Carolus van Nijnatten

Children's agency, children's welfare: A dialogical approach to child development, policy and practice

Introduction Child, welfare, agency The development of individual agency Social interaction and interactive agency Social agency and social context Diagnosis and dialogue Change and co-construction Dialogical management Dialogical child welfare: conclusion.

Future Talk: Discussing Hypothetical Situations with Prospective Adoptive Parents

The objective of this study is to contribute towards understanding how welfare and justice discourses become apparent in institutional conversations where social workers involved in child protection have dual professional identities: that of helper and of gatekeeper. In this article we analyse a specific conversational practice in a particular child protection context: social workers asking questions about hypothetical situations in interviews with prospective adoptive parents. We show the nature of these questions in face-to-face interactions between social workers and prospective adoptive parents. In addition, we also analyse how the social workers manage to integrate aspects of testing the capabilities of the prospective adoptive parents while, at the same time, also helping them to become even better prepared parents. Using the method of conversation analysis makes it possible to analyse how the social workers are doing being a gatekeeper and/or helper without spelling that out.

Child Protection and the Conception of Parental Responsibility

The legal discourse on child protection that is characterized by the normalization-moralization paradigm focuses more on societys response to parental failure than on the predicament of the child. Findings from texts of legal discourse in Israel and in Holland portray an alliance between the respective legal systems and an epistemology of normality with regard to parenting that thereby turns normality into normalization. Both sets of texts are guided by an ontology of moral judgment that protects societal morale rather than the child. Morality is turned into moralization. To focus on the protection of the child, the article proposes a paradigm wherein the definition of morality is derived from concern for the other and relies on constructs that represent the evolving transaction between parent and child.

Psychiatric history of women who have had an abortion

Prior research has focused primarily on the mental health consequences of abortion; little is known about mental health before abortion. In this study, the psychiatric history of women who have had an abortion is investigated. 325 Women who recently had an abortion were compared with 1902 women from the population-based Netherlands Mental Health Survey and Incidence Study (NEMESIS-2). Lifetime prevalence estimates of various mental disorders were measured using the Composite International Diagnostic Interview 3.0. Compared to the reference sample, women in the abortion sample were three times more likely to report a history of any mental disorder (OR = 3.06, 95% CI = 2.36-3.98). The highest odds were found for conduct disorder (OR = 6.97, 95% CI = 4.41-11.01) and drug dependence (OR = 4.96, 95% CI = 2.55-9.66). Similar results were found for lifetime-minus-last-year prevalence estimates and for women who had first-time abortions only. The results support the notion that psychiatric history may explain associations that have been found between abortion and mental health. Psychiatric history should therefore be taken into account when investigating the mental health consequences of abortion.

Analysing social work communication : discourse in practice.

With communication and relationships at the core of social work, this book reveals the way it is foremost a practice that becomes reality in dialogue, illuminating some of the profession’s key dilemmas. Applied discourse studies illustrate the importance of talk and interaction in the construction of everyday and institutional life. This book provides a detailed review and illustration of the contribution of discourse approaches and studies on professional interaction to social work. Concentrating on how social workers carry out their work in everyday organisational encounters with service users and colleagues, each chapter uses case studies analysing real-life social work interactions to explore a concept that has relevance both in discursive studies and in social work. The book thus demonstrates what detailed discursive studies on interaction can add to professional social work theories and discussions. Chapters on categorization, accountability, boundary work, narrative, advice-giving, resistance, delicacy and reported speech, review the literature and discuss how the concept has been developed and how it can be applied to social work. The book encourages professional reflection and the development of rigorous research methods, making it particularly appropriate for postgraduate and post-qualifying study in social work where participants are encouraged to examine their own professional practice. It is also essential reading for social work academics and researchers interested in language, communication and relationship-based work and in the study of professional practices more generally.

Professional conversations with children in divorce-related child welfare inquiries:

Over the last few decades, the role of children in conversations about post-divorce arrangements has become more prominent. Children are approached as active participants in the (post-)divorce process rather than just victims of matrimonial and post-matrimonial discord. In accordance with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, children have the right to be informed about the procedures and are free to express their opinions. The focus of this study is the conversational position of children in the inquiry by the Dutch Child Protection Board in cases of divorce in which parents cannot reach an agreement about custody and visiting arrangements. This study presents an analysis of the interactions between the Board’s representatives and children, and examines the way the children are informed about procedures, their participatory role and the effects on their disclosures of their ideas and feelings about the events taking place in their family.

Meta-communication in Institutional Talks

In a single case study, the employment of meta-communication is explored. The use of meta-remarks in achieving institutional goals is shown. Three different uses are presented as especially significant in the light of institutional goals: evaluation of clients contributions to the conversation, structuring the talk and selection of elements of the conversation. In the context of care and control that characterize child welfare, the conversational positions of clients and professionals are uncertain. That is one of the reasons that extra relational work has to be done to show the conversation partner a reliable and sincere face. Structuring meta-talk is often used by professionals to limit the long-winded contribution of clients and to decide on which issues should be given extra attention.In a single case study, the employment of meta-communication is explored. The use of meta-remarks in achieving institutional goals is shown. Three different uses are presented as especially significant in the light of institutional goals: evaluation of clients contributions to the conversation, structuring the talk and selection of elements of the conversation. In the context of care and control that characterize child welfare, the conversational positions of clients and professionals are uncertain. That is one of the reasons that extra relational work has to be done to show the conversation partner a reliable and sincere face. Structuring meta-talk is often used by professionals to limit the long-winded contribution of clients and to decide on which issues should be given extra attention.

FINDING THE WORDS: SOCIAL WORK FROM A DEVELOPMENTAL PERSPECTIVE

Dialogue is at the heart of social work. In conversations with the professional, clients speak out about their pains and sorrows, and about their hope and beliefs. The conversation is the place where social worker and client try to find new words to express these emotions. In doing that, they construct new meanings and create new perspectives. The role of dialogue in child development is used to understand this underlying process of social work. It shows how children learn to use language as an instrument to organize their world. The role of social workers is similar to that of parents, to help their clients to find the words that enable them to reposition themselves. As soon as they become the author of their life story again, they will be better able to reconstruct their lives.Dialogue is at the heart of social work. In conversations with the professional, clients speak out about their pains and sorrows, and about their hope and beliefs. The conversation is the place where social worker and client try to find new words to express these emotions. In doing that, they construct new meanings and create new perspectives. The role of dialogue in child development is used to understand this underlying process of social work. It shows how children learn to use language as an instrument to organize their world. The role of social workers is similar to that of parents, to help their clients to find the words that enable them to reposition themselves. As soon as they become the author of their life story again, they will be better able to reconstruct their lives.

Communicative empowerment of people with intellectual disability

Abstract Background Personal narratives are conditional for victims of sexual abuse to overcome their trauma. Counsellors can help victims with intellectual disability to take an active position in conversations about sexuality and to co-construct a personal narrative. Method Using discourse and conversational analysis, we studied 4 conversations between a counsellor and a woman with autism and mild intellectual disability. Results In conversation with a counsellor the participant was able to express her inner emotions and understanding about sexual issues and other sensitive topics. She was able also to express disagreement and lack of understanding. Conclusion In spite of communication limitations, clients with an intellectual disability can participate actively in conversations with counsellors. Although a helping or encouraging professional approach may also be suggestive and affect the authenticity of the clients narrative, it is the counsellors duty to prevent distressing effects within the interview.

Assessing and displaying suitability for adoptive parenthood: a conversation analysis of relationship questions and answers

Abstract In this study we examine how suitability for adoptive parenthood is assessed and displayed in interactions between social workers and prospective adoptive parents. In particular, we have analyzed relationship questions that are put to couples with and without an observation from the social worker. The answers are featured as very precise, stressing the positive aspects of the relationship but avoiding sainthood, and accompanied with examples that illustrate the stability of the relationship. We concluded that it is not only “what” couples answer but also “how” they answer that is taken into account in the assessment. That is why “being able to finish off each others sentences when giving an answer” and “having the ability to reflect on the relationship” is considered to be a protective factor for adoptive parenthood.