Family Systems Theory

Re-visioning Child Protection Management Embedded in Family Empowerment

“…Working with the vulnerable families is not simply doing the statutory job of "getting things right" with a checklist based formulistic intervention (Harris, 2012;Laming, 2009), but structuring an evidence based humanistic pathway so that the targeted families have reasons to remain engaged with the system, based on the evidence of their lived experiences. The demand for a more compassionate, competent and compatible CPS, as well as ongoing research and professional education and development to build the service, are further reinforced by increasing vulnerability in our families, amidst exposure to diverse adversities in the complex societal change process as discussed in Chapter 1 and acknowledged in literatures (Giddens, 2002;Tilbury et al, 2007;Dore, 2008;Parton, 2010;Basu, 2014).…”

Disability and the Family in South Wales Coalfield Society, c.1920–1939

“…Historians, it is clear, would need to be attuned to the particular cultural contexts in which they utilise the theory. 77 It is clear, nevertheless, that a sociologically-informed perspective can help to bring an extra level of precision to the analysis of disability in any particular historical context. This case study of south Wales coalfield society in the interwar period demonstrates the ways in which family systems theory and the social ecology model of disability can aid attempts to understand how impairment in the past affected families as much as the individual family members who were disabled, and how the experience of disability in each individual case was impacted upon and shaped in a variety of different ways by an interconnected and interacting hierarchy of social networks: from dynamics within the family, through community-based factors, to the broader socio-economic and political context of the time.…”

“…that part of the family responsible for raising children), with all the emotional and practical consequences that that brings; in instances where children came to care for parents, on the other hand, as was relatively common in these industrial communities in the past, the changes in the emotional functioning of the family were even greater and the consequences for the individual child that much more significant. 43 Conversely, some families, when faced with the adverse economic consequences of disability, made the decision to limit family size and have fewer children; the existing children in such families were also forced to enter the world of work at younger ages, rather than remain in education or help in the home, with the diminished life chances that that brought them. 44 In several respects, the most significant impact upon the 'locus of care' within a family was felt when it was the wife/mother within a family who was ill or disabled.…”

“…In other instances, the emotional disengagement between family members can lead to more porous boundaries with the outside world that enable external systems, usually in the form of charities, local authorities and statutory welfare agencies, to enter the family system at ease and to impinge upon it without any difficulty. 54 This is also complicated by families' evaluation of the social and emotional costs of assistance from different providers of assistance. Working-class cultures of respectability, independence and self-sufficiency would have discouraged families from seeking assistance from the Poor Law or charities, though need would clearly have acted against such inclinations.…”

Student-Athlete School Selection: A Family Systems Theory Approach

“…For these reasons, Family Systems Theory-a theoretical approach that accounts for the social interactions in a family system (related to sport socialization) as well as how external entities can affect the family structure (related to the college decision-making process)-can serve as a guide for those involved in the college-decision making process of prospective NCAA studentathletes. Specifically, Family Systems Theory takes into account the role members both within and external to the family can have on behavioral decisions made by one or more family members (Dore 2008;Collins, 2012). Thus, exploring the college decision-making process of prospective NCAA student-athletes through the lens of Family Systems Theory can provide insightful guidance to those within the family structure (prospective student-athletes and their parents) and those external to the family (coaches and athletic administrators).…”