This chapter explores the thinking behind the social model of protecting children and its key themes. It interrogates the challenges that this model poses to the current dominant individually focused, professionally led child protection project drawing on lessons from the authors’ work in the UK. It draws on research and knowledge transfer projects conducted by the authors on poverty-aware practice and domestic abuse to explore key issues in relation to implementation. It asks whether reform is possible within the current system and explores what we can learn from the discussions on abolition evident in countries such as the US. Finally, the themes attached to ‘sense and sensibility’ are noted as aligning directly with the authors’ concerns to bring robust research evidence on structural inequalities, derived from a variety of means including co-production, into active dialogue with everyday professional practices.

Residential care in Britain has faced negative perceptions for a long time, and children's homes are often seen as a last resort for young people in care in England. However, little is known about what young people consider is good residential care, and what is important for them to be able participate in decisions about their life and ensure their wellbeing. This study aims to understand from the perspectives of young people how within residential care provision their agency and wellbeing can be promoted. Focus group discussions with nine young people with experience of residential care in England were undertaken and thematically analysed informed by the Capability Approach. The unique role of the relationship between carers and young people in promoting their capabilities to voice their views and be involved in decision-making processes is explored. Listening to the perspectives of young people who have lived in residential care helps to understand characteristics of positive relationships and factors that promote as well as impede their capability for voice in decisions about their lives. This study concludes with implications for policy and practice that promotes the rights and opportunities for the participation of young people in residential care.

Purpose: Parent peer advocacy is an inclusive practice whereby parents with lived experience of child protection (CP) services provide support to parents with active CP involvement. Support provided by advocates is typically characterized in general terms such as social, emotional, and practical support, which contributes to an insufficient understanding of the types and range of supports provided, or how advocates' lived experience facilitates these supports. This scoping review addresses this gap by reviewing the evidence base on peer support in parent advocacy programs to provide a comprehensive and evidence-informed conceptualisation of multidimensional peer support important for promoting positive experiential and case outcomes. Methods: A systematic search process exploring empirical literature on parent peer advocacy and support programs in CP over a 25-year period (1996-2021) was conducted revealing 45 studies across 24 programs. A morenuanced analysis of supports important for outcome achievement identified 20 studies representing 13 programs. Thematic data analysis explored support descriptions across study findings and similarities and differences in conceptualisations of parent peer support. Results: Data revealed a range of diverse supports provided by parent advocates, providing a more nuanced account of both the types of support provided and the contribution of lived experience to these supports. A multidimensional framework representing 14 support domains across four categories is presented. Conclusions: Findings highlight the need for practice and research to recognize the breadth and depth of unique supports provided by parent advocates based on their lived experience and the potential contribution of these supports to outcome achievement.

People who have lived in foster families or children's homes face a range of adversities, including a higher risk of suicidal ideation and behaviour compared to those without care experience. Social work and care systems lack standard suicide prevention guidance tailored to young people in care and care leavers. Qualitative research to investigate factors influencing suicidal ideation among this group in depth is scarce, as well as cross-national research on this topic, which can further contribute to exploring structural similarities and differences. Deploying Framework Analysis and informed by the Interpersonal-Psychological Theory of Suicide, this study presents qualitative findings on factors influencing suicidal ideation based on the experiences of thirteen care-experienced young adults from England and Germany. Ten themes were identified across three socio-ecological levels: the individual, interpersonal, and structural. With overall similarities between the two countries, the findings show that themes identified across all three levels are interlinked, highlighting the feeling of belongingness as central to influencing suicidal ideation among care-experienced people. This study contributes to a deeper understanding of an important but under-researched topic, emphasising that social work and care practice need to implement a holistic suicide prevention approach to promote the feeling of belongingness of care-experienced young people. People who have lived in foster families or children's homes face a range of adversities, including a higher risk of suicidal thoughts and behaviour from a young age compared to those who did not grow up in out-of-home care. This study presents findings from interviews with thirteen care-experienced young adults from England and Germany, exploring factors influencing suicidal thoughts. The findings show that individual feelings and perceptions, relationships, and practices within the care system influence suicidal thoughts among young people with care experience. With overall similarities between the two countries, the findings show that feelings of being cared for and included are central for influencing suicidal thoughts among care-experienced people. This study contributes to a deeper understanding of an important topic, emphasising that social work and care practice need a holistic suicide prevention approach for care-experienced young people.

This paper reviews 26 reports into deaths and serious abuse of children in families who were subject to the No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF) rule. Our analysis illustrates vulnerabilities caused by exclusionary policies, exacerbating social deprivation and isolation experienced by the children and families and making it more difficult for professionals to respond in ways which safeguarded children's welfare. Drawing upon a social model for protecting children that requires recognition of the social determinants of harm and the economic, social and cultural barriers faced by families, we examine the experiences of children and families with NRPF who were the subject of a serious case review, and the responses of agencies responsible for safeguarding child welfare. We conclude with recommendations for practices aimed at promoting the rights and well-being of children and families subject to NRPF rules.

In light of calls for reform in child protection systems in various countries, including the UK, there has been a growing interest in involving parents who have lived experience of these systems at both the individual case and broader organizational levels. However, critics have argued that these activities are tokenistic and claimed they perpetuate the status quo. This article aims to conceptualize contemporary parental activism within the context of child protection in the UK, differentiating it from mere participation and exploring its potential to facilitate transformative change. Through a content and thematic analysis of in-depth qualitative interviews with parent activists (n = 28), we identified three key features of parental activism: embracing a critical consciousness and aspiring for change, challenging power and oppression, and developing community agency. By employing a political lens to examine various forms of activism, whether in collaboration with or independently of professional allies and systems, we argue that they enable opportunities for achieving transformative change to arise, leading to new, justice-based social arrangements and structures that enhance children's and families' welfare and well-being.

This article explores the impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on racially minoritised children and young people. It draws on a study that investigated the factors that impacted the well-being and resilience of Black and Asian children and young people in the UK during the pandemic. The study employed a qualitative approach using semi-structured interviews and focus groups with Black and Asian children aged twelve to nineteen years, to explore their perspectives of the contributing factors that impacted the health, well-being and the coping strategies and support they were able to draw upon to navigate challenges. The thematic analysis highlighted themes of: (1) Support and well-being and (2) coping strategies and resilience to understand the layered elements of multiple intersecting identities and inequities. The findings revealed insights into the intersection of multiple disadvantages, namely economic stressors, food poverty, digital inequality, disrupted education and disproportionate losses that impacted family functioning, peer-to-peer support, friendships and social connection. Through the lens of community cultural wealth, this article seeks to examine key factors that need to be foregrounded when lived experiences are rooted in the cumulative effects of multiple intersecting inequalities. The findings provide insights into the challenges exacerbated by structural inequalities and racial disparities that disproportionately impacted youth experiences. This article explores how the combined experience of racial discrimination and the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic affected the well-being and resilience of racially minoritised children and young people. This article draws on research with children and young people aged twelve to nineteen years from Black, Asian and dual heritage backgrounds. The findings of the research showed multiple disadvantages, including financial pressures, food poverty, digital inequality, disrupted education and disproportionate losses, all of which had an impact on young people's family functioning, peer-to-peer support, friendships and social connections, that were significantly intensified by racial inequality. This article concludes with some reflections to help us understand the factors and networks of support that are important for promoting resilience for racially minoritised young people who experience adversities.

Objective: Parent peer advocacy, mentoring, and support programs, delivered by parents with lived child protection (CP) experience to parents receiving CP intervention, are increasingly recognized internationally as inclusive practices that promote positive outcomes, but little is known about what shared characteristics exist across these types of programs and what variations may exist in service delivery or impact. This scoping review examines 25 years (1996-2021) of empirical literature on these programs to develop a systematic mapping of existing models and practices as context for program benefits and outcome achievement. Method: Studies were selected using a systematic search process. The final sample comprised 45 publications that addressed research on 24 CP-related parent peer advocacy and support programs. Data analysis explored how programs were studied and conceptualized and examined their impact on parents, professionals, and the CP system. Results: Substantial variation in program settings, target populations, aims, advocate roles, and underlying theoretical frameworks were identified. Across program settings, existing empirical evidence on impact and outcomes also varied, though positive impacts and outcomes were evident across most settings. Conclusions: Findings from this review highlight the need to account better for parent peer advocacy and support program variations in future practice development to ensure alignment with inclusive and participatory principles and goals. Future research is also needed to address current knowledge gaps and shed light on the impact of these differences on individual, case, and system outcomes.

This article analyses Finnish children’s experiences of post-separation parental stalking as a form of domestic violence and explores how the capabilities approach (CA) can help social workers understand the issue and support children. The data consist of thematic interviews with eighteen children and young people (aged 4–21 years) whose father or stepfather has stalked their mothers after separation. The theory-driven data analysis was carried out by utilising the CA as the theoretical framework. Our findings show that parental stalking undermines children’s well-being by compromising their safety and reducing their capabilities to use their agency. The study deepened our understanding of issues that children value in their lives and of their possibilities to exercise their agency under parental stalking. Our findings suggest that social workers can support children’s agency and their chances of living out their values through interventions which provide internal and external protection. It is important that social workers create a situated understanding of children’s experiences through a relationship in which children are considered sentient individuals who are listened to and valued. The article offers a novel contribution to the application of the CA in social work involving children exposed to parental stalking.

The construction of parents' cannabis use in the context of child protection has far-reaching implications for how their parenting is perceived and assessed and for the decisions made regarding their children's lives. Yet little is known about the meanings various stakeholders in child protection processes attribute to parents' cannabis use. This paper aims to explore constructions of parents' cannabis use in child protection court proceedings and position them within a political and social context. A qualitative data mining method was used to examine 32 Family Court judgements in care proceedings that involved parents using cannabis in England and Wales. The analysis of the judgements revealed that most portrayed parents' cannabis use as a negative, deviant and harmful activity. Three constructions of cannabis use were identified: cannabis use as a risk to children, cannabis use as proof of parents' deficits, and cannabis use as (responsible) self-medication. The discussion considers the findings in light of two social and political processes that underpin child protection policy and practice: the adoption of a risk perspective and the manifestation of othering processes. Implications for policy and practice highlight the importance of developing a critical framework for responding to parental cannabis use.

The definition of 'unaccompanied child migrants' implies that family members have been left behind in their country of origin. This chapter uses the case of unaccompanied children who have travelled to Europe to consider the relationships with distant family members, as well as the creation of other forms of family by the migrants themselves, such as with other young asylum seekers, or through foster families. The chapter considers how notions of 'the family' and 'family life' become mobilised in both national and international law and protocol to either facilitate or police migration. While the focus of the chapter is on the unaccompanied young migrants themselves, it also considers the experiences of other family members, such as parents in the country of origin, and foster families.

Abstract This article presents a thematic analysis of 100 articles which appeared in ‘SW2020 under COVID-19’ online magazine, authored by people with lived experience, practitioners, students and academics. The magazine was founded by an editorial collective of the authors of this article and ran as a free online magazine during the period of the first UK COVID-19 lockdown period (March–July 2020). It contained a far higher proportion of submissions from the first three groups of contributors, above, than traditional journals. The analysis is organised under four analytic themes: ‘Hidden populations; Life, loss and hope; Practising differently and Policy and system change’. The article concludes by describing the apparent divergence between accounts that primarily suggest evidence of improved working relationships between social workers and those they serve via digital practices, and accounts suggesting that an increasingly authoritarian social work practice has emerged under COVID-19. We argue that, notwithstanding this divergence, an upsurge in activism within social work internationally during the pandemic provides a basis for believing that the emergence of a community-situated, socially engaged social work is possible post-pandemic.

Forced marriage is recognised as a form of child abuse in the UK. Despite evidence that this is a growing problem, there is little current research concerning the responses of child protection practitioners. This article is based on a study that explored the views and experiences of a range of practitioners who had been involved with safeguarding children with respect to forced marriage. Ten semi-structured interviews were carried out, followed by two focus groups (n = 13); these explored the challenges and best practice related to working with children at risk of or in forced marriage situations. The findings highlighted the complex nature of the work and the particular vulnerability of children affected by forced marriage. The study found that practitioners strug-gled to respond effectively when guidance was unclear or when they had limited knowledge and experience of forced marriage. Effective practice was associated with a high standard of interagency work locally and with practitioners who had confidence and experience and were able to work proactively and assertively.

Using findings from The Role of the Social Worker in Adoption – Ethics and Human Rights: An Enquiry, commissioned by the British Association of Social Workers, the following article presents a number of emerging themes regarding post-adoption contact and support in the UK. Three hundred individuals and 13 organisations across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland contributed to the enquiry and the data were analysed thematically. Within this article we will address some of the challenges regarding post-adoption contact and locate these within broader, often unexamined, concerns about poverty and inequalities. Drawing on sociological literature on ‘family practices’ and ‘displaying family’, we will consider both the status of adoption and the realities of carrying out post-adoption contact in an age of ever-increasing complexities in relationships. In doing so, we will explore how those involved in adoption carry out such practices, as well as the implications for professionals tasked with facilitating contact.

Aims The combined impact of race discrimination and COVID-19 on the everyday lives of Black Asian and minority ethnic families and communities has drawn to the fore the glaring inequalities that exist in British society today. Drawing from a socioecological framework this ongoing research focuses on the emotional and mental wellbeing and resilience of Black and South Asian young people and how they have been differently impacted by the pandemic. With Black and Asian families already disproportionately impacted by the health and economic disparities, children and young people have been doubly exposed to emotional and psycho-social trauma. The aim of the research has been to examine the factors that impact the health, well-being and resilience of Black and Asian minority ethnic families and children during the pandemic. Methods Starting from a critical race theory perspective, the qualitative research design uses a wellbeing and resilience framework and socioecological approach, to connect micro-meso-macro social processes. Semi-structured interviews, focus groups and creative workshops have provided insight into the combined impact of COVID-19 and racial discrimination on Black and South Asian young peoples’ everyday life, and how they navigated change. Data was collated in 2021 through purposive and snowballing techniques including from a community groups and schools, with a total of 53 participants, aged between 12–19 who identified as Black, Asian or mixed Black/Asian heritage. A youth engagement panel was also set up to aid meaningful engagement and involvement with youth participants. Results Findings based on a thematic analysis, provide insight into the interconnectedness of young people’s relationships with family, peers, teachers, and community support workers for maintaining mental wellbeing. Isolation, anxiety, experiences of bereavement, separation from school and friends, conducting their lives online and the impact of social media, influenced their concerns about inconsistencies in the policing of ‘lockdown’ rules, education, health, mental health support, within the context of being young and from Black or Asian backgrounds. The prominence of BLM movement and amplification of racial injustices during the pandemic, encouraged participants to speak candidly about identity, racialization, belonging, friendships and highlight local, national and global processes of change necessary for tackling systemic racial discrimination.Although many communicated through social media, being at home and separated from peers/friends made them more introspective and reflective on their relationships and friendships. Conclusion For Black and Asian young people already experiencing the adverse effects of structural inequalities, the pandemic has added some extra challenges in relation to maintaining their wellbeing. Their perspectives provide important insights into the complex multiplicity of factors that must be understood to build resilience post-COVID-19 - from new coping strategies, family connections, accessing support services, the importance and reliance on peer support and peer power, and the need for more culturally-responsive policies for young people; changes that respond sensitively to the emotional and mental wellbeing of Black and Asian young people.