The Restorative Power of Emotions in Child Protection Services

The paper examines the significance of our emotional life for validation, enrichment and guidance in everyday behavior. Child protection services (CPS) workers need to understand how emotions affect family dynamics and, in particular, parental behavior as a basis for their work with families. Moreover, in order for CPS workers to be aware of, and professionally responsive to, the importance of a family's emotions requires that they are comfortable with their own feelings. This means that they need to work in CPS agencies which recognize and support this practice orientation. The paper also addresses how the agency can influence CPS workers to become more knowledgeable and attuned to, not only the families' emotional lives, but also to their own.