Nancy Freymond

Accessible service delivery of child welfare services and differential response models

This article presents the results of a study of the impacts of accessible neighborhood and school service delivery formats for front-line child protection services within a flexible response model of child welfare in southwest Ontario, Canada. More specifically, this article looks at the contributions that these accessible service delivery models made to: (a) clients willingness to ask for help, (b) establishing constructive helping relationships, (c) accessing services and supports, (d) bridging the gap between mandated and supportive services, and (e) community engagement. The article also shows how the existing child protection service template constrained the accomplishments possible through these service delivery innovations. Accessible and central service delivery sites differed in notable ways in each of these areas.

Mapping MSW Research Training

The surge of interest in evidence-based interventions necessitates MSW graduates who will pursue research activities in the workplace. However, evidence suggests that social workers tend not to use their research skills after graduation. This study examined three constructs that inform students’ relationships to research: (a) confidence in research skills, (b) academic activities that stimulate students’ interest in research, and (c) anticipated outcomes from future involvement in research activities. The findings suggest that MSW programs need to extend research training beyond the classroom by providing holistic research learning environments that clarify the role and purpose of research for the social work profession and provide opportunities for students to transform didactic research training into practical research skills.

Employment Experiences of Frontline Child Protection Service Providers in Accessible and Central Service Delivery Settings

This study compared the employment experiences of frontline child protection service employees in central and accessible service delivery settings. Accessible sites were located in local schools or neighborhood centers close to their clientele. Data sources included frontline employment questionnaires (n = 115), semi-structured individual interviews with child protection supervisors and managers (n = 17), and focus group interviews for frontline child protection service providers (n = 18, 150 participants). Employees at accessible and central sites provided contrasting narratives about what made their everyday work worthwhile. Both groups had shared frustrations with formal child protection system expectations and comparable intentions to leave their jobs.