Promoting Contact for Children in State Care: Learning from Northern Ireland on the Development of a Framework for Assessing Contact

Abstract

While the principle of contact between children in care and their families is enshrined in law, the precise form and frequency is at the discretion of social workers and the courts. Professionals must seek to balance the twin principles of children's need for protection from the psychological, emotional and physical harm that may arise from having contact with parents and other family members, with the need of family members and children to have their relationships and identity promoted. Courts require clear, structured and unambiguous information about the needs of children and their parents in order make decisions which will have potentially life changing implications for families. In this article we explore one approach to supporting the decision making of legal and social work professionals in relation to the frequency and form of contact by reflecting upon the development by the first author of an approach to assessing the quality and benefits of contact for children in State care in Northern Ireland. We discuss the key principles that should inform decisions and good practice through reflecting on the learning gained from developing and implementing such a structured approach. We conclude that practice has been informed by promoting legal rights without sufficient consideration of the relational aspects of making contact work for each of the involved parties

Contact between children absent in state care and their families: The parents’ perspective

“…The most frequent form of contact today is supervised contact, which:… refers to high vigilance contact in which interaction and conversation between the child and family member is closely monitored at a specialist contact service, in an office or in the community. (Wilson and Devaney, 2018: 292)The aims of such contact are:… about maintaining the relationships between children in care and significant people in their lives from before their admission to care, principally their birth family. Yet contact is also about informing decision making at particular points in time (such as whether children should come into care, remain in care or be returned to the care of a family member), and in ensuring that the State is enacting its legal obligations to both child and birth family.…”

“…Yet contact is also about informing decision making at particular points in time (such as whether children should come into care, remain in care or be returned to the care of a family member), and in ensuring that the State is enacting its legal obligations to both child and birth family. (Wilson and Devaney, 2018: 299)Wilson and Devaney observe that no two social workers will evaluate contact the same way and make the point that the link between information to inform decisions about entry to, remaining in or leaving care and decision-making is unstructured. But such a disconnect has been recognised for decades.…”

“…… refers to high vigilance contact in which interaction and conversation between the child and family member is closely monitored at a specialist contact service, in an office or in the community. (Wilson and Devaney, 2018: 292)…”

“…Yet contact is also about informing decision making at particular points in time (such as whether children should come into care, remain in care or be returned to the care of a family member), and in ensuring that the State is enacting its legal obligations to both child and birth family. (Wilson and Devaney, 2018: 299)…”