{"title":"The outsider within: The agentic practices of Family Group Conference coordinators in the context of families with children at risk","authors":"Jordan Shaibe, Orna Shemer","doi":"10.1111/cfs.13114","DOIUrl":"10.1111/cfs.13114","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Family Group Conference (FGC) is a participatory decision-making process for families with children at risk, for whom concerns were recognized by the family, the professionals and/or the community. In its initial stages, FGC is organized, and the families are accompanied, by independent coordinators. The study used a qualitative, action-oriented methodology to explore what practices coordinators use to foster FGC's family-led dynamic. The data collection included 13 semi-structured, in-depth interviews and two research group discussions with coordinators to learn about their perspectives and practices. The study found that these practices were guided by three main principles of action: to affirm the family's control and responsibility, to highlight the family's ability and to orient the family towards the future. The article explores how these practices contribute to the family-led dynamic of FGC and situates them within the context of the welfare system and the positioning of the coordinators as ‘outsiders-within’ to both the family and the welfare services. This study contributes to the body of knowledge on participatory child welfare models and agentic practices and offers implications for policy and implementation of FGC in a manner that recognizes and respects families' agency.</p>","PeriodicalId":10025,"journal":{"name":"Child & Family Social Work","volume":"29 2","pages":"560-570"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2023-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/cfs.13114","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"138624090","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Jemma Venables, Jenny Povey, Madonna Boman, Karen Healy, Janeen Baxter, Sophie Austerberry, Kate Thompson
{"title":"Navigating the Australian child protection system: The importance of formal and informal support for carers to effectively provide care to children in out-of-home care","authors":"Jemma Venables, Jenny Povey, Madonna Boman, Karen Healy, Janeen Baxter, Sophie Austerberry, Kate Thompson","doi":"10.1111/cfs.13106","DOIUrl":"10.1111/cfs.13106","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Children in out-of-home care (OOHC) are a vulnerable group who often experience poorer outcomes than their peers who are not in OOHC. In 2020–2021, there were approximately 46 200 children in OOHC in Australia, with 91% in a family setting with foster or kinship carers. Data from other countries show similar patterns indicating that foster and kinship carers provide care for most children in OOHC. To effectively provide children in OOHC with the care they require, including safety, stability, and connection, the carers need a social support system that equips them to meet the needs of these vulnerable children and to prevent the breakdown of placements. The study presented in this paper draws on social constructivist and critical perspectives to examine the formal and informal social support available to carers using data from a qualitative study investigating OOHC in Queensland, Australia. Our sample is 113 carers, caring for 194 children aged 1–12 years old. We find lack of integration across formal support systems and failure to recognize the invisible workload undertaken by carers are two key challenges faced by carers. Upskilling and stabilizing the child protection work force, as well as better training for carers, is also required. Addressing these issues will enhance the social support systems of carers and improve the safety, stability, and connection of children in OOHC.</p>","PeriodicalId":10025,"journal":{"name":"Child & Family Social Work","volume":"30 2","pages":"237-250"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2023-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/cfs.13106","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"138617535","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"When young people age out of care: Foster care in a life course and network perspective","authors":"Inger Oterholm, Ingrid Höjer","doi":"10.1111/cfs.13111","DOIUrl":"10.1111/cfs.13111","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Research highlights the importance of supportive relations for young people leaving care. Foster carers give an important contribution to such support. However, there is less knowledge about foster carers' views about the relational contact after the young person has aged out of care. This article explores foster carers' perspectives building on interviews with foster carers from both Norway and Sweden about their views on relational continuity. Life course and network theory are used as theoretical lenses to understand the opportunities and challenges for further contact both with cares and extended foster family. Findings suggest that foster carers have a lifelong perspective, still the relationship can be uncertain and some result in breaks. Viewed from a life course perspective, the relationships can also be renewed, and foster carers and other members of the foster family seem to be important sources of support for young people with a care background.</p>","PeriodicalId":10025,"journal":{"name":"Child & Family Social Work","volume":"29 2","pages":"538-547"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2023-11-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/cfs.13111","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139201162","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Charlie Brazil, Lizette Nolte, Barbara Rishworth, Brian Littlechild
{"title":"“Fighting the invisible system”: A grounded theory study of the experiences of child protection social workers in England","authors":"Charlie Brazil, Lizette Nolte, Barbara Rishworth, Brian Littlechild","doi":"10.1111/cfs.13110","DOIUrl":"10.1111/cfs.13110","url":null,"abstract":"<p>This article reports on an exploration of social workers' perspectives on the social policy and agency processes that shape their experiences of working in child protection services. A qualitative constructivist grounded theory methodology was employed, and 17 qualified social workers and managers were recruited. Social workers described working within an oppressive system, balancing unrealistic demands placed on them, and struggling to restore balance and hope. They shared how this filtered into the work they do with families and the role that relationality and peer support has in surviving the work.</p>","PeriodicalId":10025,"journal":{"name":"Child & Family Social Work","volume":"29 2","pages":"526-537"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2023-11-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/cfs.13110","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139202282","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Yangjin Park Ph.D., MSW, Pa Thor Ph.D., MSW, Sejung Yang Ph.D., MSW
{"title":"The role of parental aggravation in the intergenerational transmission of depression across different family structures","authors":"Yangjin Park Ph.D., MSW, Pa Thor Ph.D., MSW, Sejung Yang Ph.D., MSW","doi":"10.1111/cfs.13113","DOIUrl":"10.1111/cfs.13113","url":null,"abstract":"<p>This study examined the role of parental aggravation in the pathway from maternal depression to child depression in different family structures. While studies have extensively examined the transmission of maternal depressive symptoms to children, there is still a limited emphasis on potential contributors, such as parental aggravation. Meanwhile, cohabiting and single-parent families are more vulnerable to multiple risk factors than married families. Using a large national longitudinal dataset, this study examined the indirect effect of parental aggravation on the association between maternal depression and child depression among married, cohabiting and single-mother families. Secondary data analysis was performed using multigroup mediation analysis on three waves from the Future of Families and Child Wellbeing Studies (n = 3 117). The study results show that only in cohabiting households did maternal depression have a direct association with child depression. Furthermore, in married, cohabiting and single-mother families, parental aggravation had indirect effects on the association between maternal depression and child depression. Implications for social work professionals to address the mental health of parents and children from non-traditional families are discussed.</p>","PeriodicalId":10025,"journal":{"name":"Child & Family Social Work","volume":"29 2","pages":"548-559"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2023-11-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139231336","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Katarzyna Ćwirynkało, Monika Parchomiuk, Patricia Fronek
{"title":"Fathers with intellectual disabilities raising children with disabilities in Poland: An interpretive phenomenological analysis","authors":"Katarzyna Ćwirynkało, Monika Parchomiuk, Patricia Fronek","doi":"10.1111/cfs.13108","DOIUrl":"10.1111/cfs.13108","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Research on parents with intellectual disabilities and their children tends to focus on individual risk and those factors associated with child maltreatment. Interviews and Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis was used to explore the lived experience of 10 Polish fathers with intellectual disabilities raising children with disabilities. Three main themes emerged: (1) everybody's got something, (2) on being a father, and (3) finding meaning. The findings indicated that participants focused on strengths rather than disability diagnoses. They did recognize that they experienced various challenges associated with managing some behaviours, meeting educational, health and disability needs, and that additional support was helpful. Fathers also faced socioeconomic disadvantage, limited employment opportunities, and communication difficulties with schools, bureaucracies and services, and a lack of understanding by some professionals including teachers. Fathers appreciated the support their children received. All fathers found meaning in their unique experiences of fatherhood through mutual affection and their children's successes. Recommendations for practice and future research are discussed.</p>","PeriodicalId":10025,"journal":{"name":"Child & Family Social Work","volume":"30 2","pages":"226-236"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2023-11-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139229448","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Shiyun Ji, Xiaoliang Zeng, Chen Chen, Rong Fu, Zhiyong Shen, Xiaoming Li, Nancy Xiaonan Yu
{"title":"Integrated model of maternal caregiving in child HIV management in Chinese mother–child dyads living with HIV: A qualitative dyadic analysis","authors":"Shiyun Ji, Xiaoliang Zeng, Chen Chen, Rong Fu, Zhiyong Shen, Xiaoming Li, Nancy Xiaonan Yu","doi":"10.1111/cfs.13112","DOIUrl":"10.1111/cfs.13112","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Perinatally HIV-positive (PHIV+) children face challenges arising from their complicated and highly stigmatized chronic illness throughout childhood and adolescence. Caring and support from caregivers are vital, especially from their mothers who also live with HIV. However, little is known regarding how HIV+ mothers coach their PHIV+ children to adjust to HIV. This study used dyadic-level qualitative analyses of semi-structured, one-on-one interviews among 20 mother–child dyads (<i>n</i> = 40; children aged 12–18 years) living with HIV in southern China. Interviews examined the perspectives of both mothers and children on the maternal caregiving in child HIV management and child adaptation outcomes. Our findings showed that based on a dual-dimension model of the extent of maternal involvement in child HIV management and the intimacy of the mother–child relationship, four categories of maternal caring emerged among the mother–child dyads: supportiveness (<i>n</i> = 4, 20%), independence (<i>n</i> = 9, 45%), contradiction (<i>n</i> = 4, 20%) and alienation (<i>n</i> = 3, 15%). The PHIV+ children's selected HIV management indicators (including disclosure of HIV status, HIV-related communication, antiretroviral therapy adherence, stigma coping and emotion management) also showed some variations among these four categories. The integrated model may inform the development of dyadic intervention programmes tailored for mothers and children both living with HIV.</p>","PeriodicalId":10025,"journal":{"name":"Child & Family Social Work","volume":"30 2","pages":"214-225"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2023-11-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139229205","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Neglecting to consider early emotional development after abuse and/or neglect: Insights and recommendations from child welfare providers","authors":"Nicole Megan Edwards, Carlomagno C. Panlilio","doi":"10.1111/cfs.13107","DOIUrl":"10.1111/cfs.13107","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Laying a strong foundation for emotional development in children birth to 5 is of critical importance, but the extent to which this is considered following child abuse and/or neglect, foster care placement, reunification, and potential re-entry into foster care remains unclear. Using a convergent mixed methods design, we investigated perceptions among child welfare professionals given the contributing role they could play in both initiating provider–parent dialogue and connecting families with timely resources to better support early emotional development post-abuse/neglect. Fifty eight child welfare professionals in an urban, Northeastern County of the USA participated (73% response rate). Survey data and focus group insights shed light on satisfaction with and roadblocks to supporting foster and biological parents in promoting emotional development. A low proportion of respondents offered advice on emotional development, referred families to relevant parent education, or perceived biological or foster parents as extremely prepared. Self-reported likelihood of providing advice to families was positively associated with access to information on emotional development, years employed, and job satisfaction. Multilevel roadblocks were identified. Results inform systems-level, family-centred initiatives and information sharing to better support emotional development post-abuse and/or neglect.</p>","PeriodicalId":10025,"journal":{"name":"Child & Family Social Work","volume":"29 2","pages":"501-513"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2023-11-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139231916","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Revisiting the influence of community social capital indices on child maltreatment rates: The moderating effects of place","authors":"Intae Kim, Ran Kim","doi":"10.1111/cfs.13094","DOIUrl":"10.1111/cfs.13094","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The study of the antecedents of child maltreatment has advanced through ecological research, but there has been a limited focus on the role of community social capital. This study investigates the effects of community social capital on child maltreatment and how these associations differ by regional type, using data on child maltreatment rates in 226 localities in South Korea from 2014 to 2019. Surprisingly, our results show that social trust, networks, and engagement in community affairs are positively associated with child maltreatment rates. Additionally, the mechanisms of social capital effects on child maltreatment vary by place, being more pronounced in small- and medium-sized cities and rural areas. Our findings suggest that a more nuanced understanding of social capital mechanisms across dimensions and locations is required to effectively address child maltreatment. This study contributes to both theory and practice by highlighting the importance of community social capital in preventing child maltreatment and demonstrating the contextual nature of these associations.</p>","PeriodicalId":10025,"journal":{"name":"Child & Family Social Work","volume":"29 2","pages":"398-410"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2023-11-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139256212","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Cyber victimization with increasing digitization during the COVID-19 pandemic and coping strategies used by adolescents","authors":"Ayla Hendekci PhD, RN, Eda Albayrak RN, Nuray Şimşek PhD, RN","doi":"10.1111/cfs.13104","DOIUrl":"10.1111/cfs.13104","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Pandemics, a current and important public health problem, can increase the risk of cyberbullying. Especially in adolescence, knowledge about coping with this type of victimization is limited. This study aimed to reveal the cyberbullying victimization experiences of adolescents with the increased digitalization during the pandemic and the coping strategies they employed. The study is a descriptive and cross-sectional study. The research sample consists of adolescents (<i>n</i> = 344). The data were collected online using Personal Information Form, Cyber Victim Scale, and Coping with Cyberbullying Scale. The mean Cyber Victim Scale score of the adolescents was 21.97 ± 5.83, and the mean Coping with Cyberbullying Scale score was 63.33 ± 9.06. It was found that the increase in the frequency of Internet use, the change in the purpose of Internet use during the pandemic, and the sharing of the negative experiences with others negatively affect cyber victimization (<i>p</i> < 0.05). In today's world where digitalization is increasing, it is recommended to provide interdisciplinary trainings to adolescents, to include families in various trainings with school–family cooperation, and to receive support from nurses in this process.</p>","PeriodicalId":10025,"journal":{"name":"Child & Family Social Work","volume":"30 1","pages":"37-47"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2023-11-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"136347766","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}