Communication skills in child protection: how do social workers talk to parents?

Abstract

Communication skills are fundamental to social work practice, yet there is little research on the skills that workers have or how they use them. This study analyses 24 taped interviews between social workers and an actor playing a parent (a ‘simulated client’). Two child protection scenarios with different levels of seriousness were used. On average, social workers asked many closed questions and often raised concerns. They used few reflections and rarely identified positives. In all but one interview, social workers were rated as achieving clarity over issues of concern; however, they tended to demonstrate low levels of empathy. The responses of the simulated client were rated for resistance and information disclosure. The factor that most strongly influenced simulated client responses was empathy. Empathic social workers created less resistance and increased the amount of information disclosed by clients. This was not associated with failure to identify and discuss concerns. Empathy, therefore, appears to be central to good social work communication in child protection situations. Given the comparatively low level of empathy expressed by most participants, development of skills in maintaining empathic communication while raising child protection concerns appears a priority. Practical, theoretical and training implications are discussed.

Re-visioning Child Protection Management Embedded in Family Empowerment

“…The discussion on engagement issues has been looked at from the perspective of compatibility. The term 'compatibility' (Moore, 2007 p. 203) has been defined as an ability for coexistence as needed to connect with the "hard to reach" vulnerable people under the values of unconditional positive regard and congruent communications (Cherry, Carpenter, Water, Hawkins, Satterwhite, Stepien, Ruppelt and Herring, 2008;Itzhaky and Dekel, 2008;Forrester et al, 2008). In developing the emotional skills, Tham and Meagher (2009)'s study in Sweden noted the value of a collective initiative (i.e.…”

“…However, this is part of professional responsibility: to establish a realistic knowledge based on the case scenario and create opportunities for future changes through smooth (consistent, respectful and empathetic) communications (Johnson and Sullivan, 2008). Forrester et al (2008), in their research in three local authorities in London (UK) on a sample of 400 consecutive referrals identified child protection workers' poor quality of communication as causing potential concerns in practice because it enhances a lack of consistency in the responses that parents receive. Forrester et al (2008) noticed, the social workers' communications issues were driven by exclusive focus on concerns, and clients became entrenched in denying them, minimising them, and finding it very difficult to face them, in some cases even becoming abusive.…”

“…However, the differential approach was subjected to critical valuational scrutiny due to the difficulty in constructing a credible basis for dividing the child protection process into investigatory and assessment contexts (Cameron and Freymond, 2014). The response process was based upon information from limited or no contact with the families when decisions are made on partial information from the public reporter an issue also noted in the UK jurisdiction (Forrester, Kershaw, Moss and Hughes, 2008). Despite some difficulties in the differential approach, there was no evidence that children considered to be at risk of maltreatment are best protected by emphasising forensic and investigatory approaches alone (Cameron and Freymond, 2014).…”

Parental Participation in Statutory Child Protection Intervention in Scotland

“…The early stages of intervention have been theorised as being about the use and negation of power and identity through dialogical exchange in relational work between service users and professionals (Hall et al, 2006). Forrester et al, (2008) suggests that effective intervention in child protection is 18 more likely to happen when professionals can, within the context of relational work, skilfully balance the care aspects of their work with the control functions. Here, it is argued that professionals who invoke or draw on power whilst simultaneously exhibiting high levels of empathy with service users are likely to be most effective at engaging families in processes of change.…”

Empathy in future teachers of the Pedagogical and Technological University of Colombia

“…That is why empathy plays an essential role in disciplines such as social work, education and, on the whole, all those implying a direct relationship with other individuals (Berg, Raminani, Greer, Harwood, & Safren, 2008;Forrester, Kershaw, Moss, & Hughes, 2008;Green & Christensen, 2006;Mishara et al, 2007). It similarly has a positive impact on suitable moral development (Jollife & Farrington, 2006) and on correct relationships between couples, as well as between parents and children (Busby & Garnder, 2008;Curtner-Smith et al, 2006).…”