Brigid Daniel

Engaging with Fathers: Practice Issues for Health and Social Care

1. Contemporary Context. 2. Fathering Roles 3. Attachment. 4. Anti-discrimination. 5. Caring for Fathers. 6. Fathers as Risks. 7. Fathers as Assests. 8. Framework for Practice. Appendices. References. Index.

Concepts of Adversity, Risk, Vulnerability and Resilience: A Discussion in the Context of the ‘Child Protection System’

This paper explores the concepts of adversity, risk, vulnerability and resilience in the context of child protection systems with the aim of contributing to the debate about the ways in which risk of ‘harm’ and ‘abuse’ are conceptualised at different stages of the lifespan and in relation to different groups of people. The recent developments in the policy and legislative framework for state intervention on behalf of children in the UK are described and linked with an exploration of the underlying assumptions about abuse and neglect. Concepts of adversity, risk, vulnerability and resilience and the ways in which the complexity of the routes and pathways to ‘harm’ pose a challenge to the current UK state protective system are discussed.

Abuse and Protection Issues across the Lifespan: Reviewing the Literature

The literature is reviewed: (a) comparing models of abuse and protection applied at each stage of the lifespan; and (b) exploring abuse and protection issues with respect to individuals over time. A paucity of comparative and lifespan work in the field of abuse and protection is reported. Within the available literature, different types of knowledge are drawn upon and contrasted definitions of ‘abuse’ and ‘protection’ employed. Accordingly, the most significant findings of the review are in the dissonances and the gaps surrounding the substantive findings. Examples are presented to demonstrate this, while new directions for discussion and research are proposed.

Inequalities in English child protection practice under austerity: a universal challenge?

The role that area deprivation, family poverty, and austerity policies play in the demand for and supply of childrens services has been a contested issue in England in recent years. These relationships have begun to be explored through the concept of inequalities in child welfare, in parallel to the established fields of inequalities in education and health. This article focuses on the relationship between economic inequality and out-of-home care and child protection interventions. The work scales up a pilot study in the West Midlands to an all-England sample, representative of English regions and different levels of deprivation at a local authority (LA) level. The analysis evidences a strong relationship between deprivation and intervention rates and large inequalities between ethnic categories. There is further evidence of the inverse intervention law (Bywaters et al., 2015): For any given level of neighbourhood deprivation, higher rates of child welfare interventions are found in LAs that are less deprived overall. These patterns are taking place in the context of cuts in spending on English childrens services between 2010–2011 and 2014–2015 that have been greatest in more deprived LAs. Implications for policy and practice to reduce such inequalities are suggested.

The experience of being protected

Purpose – The purpose of the paper is to discuss how adult support and protection (ASP) work might support or further damage an adults strengths, skills and sense of self. There is a particular focus on adults who require some support with decision‐making.Design/methodology/approach – Forum theatre and other creative techniques were used to discuss ASP with 42 people who access support. A range of advice for practitioners was generated, a portion of which is reported here. The research design was participatory, with ten people who access support being members of the research team.Findings – ASP work can support or undermine an adults strengths, skills and sense of self, depending on the way it is performed. Three inter‐locking themes are presented to illustrate this finding. First, participants thought it might be intimidating to be “singled out”, and wished to be understood in the context of their relationships. Second, ASP was thought likely to be experienced as a judgement on the person and their pro...

Introduction: Interrogating Harm and Abuse: A Lifespan Approach

Background: researching harm and abuse At any time any person faces a possibility of suffering harm from another, and the broad criminal justice framework aims to provide a general level of protection from such harms to the whole population. However, possibilities of abuse, exploitation or neglect are conceptualised as more likely for certain people. These include those in intimate partner relationships, or those whose level of dependency on others is greater as a result of life stage or impairment. Specific legal and policy measures aim to address potential harm in such situations, and are proliferating. For several decades, the general acceptance that the state in most developed countries has a legitimate role in protecting some potential victims of abuse, notably women and children, has been underpinned by an extensive legislative and bureaucratic framework. More recently, the focus of state concern has broadened to include people considered at heightened risk of harm due to impairment or older age. Evolving legislative and bureaucratic protective responses often parallel those already in place for children. Examples include the requirement in England and Wales by October 2001 for all local authorities to develop inter-agency adult protection procedures governing investigation of and responses to concerns about adult abuse; and in Scotland, the Adult Support and Protection (Scotland) Act 2007, provides measures to protect adults who are believed to be at risk of harm. These include rights of entry to places where adults are thought to be at risk of harm, a range of protection orders including assessment, removal of the adult at risk, and banning of the person causing the harm from contact with them; and supporting the creation of multi-disciplinary adult protection committees. The evidence base for these policy developments, as well as for legislation on domestic violence and child abuse which preceded them, has been fragmented. Critical analysis has seldom moved beyond the boundaries of each, with diverse research streams. In the 1970s, recognition of ‘family’ violence as a social problem began to be acknowledged, but with a focus on a range of groups (including children, intimate female partners and older people); not surprisingly, research endeavours, practice responses and analysis likewise became fractured. The 1980s and 1990s saw the further development of separate strands of research on child abuse, domestic abuse and elder abuse, with abuse of other groups, such as adults with disabilities, significantly neglected. Whilst there are key conceptual developments in each area, there has been remarkably little cross-fertilization of ideas, with each field thus failing to learn from the insights of others. For example, state intervention for the protection of children in the UK has been informed since the

Early years interventions to improve child health and wellbeing: what works, for whom and in what circumstances? Protocol for a realist review

BackgroundChild health and wellbeing is influenced by multiple factors, all of which can impact on early childhood development. Adverse early life experiences can have lasting effects across the life course, sustaining inequalities and resulting in negative consequences for the health and wellbeing of individuals and society. The potential to influence future outcomes via early intervention is widely accepted; there are numerous policy initiatives, programmes and interventions clustered around the early years theme, resulting in a broad and disparate evidence base. Existing reviews have addressed the effectiveness of early years interventions, yet there is a knowledge gap regarding the mechanisms underlying why interventions work in given contexts.Methods/designThis realist review seeks to address the question ‘what works, for whom and in what circumstances?’ in terms of early years interventions to improve child health and wellbeing. The review will be conducted following Pawson’s five-stage iterative realist methodology: (1) clarify scope, (2) search for evidence, (3) appraise primary studies and extract data, (4) synthesise evidence and draw conclusions and (5) disseminate findings. The reviewers will work with stakeholders in the early stages to refine the focus of the review, create a review framework and build programme theory. Searches for primary evidence will be conducted iteratively. Data will be extracted and tested against the programme theory. A review collaboration group will oversee the review process.DiscussionThe review will demonstrate how early years interventions do or do not work in different contexts and with what outcomes and effects. Review findings will be written up following the RAMESES guidelines and will be disseminated via a report, presentations and peer-reviewed publications.Systematic review registrationPROSPERO CRD42015017832

Social work: a profession in flux

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to describe the current context of social work as a profession and some of the major transition factors that are affecting social workers and social work organisations.Design/methodology/approach – The paper first explores what social work is, and how it has developed as a profession. It reflects on social work academia and the place of social work educators and researchers. It then goes on to consider three factors that are having a major influence on social work as a profession: concepts of risk; personalisation; and the multi‐disciplinary environment.Findings – The implications of these factors and the kind of transitions they are driving are discussed in the context of some of the potential implications for professional learning.Research limitations/implications – The paper does not aim to provide a comprehensive overview of all the factors that are affecting contemporary social work – the aim is to offer contextual information to help the reader consider some of...

Nurture corners in preschool settings: involving and nurturing children and parents

ABSTRACT This article draws on the findings from a small qualitative study which focused on gathering perspectives and accounts of experiences from nursery practitioners, health and third sector professionals and parents. It explored the ways in which parents/carers and practitioners experienced the nurture approach developed in preschool settings in Glasgow, Scotland and their perspectives on the impact that this provision has had on the development and well-being of young children and family engagement in learning. The findings provided some insights into the specific ways in which settings involved parents and worked towards developing a nurturing ethos towards parents themselves, underpinned by the following three elements: a welcoming setting, sensitive and empathic staff and creative practice. The particular characteristics of these three elements seemed to support some parents in developing the parenting skills which were required to consolidate the benefits experienced by their children. These benefits included parents being supported to replicate some of the practices at home and becoming more involved in their children’s learning. The study identified challenges for some nurseries in achieving this, such as the limited scope for nurture corner practitioners in some of the settings to fully utilise their skills with parents due to accommodation constraints.