Inter-agency Collaboration in the All-Wales Strategy: Initial Comments on a Vanguard Area

A key element in the All-Wales Strategy (AWS) for Services for Mentally Handicapped People is the collaboration of statutory agencies involved in planning and managing mental handicap services. This paper discusses the experience over the first three years in one county. The inter-agency county strategic planning group exhibited a high level of consensus reflecting its structure, group processes and the issues discussed. Controversial matters were rarely raised. Further weaknesses were the low input from the Education Department and the poor communication outside the group. This consensus image is contrasted with the considerable conflict in the inter-agency county operational management group, the failure of which reflected the different management structure and style of the health and local authority, weaknesses in the management structure for AWS developments, and a failure to resolve some crucial issues in the early stages of the strategy. The lessons learnt from these experiences and the necessary ingredients for effective collaboration are explored — a framework for collaboration, including a clear definition of function, authority and the interrelationship of the various parts and a formal system of communication, commitment from those participating and the authority of participants to implement collaborative decisions.     

A practice framework to guide screening and assessment in the Australian Family Relationship Centres and Advice Line

In recent years, there has been a growing recognition of the reactive way in which policy is translated into practice on the front lines of child and family welfare organizations, particularly in how risk is assessed and responded to by staff at all levels in these organizations. Major reforms to family law in Australia and programmes set up to complement the existing Commonwealth-Funded Family Relationship Services Program provide an opportunity to rethink how staff can be provided with a systematic and research-based set of guidelines for screening and assessment. This paper examines the role of practice frameworks in general and the Australian family relationships screening and assessment practice framework in particular to demonstrate not only how this broader evidence-based approach encourages well-informed, professional and ethical practice but also how it leaves room for creativity and local, place-based responsiveness.     

Changing things for the better: the use of children and young people’s reference groups in social research

The use of reference groups made up of members of the population being researched has been encouraged within the qualitative research literature. This paper describes the use of reference groups made up of children and young people and promotes them as a space within which co-reflexive activities can help researchers reconsider their research approaches and assumptions, their methodologies and methods and the new knowledge created. The paper uses three case studies to highlight the benefits the authors have encountered as well as those identified by children and young people themselves.     

Strategic approaches to disability disclosure on social media

Persons with physical disabilities often face isolation in face-to-face settings or limited opportunities to form relationships due to an ongoing, and often derogatory, disability narrative of difference. Unlike face-to-face interactions, social media let persons with disabilities control how and when they disclose information about their disabilities and offer new opportunities for relationship formation. This qualitative study establishes a theoretical framework for exploring how and why persons with physical disabilities choose to disclose their disabilities on social media platforms. Major findings from the study describe three strategic approaches (open, secure, and limited) to disability disclosure on social media. The study also examines the relationship between age of discloser and age of the disability as key factors in approach selection.     

Interventions to improve supervised contact visits between children in out of home care and their parents: a systematic review

Although the importance of contact between children in care and their parents, when safe, is accepted, there is limited research about supervised face‐to‐face contact. There is no literature that has systematically critiqued how supervised contact can be best delivered. The aim of this systematic review was to evaluate the evidence for interventions aimed at improving the quality of contact visits between parents and their children who are in out‐of‐home care. Twelve studies were included in this review. Each study was graded and assigned scores according to the presence or absence of each of seven criteria. The studies demonstrated key similarities in the types of interventions provided, although delivery varied across group, individual and educational interventions. Parents reported improved capacity to manage their emotions and parents' satisfaction with the programmes was high. Although there was a lack of large scale, methodologically rigorous studies with long‐term follow‐up, some promising findings were identified: the literature indicates individual family support and group programmes have the potential to improve parent–child relationships and the quality of contact visits. This review suggests that future studies build on current evidence by addressing their methodological limitations and evaluating interventions that can be tailored to meet the needs of individual families.     

What do we know about the social networks of single parents who do not use supportive services?

The role that social support and social networks play in mediating isolation and stress experienced by vulnerable families is well established. However, a major issue facing supportive human services is to find and engage families with limited social networks and link them to supports that could improve outcomes for their families. This paper reports on the results of in‐depth interviews with 20 sole parents with children aged under 5 who were not well connected to services. It documents their social networks with the use of a social network map. Using a social capital lens, the analysis attempts to differentiate the different relationships in the participants' lives. Most participants were not satisfied with their informal networks, with conflicted or ambivalent reliance on family, absence of support and community engagement and fragility of informal networks. Although this group of isolated mothers does encounter the formal service system, the opportunities to increase and strengthen their networks do not eventuate. Better understanding of the nature and extent of social networks can inform practitioners and policy‐makers of the critical factors needed to increase service use for parents with limited resources.     

The role of family therapists in veterinary medicine: opportunities for clinical services, education, and research

Marriage and family therapists (MFTs) are applying their specific skill set in a variety of arenas. A new area for collaboration is veterinary medicine. The veterinary medical profession is emphasizing the importance of non-biomedical skills such as communication skills, acknowledging that human clientele are likely to view their pets as family members, and discussing veterinarian personal well-being. Each of these trends has clear application for intervention by MFTs. A discussion of how MFTs may be uniquely positioned to assist veterinary medicine is presented. An example of collaboration between MFT and veterinary medicine at Kansas State University is highlighted. Recommendations are made for development of effective educational relationships and possible private sector collaborations.