The purchaser/provider separation in child and family social work: Implications for service delivery and for the role of the social worker

This paper discusses some of the findings from a research study that was carried out in 1995. The study aimed to examine the implications of the use of the purchaser/provider separation (and associated care management processes) in social work with children and families, focusing on the effects of separation on service delivery and on the role of the social worker. The research involved two stages: a telephone survey (to gather quantitative data about the prevalence of organizational separation in England and qualitative data about perceived advantages and disadvantages of separation) and a single exploratory case study in a Local Authority Social Services Department.
The paper is concerned primarily with the case study findings. It begins by locating organizational separation within a social policy context. This is followed by an overview of the existing literature on the implications of the purchaser/provider separation and care management for service delivery and for the social work role. The methods and key findings for the telephone survey and the case study are then described. Analysis of the case study data suggested that separation in this setting could be understood along three dimensions: efficient processing versus delays; control of the work and work processes versus lack of control; and clarity of role and task versus duplication. The paper ends with a discussion of the study's main conclusion – that the purchaser/provider separation in child and family work may introduce benefits of specialization whilst also bringing problems associated with fragmentation of the traditional social work role.     

‘It's about the whole family’: family contact for children in kinship care

Contact with family for children in care is identified as a right under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. However, such contact often presents challenges because of the protective concerns that have led to care arrangements being made. The Family Links: Kinship Care and Family Contact research study explored the nature and extent of family contact in kinship care, with a particular focus on the circumstances that create positive contact and foster family relationships. Findings included evidence of a large proportion of parental contact that was negatively affecting children's well‐being, and was sometimes unsafe. By contrast, the frequent contact that children were enjoying with their siblings and wider family was reported to be mostly positive and supportive. Kinship carers described a range of services needed to facilitate more positive parental contact and to enable children to keep contact with significant family members.     

‘You've got to trust her and she's got to trust you’: children's views on participation in the child protection system

Participation by children in child protection remains a complex area of practice. This paper presents findings from a qualitative study exploring the views of 26 children, aged 6–17 years, about their participation in the child protection system in England. All of the children were subject to a child protection plan and were living at home at the time of interview. The children's understanding of the child protection process was categorized, and the majority of children, including the youngest, were found be at least partially aware of the child protection process, often struggling to make sense of the professional intervention in their families on the basis of partial information. It is argued that decisions about children's involvement should take into account not only children's age and understanding, but be seen in the context of wider family dynamics. Participation in formal processes such as child protection conferences was experienced as difficult and emotive. The child's relationship with their social worker was central to meaningful participation.     

Local therapy facilitators working with children with developmental delay in rural and remote areas of western New South Wales,Australia: the ‘Outback’ service delivery model

Australia's dispersed population in rural areas contributes to poor access to therapy services and the inability of the existing rural therapy workforce to meet demand. As a result, rural children with a developmental delay wait a long time for therapy. This paper describes participant perceptions of a therapy facilitation service model that has worked to improve access to therapy for children in these circumstances. The model, given the pseudonym ‘Outback’, operates in rural and remote areas of western New South Wales. ‘Outback’ employs local people to work under the guidance of therapists based in larger centres to provide preschool children with developmental delays with access to therapy interventions they might not otherwise receive. A two‐stage case study design involving focus groups and interviews with the director, four therapy facilitators, nine therapists, and seven carers was used. Three themes were identified as central to the service model: 1) being part of the local community; 2) developing therapy facilitator knowledge and skills; 3) improving access to therapy intervention for children in rural and remote areas. The ‘Outback’ model demonstrates that appropriately supported, local therapy facilitators provide a flexible workforce adjunct that expands the reach of therapists into rural and remote communities and enhances service access for children and their families.     

Is there nothing beyond postmodernism and ‘the theoretical Other’? The need for balancing universalism and diversity in social work

In his article, 'Against difference and diversity in social work: the case of human rights', Stephen Webb captures several important problems concerning the application of a postmodern human rights perspective in social work. Although accepting Webb's diagnosis, for example that the postmodern discourse neglects basic structural conditions essential for understanding social problems and thus leads to a policy of symbols and rhetoric, this article argues that Webb reifies the perspectives of diversity and universalism and misses the need for balancing these aspects in the practice of social work. Some general argumentative techniques in the postmodern discourse are identified, and it is argued that several of Webb's conclusions are reached via those argumentative techniques, particularly when it comes to his claim that the philosopher Alain Badiou could play a central role for social work. The possibility of implementing in social work general philosophical programmes such as Alain Badiou's is questioned.     

‘It's so much better than contact’: A qualitative study exploring children and young people's experiences of a sibling camp in the United Kingdom

This article explores children and young people's experiences of a sibling camp based in the United Kingdom. Sibling camps are an intervention based on children's activity holidays that aim to promote meaningful contact for siblings separated in public care. This study adopted a qualitative approach using semi‐structured interviews with 11 children and young people; this included one sibling group of three and four sibling groups of two. The children's ages ranged from 8 to 17 years old, and they had all attended at least one camp with their sibling. Findings highlighted how the children valued the extended time they could spend with their siblings at camp, and how they felt this enabled them to better understand their siblings and improve their relationships. Findings also showed how the children developed close supportive relationships with the staff at the camps, who ensured they were cared for, and they also supported them with managing their relationships, which some participants acknowledged at times could be challenging. The participants also valued spending time with other sibling groups who also experienced separation. The study found camps provided a space for these children to maintain links with their siblings and to strengthen their sibling bonds.