Developing key capabilities in child care and protection

Over the last 20 years, research has questioned how well equipped newly qualified social workers are in relation to child care and protection. Recent inquiries have highlighted that some social workers have not recognised their responsibilities towards children and young people when they encounter them in the course of their duties. In England, Lord Laming's (2009) report The Protection of Children in England, following the death of Peter Connelly in Haringey, recommended a specialist child protection route as part of the social work degree and re‐opened the debate about the benefits of specialism versus genericism. In Scotland, when faced with similar challenges, Key Capabilities in Child Care and Protection were introduced to ensure that all social workers at the point of qualifying can evidence their knowledge and skills in relation to child care and protection. This paper describes their development. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

‘Introduced to ensure that all social workers at the point of qualifying can evidence their knowledge and skills’

Citing Literature

Number of times cited according to CrossRef: 2

• Margaret Bruce, The Voice of the Child in Child Protection: Whose Voice?, Social Sciences, 10.3390/socsci3030514, 3 , 3, (514-526), (2014). Crossref
• Jane V. Appleton, Peter Sidebotham, Child Protection and Mental Health, Child Abuse Review, 10.1002/car.2220, 21 , 3, (153-156), (2012). Wiley Online Library

Volume 21 , Issue 3 May/June 2012

Pages 190-202     

Rediscovering the value of urban rivers

Rivers commonly serve as defining, founding features of human settlements, yet urbanisation has degraded them, often to the extent that they no longer provide the services to society from which the settlements developed. Urban river restoration has expanded in recent years and part of this can be attributed to the increased recognition of the interconnected benefits that restored ecosystems can provide to society. This paper reviews the impact of urbanisation on rivers and the ecosystem services that they provide, and explores the ecosystem approach to restoration. Techniques and tools for the practical application of the ecosystem services approach in conservation are considered, with reference to case studies. There is a need to internalise ecosystem service insights into pragmatic, transparent and readily-used and understood planning tools, based on the capacities of a range of ecosystem services in river corridors. This is necessary if we are to avoid the continued erosion of critical resources such as rivers, rediscovering their multiple values to society, and to accelerate the translation of these sustainability concepts into applied tools.     

Barriers to Seeking Help for Gambling Problems: A Review of the Empirical Literature

This literature review summarizes recent empirical research on obstacles preventing problem gamblers from seeking treatment for their gambling problems. Relevant databases and bibliographies were searched for English-language papers and reports published since 1998. The only methodological requirement was that gamblers themselves be asked about reasons for not seeking help. Nineteen studies conducted in five countries were identified. All except one targeted adults. Despite differences in methodology, many of the same barriers to treatment were identified. Most commonly reported barriers were: wish to handle problem by oneself; shame/embarrassment/stigma; unwillingness to admit problem; and issues with treatment itself. The authors of the review argue that unwillingness to admit to the problem may be even more prevalent than is typically indicated by the results of barriers studies. Other frequently reported barriers included lack of knowledge about treatment options and practical issues around attending treatment. More research is needed on barriers to treatment-seeking experienced by subgroups of gamblers defined by culture, ethnicity, gender, age. Open-ended questioning methods can help provide insights into what barrier categories mean to different groups and individuals. Input directly from gamblers can be combined with information from other kinds of studies to devise better ways of reaching problem gamblers, especially those in underserviced populations. Electronic supplementary material  The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

Failed Securitisation Moves during the 2015 ‘Migration Crisis’

The EU has tried to distinguish itself as respecting human rights in its migration policies. In 2015, mass drownings at sea of refugees from war‐torn and despotic countries like Syria and Eritrea started to rise with the end of Mare Nostrum, the Italian navy's search and rescue operation in the Mediterranean. One EU response was to declare a war on “criminal gangs” of smugglers and traffickers, reportedly responsible for the surge in refugee deaths. Equating smugglers’ activities with a “new slave trade”, this “securitization move” failed to gain legitimacy from EU publics and media. Military solutions to refugee flight continued to be proposed, and a second securitization move continued to target smugglers and traffickers, but this time the “referent object” became the West itself, and the EU.     

‘Tell Me and I Forget,Teach Me and I May Remember,Involve Me and I Learn. And That's What It's About.’ How a Co‐design Methodology is Used in the Delivery of Parents Building Solutions: A Qualitative Study

There are many parenting programs delivered in Australia and Parents Building Solutions (PBS) is one of these. Collaboratively designed by Parentzone staff of Anglicare Victoria, it has a twenty year history of building the evidence base. PBS stands apart from other programs because parents actively co‐design the sessions and content with skilled facilitators. Understanding the drivers, processes and practices that make the co‐design methodology work, is fundamental to the implementation science that underpins the program.This study aimed to examine the way co‐design was used in the delivery of PBS, specifically looking at program implementation and outcomes. Focus groups and interviews were conducted with Parentzone staff (team leaders and facilitators) and parents who had recently completed a program. Ethics approval was provided and analysis was conducted using NVivo software with co‐design as the unit of analysis. Three major themes about co‐design were present across team leaders, facilitators and parents: 1) responsiveness and flexibility are central to the functionality of co‐design within PBS; 2) facilitators implement the co‐design methodology using a suite of knowledge and skills; and 3) parents report tangible results from participating in a co‐designed parenting program. There was an overwhelming appreciation from both facilitators and parents about the co‐designed implementation style. Facilitators and team leaders highly valued the flexibility of the program which enabled their ability to respond to parent's needs. Furthermore, parents believed they achieved tangible outcomes derived from strategies and support delivered in the program. The co‐design methodology used in PBS was evident for all stakeholders and was a driver of program implementation and its outcomes. The methodology described in this has practice implications for family therapists and others who work directly parents and families.     

Exploring the Fear of Birth Scale in a mixed population of women of childbearing age—A Swedish pilot study

Aim

The aim of this pilot study was to explore the Fear of Birth Scale in a mixed sample of women of childbearing age, by investigating the levels of childbirth fear and the content of women’s thoughts when completing the scale.

Telephone triage and midwifery: A scoping review

Background

Midwives use telephone triage to provide advice and support to childbearing women, and to manage access to maternity services. Telephone triage practises are important in the provision of accurate, timely and appropriate health care. Despite this, there has been very little research investigating this area of midwifery practice.

Social Class and Conversion Capacity: Deprivation Trends in the Great Recession in Ireland

In this paper, we draw on Irish SILC data to examine the roles of social class, non-class risk groups and state policies in influencing enforced material deprivation as Ireland moved from a period of economic boom through deep recession and on to early recovery. We also employ Sen’s capability approach to explore the extent to which certain social risk groups differ in their capacity to convert social class-differentiated resources into increased capability in relation to avoiding material deprivation. The findings refute the notion of polarization either across time as a result of recession or as a result of more vulnerable social risk groups experiencing more pronounced social class differences. Instead, the impact of recession on social class and social risk group operated mainly in an additive manner with each having a relatively independent impact on deprivation. The exception was lone parents who were less able to convert the benefits of higher social class position into reduced deprivation levels.     

Breastfeeding initiation for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women in Victoria: analysis of routinely collected population-based data

Background

Increasing breastfeeding rates is one way of improving the short and long term health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children (hereafter referred to as Aboriginal). Despite the benefits of breastfeeding and recommendations for strategies to increase breastfeeding among Aboriginal people, there is a lack of available population data.