Participative Case Planning: A model for empowering practice in statutory child welfare

Abstract

This paper describes the technique of participative case planning, a tool developed and used by the author for working with families who have had their children removed because of abuse and/or neglect. This technique seeks to assist families and practitioners to work together in an empowering way to return children home quickly and safely. The particular model draws on theoretical principles and perspectives of empowerment, case management, case planning, crisis intervention, task centred therapy and contracting.The paper outlines the steps involved in participative case planning pom preparation for the meeting to its end. It also addresses a number of issues, including the role of the chairperson, involvement of children and non-return of children.

Aspiring to Partnership. The Signs of Safety approach to child protection

“…Family Group Conferencing now not only has almost a decade of implementation in New Zealand it has also been used and assessed in many other countries (Ban, 1993, Family Rights Group, 1994, Morris & Tunnard, 1996, Hudson, Morris, Maxwell & Galaway 1996and Merkel-Holguin, 1998. It is in the area of conferencing that partnership has been most fully explored and there are also several other partnership aspiring conferencing models that we know of (Mayer, 1989, MacCullum, 1992, Keys, 1996and Graber, Keys, & White, 1996.…”

Family involvement in decision making in child protection and care: four types of case conference

“…but does not substantially alter the outcome.' (Spence 1992, p.7) Where some Victorians hoped for a solution in legislation and procedures, McCallum (1992) promoted a practice model of participatory case planning, which blends the formal authority of the postcourt case planning and review mechanism with the practice processes of engaging family members in problem solving. This model has links with the family group conferences and pre-hearing conferences to be discussed below.…”

Signs of effectiveness of signs of safety? – A pilot study

“…However, it must be pointed out that these studies did not focus on the SoS-approach. With regard to a cooperative partnership between the social worker and the parents, this isfollowing the work of McCallum (1992) seen as a prerequisite for establishing parental empowerment in SoS (Turnell & Edwards, 1997). Although numerous studies emphasize the importance of a constructive relationship between the family and the social worker (MacKinnon, 1998;Teoh, Laffer, Parton, & Turnell, 2003;Thoburn, Lewis, & Shemmings, 1995) and qualitative studies support enhanced partnership by SoS (e.g.…”