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Using a realist lens to understand the Victorian Family Preservation and Reunification Response in the first year of implementation — Towards a better understanding of practice

Author

Listed:
  • Morris, Heather
  • Blewitt, Claire
  • Savaglio, Melissa
  • Halfpenny, Nick
  • Carolan, Erin
  • Miller, Robyn
  • Skouteris, Helen

Abstract

Programs for families where children are at risk aim to develop the conditions for safety and care that is rewarding, loving, stable and secure. Understanding what leads to outcomes is less clear, and realist research methods are a useful in unpacking this. The Social Care Theorising Model informed the collection of focus group data from practitioners and team leaders in a family preservation and reunification program being scale up across the state of Victoria in Australia. Demi-regularities (patterns of a program’s function that are reasonably stable) were generated to provide a rapid understanding of practice knowledge to inform data-driven decision making. This study combined the methodology from two studies to balance the need for realist informed findings without time and resource intensive processes of program theory development. Twelve demi-regularities were found which were grouped into three socio-ecological themes of family, organisation and system. At the family level, practitioners described what enabled engagement, readiness, the development of a therapeutic relationship and the need for supported closure. The organisational level suggested the preconditions to engagement, the caseload needed to work intensively, management of staff stress and work needed to operationalise goals. The systems level largely described the essential role of the Child Protection Navigator and how they enable service delivery. This study provides an understanding of what works, for whom, when and why in an innovative family preservation and reunification program.

Suggested Citation

  • Morris, Heather & Blewitt, Claire & Savaglio, Melissa & Halfpenny, Nick & Carolan, Erin & Miller, Robyn & Skouteris, Helen, 2022. "Using a realist lens to understand the Victorian Family Preservation and Reunification Response in the first year of implementation — Towards a better understanding of practice," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 143(C).
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:cysrev:v:143:y:2022:i:c:s0190740922002997
    DOI: 10.1016/j.childyouth.2022.106663
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Sadegh Eshaghnia & James J. Heckman & Rasmus Landersø & Rafeh Qureshi, 2022. "Intergenerational Transmission of Family Influence," NBER Working Papers 30412, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    2. Yaming Yang & Shuanming Li, 2022. "On a Family of Log-Gamma-Generated Archimedean Copulas," North American Actuarial Journal, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 26(1), pages 123-142, January.
    3. Ingrid Tyler & Judith Lynam & Patricia O’Campo & Heather Manson & Meghan Lynch & Behnoosh Dashti & Nicole Turner & Andrea Feller & Elizabeth Lee Ford-Jones & Sue Makin & Christine Loock, 2019. "It takes a village: a realist synthesis of social pediatrics program," International Journal of Public Health, Springer;Swiss School of Public Health (SSPH+), vol. 64(5), pages 691-701, June.
    4. Ronald Anderson & Nan Li & David M. Reeb & Masud Karim, 2022. "The Family Firm Ownership Puzzle," Review of Corporate Finance, now publishers, vol. 2(4), pages 679-720, December.
    5. Heather Morris & Melissa Savaglio & Nick Halfpenny & Renee O’Donnell & Alesia Pileggi & Andrea Dunbar & Robyn Miller & Helen Skouteris, 2021. "MacKillop Family Services’ Family Preservation and Reunification Response for Vulnerable Families—Protocol for an Effectiveness-Implementation Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(19), pages 1-14, September.
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