was given two vignettes (one for neglect and one for physical abuse) with one of five drug use conditions. Logistic regression models showed that any drug use was related to higher odds of substantiating neglect. Only illicit opioid or marijuana use was positively related to substantiating physical abuse. Any substance use may impair a parent's functioning and be interpreted as placing a child in greater risk for potential harm from neglect. For physical abuse, caseworkers may view illicit substance use as participating in a deviant behavior making physical abuse seem more likely. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines how social workers reinterpreted certain legal requirements to meet their organisation's performance targets. Using an ethnographic approach, I combine organisational misbehaviour theory and Goffmanesque conceptions of dramaturgy to explore the regional activity of one team in a statutory agency. I argue that singly neither misbehaviour theory nor dramaturgical performances account for our understanding of why workers respond differently to organisational changes in a neo-liberalist environment. This study differs from current literature by shifting emphasis away from workers either resisting or conforming with organisational directives on to the ways in which individuals and collectives devise methods which instead give the appearance of co-operation. I demonstrate how workers disguised their resistance in an attempt to achieve potentially unachievable objectives and in turn avoid disciplinary action. I conclude by suggesting that applying Goffman to studies of organisation can advance scholars' understanding of how certain individuals respond to change and might come to be defined as loyal and compliant. This approach can also encourage discussions relating to the concept of recalcitrance and whether it is developed, and enforced, by those in powerful positions on the basis of their own desire to be well regarded by others. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Researchers have become increasingly aware of the impacts of microaggressions, acts of interpersonal discrimination that are often subtle and harmful. Most studies of microaggression to date have focused on undergraduate and young adult populations. In this exploratory qualitative study, 10 clinically licensed school social workers were interviewed about their perceptions of children's experiences with microaggressions in K-8 school settings. Themes that emerged from interviews with study participants include vulnerability and protection, social and emotional skills, and community building. Findings support an initial understanding of childhood microaggression from school social workers' perspectives and suggest directions for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A growing number of child welfare programs have incorporated peer mentors – individuals in long-term recovery from substance use disorders – into their service delivery models. Whereas existing literature suggests the collaboration between peer mentors and child protective service workers brings both opportunities and challenges, few studies have described these experiences from the perspectives of mentors, caseworkers, and supervisors. Understanding how these team members experience partnership is critical for the further evaluation and development of mentor models in child welfare. The purpose of this study was to understand the experiences of mentors, caseworkers, and supervisors working through an integrated team model in Kentucky. A qualitative approach was used, combining a phenomenological lens with constructivist grounded theory analysis techniques. Our results indicate that successful partnerships between mentors, caseworkers, and supervisors involve four processes: sharing a common vision, developing working relationships, learning with open-mindedness, and identifying the benefits of partnership. These findings have implications for practitioners in a variety of child welfare settings, particularly those interested in developing and training teams for peer mentor integration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective This article describes empirical results of the views of child protection workers, parents and children along different dimensions including interpretation of engagement, approaches with families in the engagement process, collaboration and relationship, barriers and factors promoting engagement. Method A qualitative study was undertaken of a sample of eleven child protection workers, eleven parents and eleven children in one county in South-Estonia. The study explored the participants' experiences and perspectives of the engagement, within the context of assessment in child protection practice, through in-depth semi-structured interviews. Results Results indicate that child protection workers demonstrate an over-reliance on expert- and deficit-based approaches, indicating a requirement for a focus on traditional social work assessment, concentrating on problems, and more investigative, coercive, and judgement-focused approaches. Both workers and parents valued the quality of relationships, emphasising trust, dialogue and support as important elements of engagement. According to children, they were not always considered as a subject in the assessment process, including their needs as the primary focus; children expressed the wish to be more heard and understood, with their opinions being taken into account. Conclusions Findings propose that child protection workers are ‘stuck in the past’, in traditional deficit-based discourse, however families prefer ‘modern’, strengths-based perspectives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The child's voice is difficult to define but can be captured from many sources. • Investment in relationships between practitioner and child is fundamental. • Ideas offered for capturing the child's voice were varied. • There are challenges in balancing the voice of the child with statutory obligations. • The emotional impact of this challenge is clear across participant accounts. Child protection policy, legislation and frameworks in England are informed by the need to consider the child's voice in any decision-making forum. However, defining the child's voice and applying these legislative requirements to practice is largely interpretative. There is a lack of practice guidance when it comes to conceptualising, capturing, and interpreting the child's voice to inform decision-making. This study was conducted prior to the COVID-19 pandemic and begins to explore social workers' experiences of how the child's voice is understood and interpreted in child protection practice. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with five practitioners from a long-term, child protection team, and analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA). Three super-ordinate themes were identified relating to (1) the ubiquity and ambiguity of the child's voice, (2) the importance of relationships, and (3) the weight of the voices. Implications for practice include the need for more investment in practitioner-child relationships, and greater representation of the child's voice in the final stages of needs assessments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• In-depth qualitative analysis of interviews with 24 key informants adds to the limited literature on early childhood provision for nomadic children. • Understanding practitioner perspectives is an important part of the policy implementation process. • Adequate funding and increased policy focus on alternative provision are required to improve the implementation of programs including factors to do with staff terms and conditions, staff training, access, quality, and sustainability of provision. • Policy of 'one child one type of provision' makes it difficult to achieve equity between children who attend alternative provision (ger kindergartens) and those who attend fixed provision. Alternatives are suggested. Investment in early childhood education (ECE) is seen as key to improving life chances for children from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. Children from nomadic backgrounds often face difficulties in accessing ECE services because of geography, lack of services and the mobility of families. However, the provision of these services is seen as important in reducing educational inequalities between nomadic and non-nomadic children as well as in improving school readiness. Mongolia's alternative provision policy for nomadic children is often presented as a case study of how ECE services can be provided for nomadic peoples. However, there is little to no literature on how this alternative provision policy is experienced on the ground by practitioners and the subsequent impact on front line staff and children. This research explored the perspectives of ECE practitioners in Mongolia, who are engaged in providing services to nomadic children, to understand their views on how the policy on alternative provision was experienced. Semi-structured interviews with 24 key informants were undertaken in 4 areas of Mongolia over the period 2019–2020. Practitioners highlighted issues around the funding of ECE alternative provision which impacted not only on sustainability of the programs but also impacted on access to programs, the resources available, the duration of programs and the quality of programs. Moreover, factors such as the qualifications of staff and a lack of teachers were highlighted. We conclude that appropriate funding is key in ensuring effective implementation of provision and identify areas of need in relation to ECE practitioner training as well as factors related to practitioner terms and conditions that require attention. Furthermore, some rethinking of the policy of 'one child one type of provision' needs to be undertaken as it leads to a lack of equity in relation to access and quality of provision between nomadic and non-nomadic children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recruiting and retaining child welfare workers in rural communities have been noted as major problems. Although there has been research on organizational culture and climate in child welfare, little is known about organizational climate and work attitudes in rural child welfare agencies and how these may differ from urban agencies. Using Glisson's theoretical framework, the purpose of this study is to explore the differences in organizational climate between rural and urban areas. Results showed that rural workers reported lower levels of job stress and higher growth and advancement, role clarity, and organizational commitment than urban workers. The results of multiple regression analysis showed different factors were associated with urban and rural child welfare workers' work attitudes. Compared with their urban counterparts, rural child welfare workers appear to value cooperation and collaboration with coworkers more highly, have clearer expectations and adequate resources, and opportunities for professional growth and promotion. The findings suggest that different managerial strategies may be needed to enhance the organizational climate depending on whether the work setting is rural or urban. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Various forms of family team meetings have been increasingly employed in child welfare systems to empower families and provide effective individualized services through community partnerships. However, many family team meetings often fail to achieve their intended goals mainly due to ongoing challenges that team members face. Using data from a survey of caseworkers, this study examined dynamic processes of family team meetings to improve child welfare service outcomes, specifically focusing on caseworkers' perceived challenges. Also, responses to an open ended question were reviewed using content analysis to identify similar or different challenges encountered by diverse team members. Survey data were analyzed using path analysis and found that logistical barriers tended to decrease both family and stakeholder engagements, which in turn made child welfare services less accessible, less utilized, and less effective for children and families. Content analysis revealed that caseworkers perceived disagreement/conflict and knowledge deficits about child welfare as common challenges for all team members. This paper concludes with practice implications suggesting ways to minimize challenges identified and maximize the effectiveness of a family team meeting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Implementation of evidence-based programs in child welfare has progressed slowly, with the majority of services in child welfare settings lacking empirical evidence for effectiveness. In other settings, research has identified providers' attitudes about evidence-based practices (EBPs) as a potential barrier to adoption of EBPs. As little research has focused on the role of attitudes in influencing use after training in an EBP in child welfare, the potential for attitudes to impede implementation efforts in child welfare is unclear. This study addressed this question in a sample of 55 caseworkers and therapists randomly assigned to enhanced support to use an EBP following training or a training-only condition. Information on providers' use of the intervention after training and their attitudes about EBPs were measured for up to five time points. Results indicate that attitudes did not predict providers' use of the EBP, and attitudes did not change overall or in the enhanced condition that provided greater exposure to the intervention. Providers perceived of requirements to use a practice as more influential in their use than their openness to EBPs. However, those who were more open to EBPs were more likely to participate in implementation support after the training, suggesting that openness facilitates participation in activities that support use of a new intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social-workers' custody recommendations are influenced by professional and personal factors. In this study, we examine three factors: parental-communication, child's-wishes, and child's-gender. An experimental-survey-design was implemented, using case-descriptions, as well as professional-characteristic of the social-workers. Data were collected from 120 Israeli social-workers. The study findings reveal that interparental communication plays a significant role in the social worker's decision. Whereas deficient interparental communication leads to bias in the decision to award parental custody according to the parent's gender, with a preference for the mother over the father, as hypothesized, intact interparental communication increases the likelihood of joint custody, but still gives preference to the mother. Social workers tend to consider the children's wishes as long as their preference is for maternal custody. When children express a paternal preference, their wishes carry no weight. Furthermore, child's gender does not influence social workers' parental custody recommendation. In cases where the preference for sole maternal custody may appear as biased or untoward, a preference was awarded to joint-custody rather than to paternal-custody. The findings highlight that traditional-social-norms impact social-worker's decision. We emphasize the importance organizational mechanisms and standards that provide more efficient and egalitarian decision-making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

States continue to search for ways to prevent harm to children and families within the child welfare system. Recently, states and researchers alike have looked to other high hazard sectors that have experienced harm-free performance by creating and sustaining a strong safety culture – an organizational focus and priority on safety. Safety culture is enabled by leader actions to prioritize safety (safety climate) and make it safe for employees to take an interpersonal risk (psychological safety). Safety culture is enacted by behaviors for detecting and correcting errors and unexpected events (safety organizing) and recognizing how stress affects work performance (stress recognition). However, despite their conceptual relevance and practical promise for child welfare, these and other safety culture constructs have yet to be subjected to rigorous empirical analysis in child welfare. This study draws on 1719 employees in the state of Tennessee's child welfare system to examine whether safety culture can be reliably and validly measured, can characterize organizations across a state (i.e., employees have shared perceptions of the safety culture), and be linked to relevant outcomes (e.g., employee emotional exhaustion). Our results confirm that components of safety culture can be reliably and validly measured in child welfare, perceptions of culture are shared within each of the Tennessee child welfare system's twelve regions, and that safety culture is generally associated with lower levels of employee emotional exhaustion, but also indicate that there is considerable opportunity for improvement as the levels of safety culture are low relative to other sectors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is well recognised that children and young people in the care and youth justice systems typically present with significant and diverse mental health needs. Much has been written about this challenging area of professional practice but the focus has been primarily on the young people themselves rather than professionals' experiences of working in this challenging context. In this study, focus groups and individual interviews were conducted with 26 professionals working in the care and youth justice services in Ireland, representing a range of disciplines, to capture professionals' perspectives of working in this field. A thematic analysis was conducted on the transcribed data. Professionals described frustration and helplessness in the face of what they perceived as inadequate system responses and poor interagency working. Their experiences are conceptualised here as reflecting a traumatised and traumatising system. The implications for practice emphasise the need for staff support through training, collaboration between agencies, and addressing vicarious traumatisation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although nearly half of child maltreatment victims are under the age of five and at high risk for developing serious emotional or behavioral problems, few young children involved in the child welfare system receive treatment. As the first point of service contact, child welfare caseworkers can play a key role in quickly identifying children with mental health problems and linking them to services. This study examines caseworkers' perspectives on the challenges of addressing mental health problems in early childhood. Based on five focus groups conducted with 50 caseworkers from an urban, public child welfare agency, results suggest that although workers acknowledge the importance of early intervention, difficulty identifying mental health needs in early childhood and workplace barriers impede linkage to services. Given the lasting impacts of early experiences on children's development, it is imperative that these challenges be addressed. Implications for systematic mental health screening and caseworker training are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective This research examines the psychometric properties of the Perceptions of Child Welfare Scale (PCWS) by seeking to understand the differences between workers' perceptions of how society views them based upon job title by revalidating the PCWS with a sample of administrators and clinicians. Methods Confirmatory factor analysis was utilized to analyze data on 165 administrators and 153 clinical child welfare workers. Results The final model consisted of three latent variables with ten indicators related to stigma, value, and respect ([ X 2 ] = 167.6, [ p ] = 0.00; [RMSEA] = 0.07; 90% [CI]: 0.06–0.09; [CFI] = 0.95; [TLI] = 0.95). Discussion The factors found in the previous study were confirmed using an entirely different sample of child welfare workers. The factors value , stigma , and respect were confirmed across the sample based upon whether the workers were administrators or clinicians. This provides reassurance that measuring how workers perceive they are viewed by those outside the child welfare system does not vary based upon job title. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since 1996, federal law has required state child welfare agencies receiving grant funding through the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act to support the work of independent citizen review panels. According to the law, citizen review panels are to assess the functions and performance of state child welfare systems, providing recommendations for improvements. To date, a handful of studies have examined the work of the citizen review panels from the perspective of the citizen participants, yet the voice of state child welfare administrators regarding their work with the panels has been largely silent in the literature. While exploratory in nature and intent, the present study begins to fill this gap by reporting the results of a national survey of state child welfare administrators regarding their perceptions of barriers and benefits to citizen participation. The qualitative analysis yielded a significant degree of agreement across administrators in 31 states and the District of Columbia, and provided a number of insights for how agencies and citizen review panels can work more collaboratively. These include the need for agencies to assist in the training of CRP participants and for administrators to more deliberately foster an environment conducive to effective engagement by supporting ongoing dialog, integrating CRP recommendations into agency work, and meeting regularly with the groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Power can be used with and over parents in child protection interventions. • Using power judicially when talking about child welfare concerns is complicated. • Workers use confrontational, dialogical, and avoidant strategies with parents. • Skills and practices that utilize power with and over parents are presented. • The findings can assist workers in judiciously using power in interventions. Within the child protection system, social workers are often prompted to use their power in a productive ('power-with') rather than oppressive ('power-over') manner. This article aims to explore how social workers perceive their use of power when speaking with parents about child welfare concerns. The study was based on 20 in-depth interviews conducted with social work practitioners working in an Israeli child protection program. The findings point to the complexity of managing power within the extreme power imbalance of the child protection system. Workers described using three kinds of strategies when talking with parents about child welfare concerns: confrontational, dialogical, and avoidant. Yet the type of strategy utilized was not indicative of whether power was used with or over parents. Rather, the findings show how specific practices and skills used by workers and the rationales that informed them dictated whether power was used with parents or over them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Few differences between the perspectives of stayers and leavers. • Stayers more frequently noted the benefits of on-the-job experience. • Stayers more frequently reported positive support experiences. • Leavers more often noted unreasonable time expectations and lack of personal time. • Stayers more often noted unrealistic workload and unreasonable responsibilities. Turnover among frontline child welfare workers is estimated to be as high as 40 % annually, attributed to factors such as stress, emotional exhaustion, safety concerns, and feelings of depersonalization. This study evaluates workers' comments at the end of a survey with the intention of elevating workers' voices about their frontline experiences. Data from wave 3 of the Florida Study of Professionals for Safe Families (FSPSF), a longitudinal study of the child welfare workforce, was used. The final analytic sample size was 192 (stayers n = 113, leavers n = 79). Researchers applied thematic analysis to a short response question that asked workers for final thoughts at the end of the survey. Given the larger study's focus on turnover and retention, the researchers assessed for saturation differences between workers who stayed in their baseline agency and role and those who left by wave 3, approximately 1-year post-baseline. Four primary themes emerged from the data: 1) rewarding, but difficult; 2) unsupported; 3) overworked; and 4) undervalued. Whereas some participants reflected on positive frontline experiences, many identified aspects of the job that created significant professional or personal challenges. Overall, among these early-career workers, there was little difference in the saturation of themes between those who left and those who remained; however, some nuanced differences were noted. Organizational factors emerged as primary concerns and should be priorities for administrators addressing workforce turnover and retention. Future research should explore longitudinal variation in the pressing concerns of frontline child welfare workers to develop time-sensitive strategies for improving retention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Group care is a frequent placement for adolescents placed in out of home care when their birth parents' care is deemed unsafe. In the present study, we assessed whether foster parents show greater commitment to children than group care providers. Given that group care represents a number of living arrangements, we considered both shift care (where staff work shifts and do not live with the children) and cottage care (where staff live for extended periods of time with the children in a group living context). Commitment was assessed using the This Is My Child Interview (adapted for adolescents). Thirty-one foster parents, 18 shift workers, and 28 cottage care providers were interviewed. As predicted, foster parents showed higher levels of commitment than both shift care workers and cottage care providers, and the associations held when children's externalizing behaviors and the number of children the caregivers had cared for were controlled. The results suggest that foster care promotes greater commitment among caregivers than other out of home placements, and add to other findings that favor foster care as the out of home placement of choice for adolescents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]