Journal of Childrens Services最新文献

{"title":"“Friendly, local and welcoming” – evaluation of a community mental health early intervention service","authors":"S. Parry, Zarah Eve, Vasileios Stamou, A. Brockway, Daniela Di Basilio","doi":"10.1108/jcs-12-2021-0053","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1108/jcs-12-2021-0053","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000Purpose\u0000Half of adulthood mental health challenges begin by the age of 14-years-old, making the need for early-intervention clear. This study aims to evaluate a new service model that promotes early-intervention through a community based low-intensity Hub.\u0000\u0000\u0000Design/methodology/approach\u0000Clinical data from 2,384 young people were analysed through within-group, pre- and post-comparisons and qualitative survey, and interview data was analysed through content analysis.\u0000\u0000\u0000Findings\u0000Overall, participants reported that they were highly satisfied with the Hub and the low-intensity brief interventions met their needs. Participants reported that learning new skills, having a place to talk and positive therapeutic relationships were beneficial. The Hub appeared to be less successful for young people with complex mental health difficulties. As a service, the adoption of the Hub model reduced waiting list times by more than half.\u0000\u0000\u0000Research limitations/implications\u0000The quantitative data demonstrated that engaging with the Hub reduced symptoms of psychological distress. Qualitative analyses suggest that access to local, community, welcoming and “less clinical” support was beneficial, and the type of brief interventions offered was less important than therapeutic relationships.\u0000\u0000\u0000Originality/value\u0000This is the first study of a novel “Hub” model for low-intensity brief interventions in a socio-economically deprived area of England. Local knowledge, community integrated support, therapeutic relationships and a welcoming environment were viewed as more beneficial than the type of brief interventions offered. Consequently, community spaces can be created to be therapeutic and beneficial for mental health outside of a traditional conceptualisation of clinical support.\u0000","PeriodicalId":45244,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Childrens Services","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2023-08-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42204516","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"From “intimate-insider” to “relative-outsider”: an autoethnographic account of undertaking social work research in one’s own “backyard”","authors":"Ciarán Murphy","doi":"10.1108/jcs-02-2023-0006","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1108/jcs-02-2023-0006","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000Purpose\u0000This study aims to explore the challenges of being simultaneously “intimate insider” and “relative outsider” whilst undertaking an ethnography into a statutory child protection team. As a novice researcher seeking to explore a world of which he was already part, ethnography was considered the most suitable means for exploring child protection social workers’ discretion. However, by subscribing to binary notions of “insider” and “outsider” at the commencement of the study, the author underplayed the dilemma of reconciling friendships with his researcher role, as well as the barriers that his more junior organisational status could create.\u0000\u0000\u0000Design/methodology/approach\u0000This study provides an autoethnographic account of these challenges, and the author’s evolving status and movement between “insider” and “outsider” relative to different groups within the children’s services department.\u0000\u0000\u0000Findings\u0000The implications include the potential for being simultaneously “insider” and “outsider” when undertaking research within one’s employing organisation; the need to reconcile challenging social work tasks with researcher responsibilities; and the difficulty of maintaining pre-existing relationships, whilst also cultivating an objective research profile.\u0000\u0000\u0000Originality/value\u0000This paper offers an important contribution to the limited accounts of conducting research from “inside” a statutory children’s services department and will be of benefit to early career researchers considering a research project within their own “backyard”.\u0000","PeriodicalId":45244,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Childrens Services","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2023-08-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45294215","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Effective child well-being practices, barriers and priority actions: survey findings from service providers and policymakers in 22 countries during COVID-19","authors":"D. Karadzhov, Graham Wilson, Sophie Shields, E. Lux, Jennifer Davidson","doi":"10.1108/jcs-10-2022-0028","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1108/jcs-10-2022-0028","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000Purpose\u0000The purpose of this study was to explore 232 service providers’ and policymakers’ experiences of supporting children’s well-being during the pandemic, across sectors, in 22 countries – including Kenya, the Philippines, South Africa, India, Scotland, Sweden, Canada and the USA, in the last quarter of 2020.\u0000\u0000\u0000Design/methodology/approach\u0000A smartphone survey delivered via a custom-built app containing mostly open-ended questions was used. Respondents were recruited via professional networks, newsletters and social media. Qualitative content analysis was used.\u0000\u0000\u0000Findings\u0000The findings reveal numerous system-level challenges to supporting children’s well-being, particularly virus containment measures, resource deficiencies and inadequate governance and stakeholder coordination. Those challenges compounded preexisting inequalities and poorly affected the quality, effectiveness and reach of services. As a result, children’s rights to an adequate standard of living; protection from violence; education; play; and right to be heard were impinged upon. Concurrently, the findings illustrate a range of adaptive and innovative practices in humanitarian and subsistence support; child protection; capacity-building; advocacy; digitalisation; and psychosocial and educational support. Respondents identified several priority areas – increasing service capacity and equity; expanding technology use; mobilising cross-sectoral partnerships; involving children in decision-making; and ensuring more effective child protection mechanisms.\u0000\u0000\u0000Practical implications\u0000This study seeks to inform resilience-enabling policies and practices that foster equity, child and community empowerment and organisational resilience and innovation, particularly in anticipation of future crises.\u0000\u0000\u0000Originality/value\u0000Using a novel approach to gather in-the-moment insights remotely, this study offers a unique international and multi-sectoral perspective, particularly from low- and middle-income countries.\u0000","PeriodicalId":45244,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Childrens Services","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2023-07-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46286013","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Child First and the end of ‘bifurcation’ in youth justice?","authors":"Stephen Case, Roger Smith","doi":"10.1108/jcs-02-2023-0005","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1108/jcs-02-2023-0005","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000Purpose\u0000This study aims to critically evaluate the trajectory of the “Child First” guiding principle for youth justice in England and Wales, which challenges adult-centric constructions of children (when they offend) as “threatening” and asserts a range of theoretical and principled assumptions about the nature of childhood and children’s evolving capacity.\u0000\u0000\u0000Design/methodology/approach\u0000Focussing on how Child First seeks to transcend the socio-historically bifurcated (polarised/dichotomised) thinking and models/strategies/frameworks of youth justice, this study examines the extent and nature of this binary thinking and its historical and contemporary influence on responses to children’s offending, latterly manifested as more hybridised (yet still discernibly bifurcated) approaches.\u0000\u0000\u0000Findings\u0000Analyses identified an historical and contemporary influence on bifurcated responses to offending by children in the United Kingdom/England and Wales, subsequently manifested as more hybridised (yet still discernibly bifurcated) approaches. Analyses also identified a contemporary, progressive challenge to bifurcated youth justice thinking, policy and practice through the “Child First” guiding principle.\u0000\u0000\u0000Originality/value\u0000By tracing the trajectory of Child First as an explicit, progressive challenge to previous youth justice thinking and formal “approaches”, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, they are the first to question whether, in taking this approach, Child First represents a clean break with the past, or is just the latest in a series of strategic realignments in youth justice seeking to resolve inherent tensions between competing constructions of children and their behaviour.\u0000","PeriodicalId":45244,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Childrens Services","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2023-07-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43196427","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Why are there higher rates of children looked after in Wales?","authors":"H. Hodges, J. Scourfield","doi":"10.1108/jcs-02-2022-0007","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1108/jcs-02-2022-0007","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000Purpose\u0000The purpose of this paper is to consider some possible reasons for the relatively high rate in Wales of children looked after by local authorities.\u0000\u0000\u0000Design/methodology/approach\u0000Selected potential explanations for Wales having higher rates were tested against aggregate data from published 2021 Government statistics. Wales was compared with England and English regions for area deprivation, local authority spending, placements at home and kinship foster care. Descriptive statistics were produced, and linear regression was used where appropriate.\u0000\u0000\u0000Findings\u0000Wales has higher overall children looked-after rates and a bigger recent increase in these than any English region. Deprivation in Wales was higher than in most English regions. However, a smaller percentage of Welsh variation in local authority looked-after rates was explained by deprivation than was the case for England. Spending on preventative services has increased in recent years in Wales whilst decreasing in England, and there was not a clear relationship between spending on preventative services and the looked-after rate. Wales had a higher rate of care orders placed at home and more children per head of population in kinship foster care than any English region. Some of the explanations that have been suggested for Wales’s particularly high looked-after rates seem to be supported by the evidence from aggregate data and others do not. Practice variation is likely to also be an important part of the picture.\u0000\u0000\u0000Originality/value\u0000This is an original comparison of Wales, England and English regions using aggregate data. More fine-grained analysis is needed using individual-level data, multivariate analysis and qualitative methods.\u0000","PeriodicalId":45244,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Childrens Services","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2023-07-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46300953","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The “PERSPECS” principles: early action and migrant children with no recourse to public funds","authors":"A. Jolly","doi":"10.1108/jcs-12-2021-0056","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1108/jcs-12-2021-0056","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000Purpose\u0000This paper aims to make the case for early action approaches with migrant families, introducing a set of principles for practice, mapped against the Professional Capabilities Framework for social work and the Social Work England professional standards.\u0000\u0000\u0000Design/methodology/approach\u0000The paper first explores the context of social work with migrant families, outlining the challenges and gaps in our conceptual understanding of this work. The paper then introduces a conceptual model of work with migrant families which draws on the literature from social work and allied professions, and informed by social work values and ethics.\u0000\u0000\u0000Findings\u0000Current social work practice with migrant children has been criticised as defensive, procedural and lacking a coherent conceptual basis, particularly for those who are subject to the no recourse to public funds (NRPF) rule. This field of social work practice would benefit from an evidence-informed model of practice, anchored in human rights approaches and focused on early action. Eight principles, drawn from existing good practice in other social work and social care contexts, are outlined as the basis for a new model of practice in social work with migrant families.\u0000\u0000\u0000Originality/value\u0000The NRPF rule is a provision in the immigration rules that prevents people who are subject to immigration control from claiming most social security benefits in the UK. In recent years, there has been an increased interest in research about the NRPF rule and its negative impact on children. However, there is currently no evaluated model of social work practice for children and families with NRPF.\u0000","PeriodicalId":45244,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Childrens Services","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2023-06-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"41960625","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Changes in the YLS/CMI risk inventory scores as predictors of MST behavioral treatment goals","authors":"S. Hukkelberg, Terje Ogden, K. Taraldsen","doi":"10.1108/jcs-05-2022-0016","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1108/jcs-05-2022-0016","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000Purpose\u0000This study aims to investigate outcomes of multisystemic therapy (MST) using the Youth Level of Service/Case Management Inventory (YLS/CMI) – part I.\u0000\u0000\u0000Design/methodology/approach\u0000This study, using a pre-post design, included a sample of 2,123 Norwegian youths (mean age = 14.7, SD = 1.34). The MST team supervisors assessed the YLS/CMI risk factors in addition to five behavioral treatment goals (Lives at home, Attends school/work, No violence/threats, Law-abiding and Drug-free) before and after treatment. In addition, data included responses from parent interviews six months post treatment.\u0000\u0000\u0000Findings\u0000Significant correlations were found between the total and dynamic YLS/CMI change scores and the additive index of behavioral treatment goals. In addition, the YLS/CMI change scores predicted the five treatment goals at the termination of treatment and at six-month follow-up.\u0000\u0000\u0000Research limitations/implications\u0000The results indicate that the YLS/CMI is a valuable assessment tool for predicting the achievement of MST behavioral goals in adolescents with serious problem behavior.\u0000\u0000\u0000Practical implications\u0000This study provides an evaluation of the YLS/CMI in a Norwegian context and adds support for continued use of the YLS/CMI in MST.\u0000\u0000\u0000Originality/value\u0000This paper provides new insights about the YLS/CMI inventory as a tool for examining treatment change in MST. Results show that the YLS/CMI captures relevant risk factors in the youths’ environment.\u0000","PeriodicalId":45244,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Childrens Services","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2023-05-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48193374","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Participation patterns in elementary school-aged children with autism spectrum disorders and their typically developing peers","authors":"Noor T Ismael, K. Almhdawi, Ala'a F Jaber, Saddam F Kanaan, Sana'a Al Shlool","doi":"10.1108/jcs-10-2021-0049","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1108/jcs-10-2021-0049","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000Purpose\u0000This study aims to investigate the differences in participation patterns between children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and children with typical development (TD) in Jordan.\u0000\u0000\u0000Design/methodology/approach\u0000The study used a cross-sectional comparative design and convenient and snowball sampling. The sample consisted of 60 children (30 ASD and 30 TD), mean age (nine years), who completed the Children’s Assessment of Participation and Enjoyment and the Preferences for Activities of Children (CAPE/PAC) via interview. Analyses consisted of descriptive statistics and Mann-Whitney U tests.\u0000\u0000\u0000Findings\u0000Children with ASD had significantly lower participation Diversity (U = 24.00, p < 0.000) and Intensity (U = 110.00, p < 0.000) than children with TD. In addition, children with ASD had significantly lower participation preference in Physical (U = 145.50, p < 0.000), Self-Improvement (U = 163.50, p < 0.000), Skill-Based (U = 281.00, p = 0.01), Social activities (U = 307.50, p = 0.03) and total PAC scale score (U = 246.50, p = 0.003). However, children with ASD had significantly higher Enjoyment (U = 274, p < 0.000) than children with TD.\u0000\u0000\u0000Originality/value\u0000Children with ASD have restricted participation patterns due to certain ASD features like extreme sensory processing patterns. However, limited research compared participation patterns between school-aged children with ASD and children with TD. This study concluded that participation patterns in children with ASD are different from children with TD.\u0000","PeriodicalId":45244,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Childrens Services","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2023-05-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"41338921","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Professional identity as a barrier to inter-agency working? A meta-ethnography of research conducted with professionals working in UK children’s services","authors":"Hannah Richardson","doi":"10.1108/jcs-01-2022-0001","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1108/jcs-01-2022-0001","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000Purpose\u0000Serious case reviews remind us that there is much to learn about inter-agency activity. Professional identity is a key phenomenon influencing work behaviour, especially during inter-agency activity. Yet, this link is complex and not well understood within the context of UK children’s services. With an agenda of improving outcomes for children and their families, The purpose of this research paper is to conduct a systematic literature review on this topic to develop a conceptual model aimed at informing how practitioners mobilise their professional identity during inter-agency activity.\u0000\u0000\u0000Design/methodology/approach\u0000This paper used meta-ethnography to synthesise the available research. This method is suitable for researchers who are interested in conceptual or theoretical understandings of a particular phenomenon as opposed to describing individual accounts or experiences.\u0000\u0000\u0000Findings\u0000The findings support postmodern accounts of identity and show the construct as fluid, contingent and constituted within interaction. Professional identities are mobilised through the sharing of professional knowledge, which is underpinned by the performative nature of language. Mobilisations can lead to both positive and negative consequences, which can act as a barrier to and facilitator of inter-agency activity.\u0000\u0000\u0000Originality/value\u0000Inter-agency working is integral to the function of children’s services but remains an undertheorised concept, and this had led to a dearth of guiding theory on inter-agency practice. By drawing on relevant psychological theory, the proposed model provides a unique psycho-social perspective that articulates the important role of identity during inter-agency activity, which would be of interest to professionals working in children’s services.\u0000","PeriodicalId":45244,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Childrens Services","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2023-05-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46671282","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Barriers experienced with multi-agency responses to county line gangs: a focus group study","authors":"Aimee Neaverson, Abi Lake","doi":"10.1108/jcs-03-2022-0012","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1108/jcs-03-2022-0012","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000Purpose\u0000This study aims to create a platform for frontline practitioners to share experiences, express opinions and forge new ideas for effective multi-agency work when responding to child exploitation by county line gangs (CLGs).\u0000\u0000\u0000Design/methodology/approach\u0000CLGs are grooming children as young as age 7. The need for effective multi-agency responses to grooming by CLGs is a key priority for prevention. Using findings from focus groups held with 13 youth practitioners, school staff and charities, this article highlights the barriers that multi-agency frontline practitioners face when they are tasked with responding to instances of child criminal exploitation by CLGs.\u0000\u0000\u0000Findings\u0000Discussions within the focus groups indicate there are many common barriers and driving factors with regards to young people being successfully groomed by a CLG. More specifically, findings from this research identified school exclusions and a lack of prosocial sense of belonging to be a driving factor that exacerbated the risk of being successfully groomed by a CLG. Lack of a significant adult relationship was also found to be a barrier to successful multi-agency intervention, which was attributed to the lack of funding and resources required for adequate staffing needed to build meaningful relationships.\u0000\u0000\u0000Originality/value\u0000This study offered the unique opportunity for practitioners from various different sectors and jurisdictions to share their experiences of not only working with young people involved in CLGs, but also their challenges when using a multi-agency approach. These discussions are particularly important in the case of CLGs due to the cross-jurisdiction nature of the gangs’ activities. This research has identified issues with multi-agency responses to CLGs and offers recommendations for improvement. Identifying and understanding the barriers that practitioners face when responding to CLGs can allow for the development and implementation of various measures, which will aid the safeguarding of vulnerable victims of exploitation by CLGs.\u0000","PeriodicalId":45244,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Childrens Services","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2023-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"41247688","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}