Child Welfare and Information and Communication Technology: Today's Challenge

Abstract

Information and communication technology (ICT) usage in contemporary child welfare practice reflects dominant managerial interests rather than those of the profession, and, importantly, of service users. Explicit use of ICT in the interests of service users remains embryonic, and professionals have been slow to capitalize on the communication potential of new technologies. This contrasts with technology uptake in other areas of human services. Unless this situation changes, client participation and power may decline further and managerial interests increasingly dominate. ICT has the potential to strengthen interaction between families and workers and change the conditions of initiation, distribution and use of spoken and written 'texts' in social work practice. This could significantly affect the ability of service users to be heard and to influence decision making. However, the opportunities and limitations of computer-mediated communication are a relatively new area of study-their application to child welfare requires considerable care. Social workers should explore the advantages that ICT offers service users and challenge the digital divide which still affects significant pockets of service users, and reflect on our own role in this. Here, we ask why social work has been has been slow to capitalize on new approaches to its core business: communication.

Lost without a Trace? Social Networking and Social Research with a Hardto-Reach Population

“…This concern has been voiced in relation to other areas of social work, such as in the adoption field where adopted individuals or birth parents have been traced through Facebook and where access to such data through social networking sites is resulting in significant shifts in the nature of practice (Fursland, 2010). Tregeagle and Darcy (2008) raise important points about respecting users' privacy in the Internet. In the current study, the researchers and the participating services proceeded with considerable care, aware of the vulnerability of the group and the potential that individuals may be living with partners or in life situations where others are unaware of their childhood backgrounds.…”

Managing contact in Scotland for children in non‐permanent out‐of‐home placement

“…An area where practitioners need to embrace the possibilities of contact, even where there is risk, is contact via the internet. Tregeagle and Darcy (2008) ask why child welfare practice has been slow to take advantage of ICT when communication is central to its task. The data here suggest that one reason is practitioners' concerns about the risks contact by ICT might pose to children in out-of-home placement.…”

“…The general absence of practice experience of this form of contact was surprising given its increasing prevalence in society generally: most children in developed countries have access to a computer and can access the internet (Tregeagle and Darcy, 2008). This limited experience could reflect that online contact was 'There was a risk of parents giving children inappropriate messages' 'Only three respondents had knowledge of contact by this means' occurring but without social workers' knowledge-a number of respondents answered that they were 'not aware' of contact occurring via e-mail or the internet, recognising that it could nonetheless be happening.…”

“…A second explanation is the 'digital divide'. Most parents and children who have social work involvement are low-income families and computer access is considerably lower amongst poorer socio-economic groups (Tregeagle and Darcy, 2008). It was, however, notable that several respondents who did not have first-hand experience of this type of contact framed it as an unmitigated risk: …”

Repositioning Electronic Information Systems in Human Service Organizations

“…Spending more time with the IS than service users also emerged from a survey of social care professionals in England, where over half said that they spent more than 60% of their time on administrative tasks and more than one-fifth said they spent over 80% (Samuel, 2005, cited in Parton, 2008. As Tregeagle and Darcy (2008) have argued, the imperatives of managers and head office staff to gather data have taken precedence over those of frontline staff to spend time with clients. However, carefully designed IS do not have to dominate workloads.…”