Social Work, Parents and the Child Protection Process

Representations of Parents in Policy, Organisation and Social Work Practice

Author: Katrin Bain and John Harris

Social Work, Parents and the Child Protection Process

This book explores the relationships between parents and the social workers making judgements about children involved in child protection cases. It is a powerful tool for students, practitioners and researchers to evaluate future policy and practice models, aiming for the best possible outcomes for families.

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Summary

Description

Despite the pivotal role played by parents in the child protection process, little attention has been paid to how social workers perceive them.

Exploring representations of parents within Children's Services, at the levels of policy, organisation and frontline practice, this book uses the concept of citizenship to construct a typology with ten variants of parent-citizenship. The typology reveals the complexities of parental representations and their relationship to the content of policy, organisational environments and dominant societal themes, as it uncovers how social workers use their discretion to influence representations of parents in practice.

The book is a resource that can be used by students, practitioners, researchers and parents advocacy organisations to evaluate policy and practice and to contribute to the search for the best possible outcomes for families. Arguing that parental participation in the child protection process is essential, the book increases the visibility of parents and contributes to a much-needed dialogue about their position and the expectations of them in Children's Services.

Critic Reviews

“This text dares to engage readers constructively in practice dilemmas over child protection from a critical policy perspective that facilitates justice-orientated relationships against the impositions of political agendas.” Walter Lorenz, Free University of Bozen-Bolzano and Charles University Prague
“This timely and thought-provoking book about Children’s Services brings parents from the shadows of child-centred practice into the spotlight. Positioning parents as citizens, the authors unpick the assumptions built into childcare legislation, management and practice. By sympathetically reporting the frustrations, contradictions and limitations of contemporary child protection social work, they lay the foundations for practice that treats parents with respect.” Paul Bywaters, University of Huddersfield
“In reconstructing the roles and representations of parents in the child protection process at the policy, organisational and practice levels, this nuanced book provides new and thought-provoking insights into the complexities and contradictions of the child protection process.” Stefan Schnurr, University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland.