In England, placement within the looked after system is not viewed as a desirable long-term solution for most children, and policy has prioritised continued contact with parents, and swift return home, wherever possible. This review examines policy approaches to work with families of looked after children in England and in three other European countries: Denmark, France and the Netherlands, aiming to identify areas for shared learning in relation to this challenging area of policy and practice. The research highlights relationships between care populations and policy understandings of the purpose of work with families, including understandings of children's and/or parents' rights.
In addition to existing institutional barriers in European societies, refugee settlement and integration also faces numerous social challenges, such as discrimination and stigmatisation towards refugee groups. Family hosting is a bold refugee accommodation solution promoted by social workers across the European continent, which draws attention to the complexities of refugee support. This study examines family hosting in France to assess its influences on refugee integration in the host society. Through in-depth interviews with 34 multi-stakeholders (20 refugees, 10 hosting family members and 4 social workers) from different family hosting projects, family hosting has been proven to bring comprehensive influences to refugee integration, such as accumulation of social connection and cultivation of the sense of belonging. Nonetheless, it has also revealed potential limitations alongside the cohabitation process, for instance, the risk of negatively impacting refugees' privacy and experience of independence. In terms of the implication for future social work practice, the evidence showed that family hosting is not a once-and-for-all solution; it depends on the refugee's situation and requirements. In addition, for those refugees who are ready to be hosted, the research shows that different hosting schedules, either long-term or short-term, impact on how each case functions, with pros and cons.RÉSUMÉ Europe; travail social en France
En protection de l'enfance, comme dans d'autres dispositifs éducatifs, le principe d'une implication des parents tend à s'imposer dans le discours officiel. Dans la pratique, cependant, le placement d'un enfant en institution ou en famille entraîne un éloignement et une disqualification des parents. À partir d'une recherche menée dans quatre pays européens, cet article tente de cerner ce que recouvre la notion d'implication et comment les parents peuvent, malgré le placement, être acteurs de l'éducation de leur enfant. Les professionnels et les institutions ont un rôle central dans la manière dont ils s'adressent aux parents, leur confient des tâches éducatives et organisent les moments passés entre parents et enfants.
The Erasmus Mundus ADVANCES Master program has been funded with support from the Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency of the European Commission under Grant FPA 2013-0242. This publication reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.
This article examines developments in parenting and family support services in France. Drawing on qualitative empirical studies, the article considers two types of initiatives ‒ the Programmes for Educational Success (PRE) and parenting interventions delivered alongside child protection services. Both of these services are examples of new types of parenting and family support interventions in the French context targeted at ‘children at risk’, seeking to address and prevent problems of educational underachievement, youth offending, poor health in children and young people and child neglect and maltreatment. The article critically reviews tensions between principles of more responsive, partnership-based family support and more prescriptive parenting education and family interventions. Drawing on empirical findings, the article examines frontline practice and professional‒family relationships, highlighting the significance of ‘parental involvement’ practice and conflicting professional and parental perspectives about children's needs, family support and professional–client relationships
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