Does it feel right?—Emotional and embodied processes as a ‘shadowy epistemology’ in difficult child protection cases

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Line Søberg Bjerre ◽  
Maria Appel Nissen
Keyword(s):  
Risk Assessment ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Child Protection ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Narrative Construction ◽  
Public Attention ◽  
Child Protection Services ◽  
Strong Focus ◽  
The Family ◽  
Potential Risks

Abstract Social workers in child protection services must make difficult decisions often based on fragmented knowledge and the inevitable risk of not knowing what is important to know about a child and the family. Cases of severe neglect have been subject to public attention of politicians and media in several European countries often followed by reforms with a strong focus on standardising risk assessment and documentation. This article argues and shows that emotional and embodied processes are an important source of knowledge in child protection. Such processes appear in social workers’ narratives about worries for the well-being and security of children underpinned by moments of silence and symbolic bodily utterances. These ways of communicating emotions help social workers navigate and make sense in child protection cases, where knowledge is limited. The question ‘Does it feel right?’ becomes crucial in terms of identifying and expressing potential risks. However, as a legitimate professional question that can lead to valuable knowledge it remains latent. Therefore, emotional and embodied processes constitute a ‘shadowy epistemology’ (Bruner, J. (1991) ‘The narrative construction of reality’, Critical Inquiry, 18(1), pp. 1–21). Instead of denouncing these processes, we need to develop a professional language of understanding and naming them, and the aim of this article is to contribute to this.

Supervisory Experiences of Social Workers in Child Protection Services

2019 ◽  
Vol 31 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nkosinathi Vetfuti ◽  
Veonna Marie Goliath ◽  
Nevashnee Perumal
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Social Work ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Child Protection ◽  
Support Function ◽  
Well Being ◽  
South African Council ◽  
Child Protection Services ◽  
The Social ◽  
Health And Well Being

Social work in the child protection field presents an opportunity to positively transform the lives and future of vulnerable children, but frequently at a cost to the mental health and well-being of the social workers concerned. Social workers must constantly manage children’s trauma, resource challenges and parents’ emotions. Providing supervision to social workers is mandatory in the social work profession. Although there are three functions of supervision, it is argued that the support function is neglected in favour of the administrative and educational functions of supervision. The support function of supervision aims to equip social workers to manage their work-related stress especially in the field of child protection. In light of the literature reviewed on the benefits of the support function of supervision juxtaposed with contrasting anecdotal evidence that suggests a neglect of the support function of supervision in practice, a qualitative study was undertaken in South Africa with the aim of enhancing the understanding of the experiences of social workers in child protection services in respect of the support function of supervision. The study’s major finding pointed to an absence of the support function in supervision. Child protection social workers experienced a need for continuing professional development to increase their competence and reduce burnout. The findings also highlighted the value of peer support as a significant experience in child protection work. It was concluded that organisational compliance with the minimum standards set out in the Supervision Framework of the Department of Social Development, in partnership with the South African Council for Social Service Professions, and the inclusion of peer mentoring could contribute significantly in enhancing the mental health and well-being of child protection social workers.

scholarly journals Professional Values Challenged by Case Management—Theorizing Practice in Child Protection with Reflexive Practitioners

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 44 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edgar Marthinsen ◽  
Graham Clifford ◽  
Halvor Fauske ◽  
Willy Lichtwarck
Keyword(s):  
Social Workers ◽  
Child Protection ◽  
Critical Discussion ◽  
Family Needs ◽  
Child Protection Services ◽  
Working Together ◽  
Rational Management ◽  
To Come ◽  
Management Approaches ◽  
The One

In this article, we theorize and reflect based on former research into professional practice and discretion as well as use some results from working together with practitioners in child protection services to explore the phenomenon of non-performing. Regulation lies at the heart of the contemporary child protection discourse. On the one hand we have seen a trend towards systematization of assessment content and procedures, on the other hand it is assumed that rational management approaches can secure consistency of performance. Social workers may be weary of the constraints all this imposes, but seem generally content to comply. Our reasoning was that social workers in child protection should be helped to get to grips with modifications to practice so that multi-challenged families could be accorded priority. These changes would include a reframing of assessment to take account of family needs as well as the needs of children. Follow-up would also require much more attention. Additionally, the choice of help provided for children and families would have to come into better focus, despite the limitations often experienced in practice. The question we asked was whether these types of reframing could be fostered within local child welfare units. We conducted a field trial in which child protection units were encouraged to reframe their practices, with the support of an expert group. The idea was to enhance and enable innovation through the combination of a more thorough dialogue with the families involved, as well as critical reflection based on available knowledge related to the identified challenges. We do a critical discussion of the work and the results from this in order to enhance knowledge on innovation in child protection.

Children and Young People in Out-of-Home Care: Treating and preventing individual, programmatic and systems abuse.

1992 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 17-25 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jo Cavanagh
Keyword(s):  
Young People ◽  
Home Care ◽  
Child Protection ◽  
Social Stress ◽  
Vulnerable Children ◽  
Developmental Needs ◽  
Children And Young People ◽  
Child Protection Services ◽  
Out Of Home Care ◽  
The Family

It is well recognised that the maltreatment of children results from a range of factors; some residing within the person, their family history and background, and others, clearly attributable to social stress and difficulties originating external to the family. In the last few decades, child welfare efforts have centred on the improvement of Child Protection Services and raising the prevention of child abuse as a community concern. More recently, attention has been focussed on strengthening the capacity of families to nurture and protect their own as the best means of meeting the developmental needs of children. However, our best efforts to assist families may still necessitate removal to protect the child.Research has identified that children removed for their own protection may be at even greater risk in out-of-home care. (Ryan 1987, Dawson 1984) Whether the incidence of abuse of children in out-of-home care is currently equivalent or higher than for the general population, is at this point a secondary concern. Out-of-home care is an essential and complex service. It is imperative to acknowledge that abuse can occur within the very system entrusted with the responsibility of protecting and caring for vulnerable children and young people.

scholarly journals Children and childhood in Chile

2019 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 141-164
Author(s):  
Ida Bruheim Jensen ◽  
Ingunn T. Ellingsen ◽  
Ingunn Studsrød ◽  
Manuela Garcia Quiroga
Keyword(s):  
Social Workers ◽  
Child Protection ◽  
Q Methodology ◽  
Current Theory ◽  
Childhood Studies ◽  
Child Protection Services ◽  
Contextual Risk ◽  
The Social ◽  
Children And Childhood

EnglishThis study explores understandings of children and childhood among 21 social workers from five child protection services in Chile. To help grasp multiple ideas about children and childhood, we use Q methodology and the ‘child visibility’ concept. The object is to explore dissimilar and/or similar views on child visibility among social workers and the characteristics of these viewpoints. The results reveal three distinct views on child visibility. Based on the characteristics of these perspectives, we have conceptualized the workers associated with them as: activists, buffers and experts. The activists vigorously seek children’s own perspectives, and produce an image of capable children with unique perspectives. The buffers and the experts, however, typically define children’s needs from their own perspectives. Nevertheless, through differing logics, the experts focus on children’s vulnerability and protection needs, while the buffers are more inclined to view children in terms of their contextual risk and on the margins in an underfunded child protection context. Despite these differences, there are shared viewpoints among the social workers, for example, by understanding children as relational. The results are discussed in light of current theory within childhood studies. SpanishNiños e infancia en Chile: Perspectivas de los trabajadores sociales.Este estudio explora las concepciones que sobre los niños y la infancia desarrollan 21 trabajadores sociales de cinco servicios de protección infantil en Chile. Para comprender estas múltiples ideas, utilizamos la Metodología Q y el concepto de “visibilidad del niño”. El objeto es explorar perspectivas similares o diferentes respecto a la visión que tienen los trabajadores sociales sobre este grupo social, así como las características de esos puntos de vista. Los resultados revelan tres tipos de visión distintivos sobre los niños. Con base a las características de estas tres perspectivas, hemos conceptualizado a los trabajadores sociales asociados con ellas como: activistas, baluartes, y expertos. Los activistas buscan vigorosamente las perspectivas de los propios infantes y producen una imagen de que los niños poseen capacidades y perspectivas únicas. Los otros dos grupos, sin embargo, típicamente definen las necesidades de los niños desde sus propias representaciones. A través de lógicas distintas, los expertos se enfocan en la vulnerabilidad de los infantes y sus necesidades de protección; mientras los baluartes están más inclinados a ver a los niños en términos de sus propios riesgos contextuales, y en los márgenes de un contexto de protección infantil con financiación insuficiente. A pesar de estas diferencias, existen puntos de vista comunes entre los trabajadores sociales, por ejemplo, al entender a los niños en términos relacionales. Estos resultados son discutidos a la luz de las teorías actuales dentro de los estudios de la infancia.

scholarly journals Strengths and problems of families in contact with child protective services during the COVID-19 pandemic

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susanne Witte ◽  
Heinz Kindler
Keyword(s):  
Child Protection ◽  
Child Protective Services ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Protective Services ◽  
Daily Work ◽  
The Family ◽  
Child And Youth Welfare ◽  
The Face ◽  
Adaptation Response ◽  
Perceived Effects

Objective: The study investigates the dynamics within families in contact with child protective services in reaction to the Covid-19 pandemic as perceived by social workers. Based on the Family Adjustment and Adaptation Response (FAAR) model, strengths and problems are outlined. Background: Following the first lockdown of public life in March 2020, concerns about children’s well-being have been raised. Practitioners and scientists alike worried that particularly children in families with multiple problems would suffer severe abuse and neglect. However, it remains unclear how these families have actually been affected by the Covid-19 pandemic and the measures to reduce transmission of SARS-CoV-2. Method: Child protection caseworkers from 40 child and youth welfare authorities across Germany were interviewed twice via telephone. The first interview was conducted during summer 2020, and the second interview two months later. Caseworkers were questioned about their professional experience in their daily work since March 2020. Moreover, they provided information on the perceived effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on families in contact with child protective services. Results: The interviews were analyzed using content analyses. Six overall challenges for families were identified. Families reacted differently to these. The caseworkers reported problems in families like increased parental conflict, media use, and alcohol consumption during the first lockdown. Nevertheless in some families, the caseworkers also perceived there to be less stress and tension during the lockdown in March 2020 due to fewer school requirements. Furthermore, some families were able to establish routines, activate resources, and find solutions for problems on their own. At the time of the second interview, some families’ problems had increased, particularly regarding children’s difficulties at school due to insufficient homeschooling. Conclusion: The results show that the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on child protection families are positive and negative. Some are resourceful in the face of adversities, and others show an aggravation of problems. The results are discussed in light of findings on family dynamics during the Covid-19 pandemic in other countries.

scholarly journals The involvement of family in child protection cases in Iceland

2015 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 31-49
Author(s):  
Anni Haugen ◽  
Sigrún Yrja Klörudóttir
Keyword(s):  
Social Workers ◽  
Professional Practice ◽  
Child Protection ◽  
Main Element ◽  
Violent Behaviour ◽  
Child Protection Workers ◽  
The Family ◽  
International Comparative ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Shed Light

The aim of this study is to examine the involvement of families in child protection cases in Iceland, as well as to shed light on the attitudes of child protection workers on the importance of including families while working on child protection cases. The study is part of an international comparative analysis called: Social Work with Families: Social Workers’ Constructions of Family in Professional Practice. This article only addresses the Icelandic segment of the research. In the study, qualitative methods were used and three focus groups were conducted, in which the same three-step vignette about a child protection case was presented. The findings highlighted how difficult child protection workers found it to define the family. The main element is that family are those individuals closest to the child and connected to them through emotional ties, as Icelandic child protection workers seem to strive to involve family in child protection cases. However, there are signs which show that when working with more complicated cases the definition of a family becomes narrower, and involvement is restricted mostly to parents and grandparents. The findings also show that attitudes toward fathers differ from those toward mothers. The mother is expected to support and create security for the child, while the father is judged mostly on his violent behaviour and is not automatically regarded as providing support or actively taking responsibility for his child.

Following the Report

2019 ◽  
pp. 202-221
Author(s):  
Lea Tufford
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Base ◽  
Child Protection ◽  
Comfort Level ◽  
Potential Outcomes ◽  
Child Protection Services ◽  
Practice Models ◽  
The Family ◽  
Indigenous Children ◽  
Physical Examinations ◽  
Reporting Source

This chapter discusses what happens after a report to Child Protection Services (CPS), including foundations of CPS authority, contact with the reporting source, interviews with children, parental consent, physical examinations, interviewer skills, service to Indigenous children, and practice models. This content is embedded in a demonstration of the child protection services path. By clarifying the processes and potential outcomes of a child protection investigation, this chapter aims to increase mandatory reporters’ comfort level and knowledge base when contacting CPS. The information provided herein about child protection investigations aims to increase reporters’ sense of confidence and credibility when reporting, which may subsequently enhance their feeling of efficacy when advocating for the family.

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