Understanding parental engagement with child welfare services: an integrated model

Platt, D. C. M.

doi:10.1111/j.1365-2206.2012.00828.x

Cited by 86 publications

(86 citation statements)

References 46 publications

(146 reference statements)

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“…Firstly, despite growing emphasis on the importance of parent participation and engagement, the literature is equivocal regarding the link between these concepts and successful child protection outcomes (Gladstone et al, 2012) and the efficacy of models aimed at increasing parent engagement in child protection practice (Kemp et al, 2014;Platt, 2012;Yatchmenoff, 2005). Schrieber and colleagues (2013) suggest that the mixed findings within the literature are to be expected given the "lack of conceptual clarity about the nature of parent engagement" (p.708).…”

Section: Defining Participation and Engagementmentioning

confidence: 94%

“…The research evidence indicates that factors internal and external to parents impact their engagement in child protection practice (Berrick et al, 2016;Kemp et al, 2014;Platt, 2012). This suggests that there is an impetus for child protection authorities to recognise that parents may experience barriers to engagement and that investment into exploring ways to address these be prioritised.…”

Section: Factors That Impact Parent Engagementmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The literature indicates that objective indicators, such as parent attendance, may be privileged as measures of parent engagement (Kemp et al, 2014), despite potentially being inappropriate indicators of engagement within the context of child protection practice (Platt, 2012). This is of considerable importance to this study, as in order to be eligible for an IPA, parents must demonstrate that they are willing and able to work cooperatively with the child protection authority (DChS, 2013).…”

Section: Defining Participation and Engagementmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This pattern of practice conflicts with findings that suggest that positive engagement and outcomes are fostered when workers listen and understand parent context and needs. Platt (2012) identifies that there is danger in focusing only on parental engagement, rather than on the skill of practitioners to engage with parents as it "might imply that the entire responsibility for that engagement falls to parents rather than professionals" (p.138). This is pertinent to acknowledge given the evidence reviewed above that indicates that not only are parents fearful and intimidated by statutory involvement, they also often experience marginalisation and a series of complex issues that further serve to inhibit parent ability to engage.…”

Section: Factors That Impact Parent Engagementmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Several authors have attempted to develop models to help explain parent engagement. Recent examples include Platt's (2012) integrated model and Kemp and colleagues' (2014) model of engagement, both of which are based on reviews of the existing engagement literature. Common to both of these models is recognition of parent factors such as demographic, attitudinal and contextual factors.…”

Section: Factors That Impact Parent Engagementmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Collaborative practice in statutory in child protection practice: Parental agreements and procedural justice

Venables¹

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Internationally, there is a growing trend to introduce alternative pathways for children and their families involved with statutory child protection systems. These alternatives focus on developing partnerships with families in order to promote children's safety and well-being within their homes. The form that alternative pathways take varies by jurisdiction.In Queensland (Australia), where this study takes place, the State Government has identified the use of parental agreements to be the least intrusive option available to the child protection authority when a child has been substantiated, via a full investigation, as in need of protection. These agreements are known as 'Intervention with Parental Agreement' (IPA) and allow for the statutory authority to work in partnership with families to address child protection concerns, without the use of a court order. Little is known about how IPA occurs and the extent to which its collaborative ethos is realised in practice.This study aims to provide a detailed understanding of collaborative practice in statutory child protection, using the example of IPA. The study has a key focus on procedural justice, that is the quality of treatment that people receive from an authority during decision-making processes (Tyler, 2006). Using a two-phase, qualitative methodology the study explores the perspectives of practitioners and parents involved in IPA practice.Phase one involved semi-structured interviews with 33 practitioners from the Queensland child protection authority, tertiary family support services and a service responsible for providing cultural guidance in cases that involve Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families. Phase two of the study involved semi-structured interviews with four parents. The interviews captured their unique experience of being subject to IPA, with a focus on their procedural justice judgements.The findings of the study indicate that the crisis-driven nature of statutory child protection in conjunction with the dominance of a risk-adverse culture is perceived by practitioners to be a barrier to collaborative practice. However, the local office culture within branch offices of the child protection authority and relationship-driven models of practice were found to facilitate collaboration in IPA practice.In particular, the nature and quality of three key partnerships of practice was found to shape how IPA practice occurred. These partnerships are: intra-agency partnerships, particularly those between statutory officers at the branch office level; inter-agency 2 partnerships; and those between practitioners and parents. The findings highlight that each of these partnerships are characterised by hierarchical relationships between the different stakeholders. Within all three of these partnerships, procedural justice emerged as an important factor for facilitating positive and collaborative working partnerships. This demonstrated that procedurally fair treatment is important to both parents and practitioners during IPA practice.All of the p...

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Section: Defining Participation and Engagementmentioning

confidence: 94%

Section: Factors That Impact Parent Engagementmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Defining Participation and Engagementmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Factors That Impact Parent Engagementmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Factors That Impact Parent Engagementmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Collaborative practice in statutory in child protection practice: Parental agreements and procedural justice

Venables¹

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Noticing and Helping Neglected Children: Messages from Action on Neglect

et al. 2014

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This paper sets out the messages from Action on Neglect, an Economic and Social Research Council Follow on Fund‐sponsored project which ran from April 2011 to the end of March 2012 in England. Undertaken by a small team of researchers and practitioners from the universities of Stirling and Dundee and the national charity Action for Children, it was a follow‐up to a literature review produced as part of the Safeguarding Children Across Services Research Initiative. The project team met with multidisciplinary groups of practitioners and managers from all key professions working with children in three areas of England on four occasions. The messages from the study were used to consider the extent to which current practice equates with evidence from the research. Through a process of co‐production, the project explored the ways in which neglected children are currently helped and considered what could be done to improve recognition and early response. The final product was a pack – Action on Neglect – that outlines a series of detailed worked examples setting out improved pathways to help for neglected children and their families. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Key Practitioner Messages Practitioners can work together effectively to identify blocks to effective intervention and generate solutions. The views of children and young people show that practitioners need to be aware of, and sensitive to, young people's feelings. Practitioners need to become better at discerning which parents can use help on a voluntary basis and which cannot. Children want to feel loved, but this love needs to be practically as well as emotionally expressed.

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Child Protection: Managing Conflict, Hostility and Aggression bySiobhanLaird, The Policy Press, Bristol, 2013. 280pp. ISBN 9781847429223 (Pbk), £19.99

Robb

2014

Child Abuse Review

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Understanding parental engagement with child welfare services: an integrated model

Cited by 86 publications

References 46 publications

Collaborative practice in statutory in child protection practice: Parental agreements and procedural justice

Collaborative practice in statutory in child protection practice: Parental agreements and procedural justice

Noticing and Helping Neglected Children: Messages from Action on Neglect

Child Protection: Managing Conflict, Hostility and Aggression bySiobhanLaird, The Policy Press, Bristol, 2013. 280pp. ISBN 9781847429223 (Pbk), £19.99

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