Child & Family Social Work最新文献

According to the literature, the success of deinstitutionalization (DI) practices in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) is dependent on key factors including, a well-functioning family-based alternative care and social protection system, adequate funding and resources, and professional and other stakeholders' engagement and support. Following a practice research qualitative method, the study explored practitioner's experiences and perceptions on the status of Ghana's ongoing DI efforts and their recommendations for improving implementation. The study's main themes were establishing the need for residential homes for children (RHCs), RHCs not being an ideal family environment and RHCs as respite. Family marital problems, poor financial situation, stigma attached to some children in care, abusive parents and a lack of suitable alternatives when families have a crisis were identified as key factors that impede DI implementation in Ghana. The findings suggest the need for a progressive approach towards DI implementation in LMICs, with the first step being the re-positioning of RHCs as respite care centres while progressively developing other alternative family-based care options (such as kinship care) for children.

Family homeless shelters are critical contexts in which many young children develop; however, little is known about the developmental appropriateness of these settings, including their resources and the capacity of their staff to effectively meet the needs of the children and families they serve. The current study involves both quantitative and qualitative components to assess aspects of developmental appropriateness of US shelter spaces for children ages birth to 5 years, with an emphasis on staff knowledge, parenting programmes, and play spaces. Participants were 64 staff working in different family homeless shelters representing all 10 Housing and Urban Development regions. Data were collected via semistructured phone interviews. Results indicated that most shelters offered some type of parenting programme (65.5%) and had some developmentally appropriate space for families with young children (87.5%); however, the nature of these spaces and programmes varied considerably, with very few respondents describing use of evidence-based practices. Findings on knowledge of early child development among shelter staff indicated substantial need for trainings on a range of topics, including typical child development, parent–child relationships, and impacts of trauma on families with young children. Furthermore, we identified a need for better measurement tools to assess knowledge of child development.

This paper presents a case study narrative of one woman. Drawing on her storied recollections, from infancy into childhood through young motherhood into adulthood, we trace the interlocking relationship between policies and practices intended to offer welfare support facilitating her criminalization. A collaborative approach to producing knowledge, representing 8 years of narrative, dialogue and reflection surfaces a looming panopticon. The gendered power of the state to intervene across the life course is revealed, as is the failed and harmful nature of this panopticon. Three distinct themes emerge from the analysis: the power to define and the fixing nature of gendered policy and practice narratives; the gendered control strategies that reproduce harms in women's lives; and the lifelong nature of the panopticon for some girls and women. Cutting across these experiences are processes of silencing and ultimately resistance, strategies for surviving the enduring forms of institutional surveillance and intervention. The paper closes with clear implications for the hegemonic trio of social science research and social work and criminal justice policy and practice. We must confront and dismantle our complicity in the silent silencing and gendered harms of the panopticon.

This longitudinal study examines the child's place in the foster family through the use of conventional names for familial figures (e.g., ‘mum/dad’) and through the foster parents' intention to adopt the child. Data were collected at two time points during childhood and adolescence, among children placed in kinship and non-kinship foster care in Norway. Children placed at a younger age and children in non-kinship foster care were more likely to call their foster parents for ‘mum/dad’. Children placed at an older age and children in non-kinship care were more often presented as ‘foster child’ by their foster parents. Only 25%–34% of foster parents reported having considered adoption. The most common reason for not considering adoption was that they already deemed to be a family. The use of conventional names for familial figures in foster families might not necessarily reflect the child's integration into a foster family as it seems to be related to the age of the child at placement rather than to the duration of placement. Intention to adopt was relatively low, mostly because foster parents considered adoption as not necessary.

This article features insights from 15 Druze social workers in Israel regarding their experiences dealing with out-of-home placement for Druze children. The study reveals the distinct challenges faced by social workers in bridging professional and socio-religious values and the caution with which they navigate a complex reality and strive to provide culturally appropriate interventions while facing limitations on their freedom of action. Socio-religious characteristics of the Druze influence the interventions of social workers including the restriction on adoption and limited interaction between divorced partners. The process of removing a child from their home can be complex and challenging. This is often due to concerns regarding stigma and the strong desire within closely knit communities to preserve the family name and reputation. Moreover, most Druze social workers reside in Druze villages which can blur the line between personal and professional boundaries. This article underscores the importance of hearing the voices of minority therapists in order to promote culturally competent interventions in social work within the community.

Children exposed to domestic violence (DV) face a heightened risk of many types of short- and long-term problems. Social workers can limit these risks if the support and help they offer is perceived as valuable by the child. The aims of this review were to identify what children exposed to DV value when meeting social workers, to suggest how this knowledge can be used in practice by professionals dedicated to working with these children and to identify and suggest key areas of focus for future research. A synthesis of 18 studies reveals that, in meetings with social workers, children exposed to DV value (1) basic requirements, (2) inclusion, (3) acknowledgement and (4) enjoyment. This review offers a smorgasbord of opportunities for practitioners to meet the wishes and needs of these children. However, comparative research is needed to facilitate adaptation and to distinguish between elements valued by children that are core prerequisites for helping them disclose their experiences and/or aiding their recovery and elements that are less crucial but still valued.

Concept mapping was used to identify criteria foster care workers in Flanders use to regulate visiting arrangements for birth parents of foster children. A sample of 43 foster care workers were asked to answer in writing the question: ‘What criteria do you take into account when you have to regulate visiting arrangements?’ Fifty unique answers were identified by three researchers. In a second phase, 32 foster care workers individually grouped together the statements that according to them covered the same topic. Furthermore, they were asked to indicate the degree of importance and the difficulty to assess each response on a 7-point scale. Multidimensional scaling and hierarchic cluster analyses identified five clusters of criteria: child related criteria, attitudes of birth parent(s), criteria related to placement conditions, interaction with birth parents and criteria related to foster parents. Although sometimes differently grouped or named, the criteria mentioned by foster care workers were almost entirely in line with findings from other research. Foster care workers considered most criteria rather easy to assess. However, the more important criteria were (child related criteria and attitudes of birth parent[s]), the more difficult they were considered to assess. Identification of these criteria can help to improve and systemize the decision-making process.

Children in out-of-home care may experience multiple losses, from separation from birth parents and siblings to loss of friendships, culture, and sense of belonging and normality. The impacts of these significant losses on a child's development and wellbeing have typically been the subject of childhood trauma research. While understanding the impact is important, children's experiences of the losses and the ways adults can support them to grieve are less explored in research. Recently, out-of-home care researchers have begun to address this knowledge gap by applying the concept of ambiguous loss to capture and understand children's grief and loss. This article builds on this work and reports findings of a qualitative study that involved 30 out-of-home care practitioners. Constructivist Grounded Theory was applied to analyse the research data which resulted in the HEAR model that outlines the practice components that out-of-home care practitioners considered important in effectively responding to children's experience of ambiguous loss. These components are (1) Honouring ambiguous loss; (2) Establishing a care community; (3) Attuning to the lack of finality of ambiguous loss and (4) Reducing ambiguity. This article presents research findings that supported the development of the HEAR model, and discusses its implications for out-of-home care practice.