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97 FIVE Child protection practice and complexity Peter Hassett and Irene Stevens Introduction This chapter looks at the relevance of complexity theory to understanding child protection. It is argued that over the past 50 years, approaches to the understanding of and practice of dealing with child protection issues have been guided by a largely linear approach, with an increasing emphasis on controls and proceduralised responses. Despite this, children continue to be abused and regularly die. The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children
In this uniquely vivid and compelling textbook, the authors reflect on eight challenging situations they have faced in the world of child protection social work. Their candid accounts provide in-depth case studies in how to work reflectively, using theory and research in situations of pressure and dilemma. They cover many common aspects of practice, including:
• assessing risk;
• managing different professional perspectives;
• working with uncooperative clients;
• dealing with organisational change.
Throughout the book, the authors pause at intervals to reveal their thoughts and feelings, either as reflections in the moment or afterwards, and they invite the reader to do the same. Their detailed analysis will allow you to understand why particular decisions might be made, and how you can overcome similar predicaments using the tools of reflective practice. Annotated further readings lists and a glossary of terms offer further resources for study.
The realities of child protection social work can be intimidating for even the most seasoned practitioners. This book is designed to empower both students and qualified professionals to practise safely, responsibly and confidently.
The state is increasingly experienced as both intrusive and neglectful, particularly by those living in poverty, leading to loss of trust and widespread feelings of alienation and disconnection.
Against this tense background, this innovative book argues that child protection policies and practices have become part of the problem, rather than ensuring children’s well-being and safety.
Building on the ideas in the best-selling Re-imagining child protection and drawing together a wide range of social theorists and disciplines, the book:
• Challenges existing notions of child protection, revealing their limits;
• Ensures that the harms children and families experience are explored in a way that acknowledges the social and economic contexts in which they live;
• Explains how the protective capacities within families and communities can be mobilised and practices of co-production adopted;
• Places ethics and human rights at the centre of everyday conversations and practices.
child protection workers in Norway who were enrolled on the postgraduate course ‘Child welfare in a minority perspective’. This course is part of a programme launched by the Norwegian government aimed at developing knowledge-based child protection practice. The article discusses the ways in which social workers construct stories about who their clients are and the reasons for their clienthood. Particular attention is given to parenting and the ways in which race, class and gender serve as overt, subtle or muted stories constructed in and through social work
sufficiently on the impact of working conditions on child protection practices and policy outcomes (López et al, 2015; Shlonsky, 2015), this study could explain trends that have been overlooked by previous research. Child protection reform For over two decades, the government of Israel has invested considerable efforts in formulating policy on child protection practices that will improve decision making in formal committees called Planning, Intervention and Evaluation Committees (PIECs). These committees operate within the social services departments (SSDs) in all
99 7 Child protection social work Kate Parkinson Introduction This chapter examines the contemporary policy and practice of child protection social work in England. It explores the current context of child protection practice and the post-war development of child protection services, in relation both to political ideology and to the social construction of women, children and those living in poverty. The chapter discusses the impact of poverty and inequality on child protection practice and explores Lapierre’s (2007) theory of ‘mother blaming’ in domestic
175© Policy Press • 2013 • ISSN 2046 7435 Key words forced adoption • parent–child contact • attachment • Coram adoption agency ar tic le Families, Relationships and Societies • vol 2 • no 2 • 2013 • 175–91 http://dx.doi.org/10.1332/204674313X666877 Restrictions on natural parent contact with infants during care proceedings where forced adoption may be the outcome: some cautions about recent research and developing practice Peter Dale Child protection practice and law in the United Kingdom (UK) and North America is almost unique in the world with regard to
Introduction Social work is defined as centring social justice ( International Federation of Social Workers, 2014 ), yet much of the work social workers do arguably involves ‘soft’ policing ( Baines, 2021 ) – controlling through care. Social workers might, therefore, be described as ‘Janus-faced’, awkwardly situated between subversion (and potential social justice) and conformity (generating possible social injustice) ( Hyslop, 2011 ). This article draws from a broader doctoral study ( Joy, 2022 ) examining how child protection practice and policy (mis
This book examines a participatory approach in child protection practices in both Norway and the United States, despite key organizational differences.
Križ explores ways that children can be empowered to participate in child protection investigations and decisions after removal from home. The author shows how children can be encouraged to develop and express their own opinions and explores tools for child protection workers to negotiate complex boundaries around the inclusion of children in decision-making.
She presents valuable insights from front-line child protection professionals’ unique perspectives and experiences within two very different systems, and evaluates the impacts of different organizational practices in promoting children’s participation.
This comprehensive international study provides a cross-national analysis of different understandings of errors and mistakes, as well as lessons to avoid and how to handle them in child protection practice, using research and knowledge from 11 countries in Europe and North America.
Divided into country-specific chapters, each examines the pathways that lead to mistakes happening, the scale of their impact, how responsibilities and responses are decided and how practice and policy subsequently change. Considering the complexities of evolving practice contexts, this authoritative, future-oriented study is an invaluable text for practitioners, researchers and policy makers wishing to understand why child protection fails – and offers a springboard for fresh thinking about strategies to reduce future risk.