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Challenges in implementing participatory practice in child protection: A contingency approach

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  • Darlington, Yvonne
  • Healy, Karen
  • Feeney, Judith A.

Abstract

In many countries, legislation and policy directives increasingly emphasize the rights of parents to participate in child protection decision-making. As these kinds of initiatives have become more widespread, literature has tended to presume that increased participation of parents in child protection practice is both feasible and desirable. However, despite demonstrated benefits of parents' participation, factors related to the statutory context of child protection work present challenges to translating the ideals of participation into reality. Findings from in-depth interviews with 28 child and family welfare practitioners indicate that effective parent participation is contingent on a range of parent and system factors. Parent factors include parents' willingness to engage with child welfare authorities, their demonstrated understanding of their children's needs, and their willingness to effect parenting changes in order to meet these needs. System factors relate to the power of the child protection system in relation to parents, and the extent to which workers have time for thorough case planning and for building relationships with parents. These factors are clearly interrelated, with some parent factors themselves contingent on parents' prior experiences of the child protection system. Practitioner suggestions for counter-balancing contingency factors as a means to facilitating parent participation are included.

Suggested Citation

  • Darlington, Yvonne & Healy, Karen & Feeney, Judith A., 2010. "Challenges in implementing participatory practice in child protection: A contingency approach," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 32(7), pages 1020-1027, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:cysrev:v:32:y:2010:i:7:p:1020-1027
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    1. Arad-Davidzon, Bilhah & Benbenishty, Rami, 2008. "The role of workers' attitudes and parent and child wishes in child protection workers' assessments and recommendation regarding removal and reunification," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 30(1), pages 107-121, January.
    2. Darlington, Yvonne & Healy, Karen & Feeney, Judith A., 2010. "Approaches to assessment and intervention across four types of child and family welfare services," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 32(3), pages 356-364, March.
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    1. Gladstone, James & Dumbrill, Gary & Leslie, Bruce & Koster, Andrew & Young, Michelle & Ismaila, Afisi, 2014. "Understanding worker–parent engagement in child protection casework," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 44(C), pages 56-64.
    2. Appleton, Jane V. & Terlektsi, Emmanouela & Coombes, Lindsey, 2013. "The use of sociograms to explore collaboration in child protection conferences," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 35(12), pages 2140-2146.
    3. Summers, Alicia & Wood, Steve M. & Russell, Jesse R. & Macgill, Stephanie O., 2012. "An evaluation of the effectiveness of a parent-to-parent program in changing attitudes and increasing parental engagement in the juvenile dependency system," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 34(10), pages 2036-2041.
    4. Toros, Karmen & DiNitto, Diana Maria & Tiko, Anne, 2018. "Family engagement in the child welfare system: A scoping review," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 88(C), pages 598-607.
    5. Damiani-Taraba, Gissele & Dumbrill, Gary & Gladstone, James & Koster, Andrew & Leslie, Bruce & Charles, Michelle, 2017. "The evolving relationship between casework skills, engagement, and positive case outcomes in child protection: A structural equation model," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 79(C), pages 456-462.
    6. Havlicek, Judy & Lin, Ching-Hsuan & Villalpando, Fabiola, 2016. "Web survey of foster youth advisory boards in the United States," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 60(C), pages 109-118.
    7. Eunice Magalhães & Maria Manuela Calheiros & Carla Antunes, 2018. "‘I Always Say What I Think’: a Rights-Based Approach of Young People’s Psychosocial Functioning in Residential Care," Child Indicators Research, Springer;The International Society of Child Indicators (ISCI), vol. 11(6), pages 1801-1816, December.
    8. Davies, Kate & Ross, Nicola & Cocks, Jessica & Foote, Wendy, 2023. "Family inclusion in child protection: Knowledge, power and resistance," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 147(C).
    9. Lehtme, Rafaela & Toros, Karmen, 2020. "Parental engagement in child protection assessment practice: Voices from parents," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 113(C).
    10. Darlington, Yvonne & Healy, Karen & Yellowlees, Josephine & Bosly, Fiona, 2012. "Parents' perceptions of their participation in mandated family group meetings," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 34(2), pages 331-337.
    11. Arbeiter, Ere & Toros, Karmen, 2017. "Participatory discourse: Engagement in the context of child protection assessment practices from the perspectives of child protection workers, parents and children," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 74(C), pages 17-27.
    12. Schreiber, Jill C. & Fuller, Tamara & Paceley, Megan S., 2013. "Engagement in child protective services: Parent perceptions of worker skills," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 35(4), pages 707-715.
    13. Tsantefski, Menka & Humphreys, Cathy & Jackson, Alun C., 2014. "Infant risk and safety in the context of maternal substance use," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 47(P1), pages 10-17.

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