Jumping Through Hoops: Families’ Experiences of Pre-birth Child Protection

Critchley, Ariane

doi:10.1108/978-1-78769-415-620191009

Cited by 8 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 28 publications

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“…Observed meetings included child protection case conferences (CPCCs), core group meetings, informal office meetings, and home visits. The study utilised mobile methods in order to follow participants across a range of settings and meetings (Critchley, 2019). Following Ferguson's (2011Ferguson's ( , 2016 research methods in exploring the mobilities (Buscher et al, 2011) of child protection across multiple sites.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Although he was described by the social worker as 'ambivalent' about the baby, in research interviews Bill spoke about his joy at becoming a father again. He also described his fears for Tracy's welfare if the baby was not in her care following the birth (Critchley, 2019). As uncomfortable as it was to see these fragmented perspectives emerge from the different participants in the research, it opened up important questions about how we talk to men as fathers in social work and gain a fuller picture of their lives and motivations in relation to their children.…”

Section: Paternal Riskiness: 'I Felt Unsafe'mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Giving up the ghost: Findings on fathers and social work from a study of pre-birth child protection

Critchley

2021

Qualitative Social Work

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This article reports findings from an ethnographic study of pre-birth child protection, conducted in an urban Scottish setting. The study was designed to explore the interactions between practitioners and families in the context of child protection involvement during a pregnancy. This research aimed to understand the activities that constituted pre-birth child protection assessment, and the meaning attached to those activities by social workers and expectant parents. Very different perspectives on fathers and fatherhood emerged through the study. Fathers shared their feelings of familial tenderness in the context of research interviews. Yet social workers often focused on the risks that the fathers posed. This focus on risk led professionals to ignore or exclude fathers in significant ways. Fathers were denied opportunities to take an active role in their families and care planning for their infants, whilst mothers were over-responsibilised. Children meanwhile were potentially denied the relationship, care and identity benefits of involved fatherhood. This article shows how pre-birth child protection processes and practice can function so as to limit the contribution of expectant fathers. The way that fathers and fathering are understood continues to be a wider problem for social work, requiring development through research and practice. This study was not immune to the challenge of involving men in social work research in meaningful ways. Nevertheless, the findings highlight how participation in social work research can create a forum for fathers to share their concerns, and the importance of their perspective for practice.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Paternal Riskiness: 'I Felt Unsafe'mentioning

confidence: 99%

Giving up the ghost: Findings on fathers and social work from a study of pre-birth child protection

Critchley

2021

Qualitative Social Work

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“…However, parents participating in the study clearly understood the risk that separation at birth from their infants represented for their ever gaining care of their children (Critchley, 2019b). One young mother Morven outlined her fear that missing out on early ‘essential bonding time’ would weaken her case for regaining care of her expected daughter.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

‘The lion's den’: Social workers' understandings of risk to infants

Critchley

2020

Child & Family Social Work

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Recent research has highlighted the increasing trends in newborn and very young children entering child welfare processes and care proceedings in a number of countries. Furthermore, differential responses to risk within young families across different geographical locations and communities in the same child protection system have been found. Safe care arrangements for newborn babies may include placement with kinship carers or with foster carers not previously known to the family. The distinctive needs of the increasing population of infants in the care system are only beginning to be fully recognized. The short-and long-term impact of contested infant removals on birth mothers has been powerfully highlighted, although the impact on fathers remains under-reported. There has been limited research evidence available on how decisions about the care arrangements for newborn babies are reached. In this paper, the author draws on data from an ethnographic study of pre-birth child protection in order to explore how social workers understand and frame risk to infants when assessing families during pregnancy. Data from interviews with practitioners reveal the extent to which their conceptualizations of and anxiety about risks to unborn babies shape plans for the future care of infants. K E Y W O R D S child protection, infant removal, unborn babies 1 | INTRODUCTION This paper reports findings from an ethnographic study of pre-birth child protection work. The research took place within an urban Scottish setting and focused on the activities of social work practitioners and their interactions with expectant parents. Unborn babies lack legal personhood in Scotland, meaning any legal action must wait until the baby has been born. However, child protection processes may be initiated during the pregnancy, thereby providing a forum for important decisions about the future care of the baby. The choices made by parents during the pregnancy may also be taken into account in the grounds for any legal steps later enacted. Increasing numbers of newborn babies and infants find themselves subject to care proceedings and separation from birth family in Scotland (Scottish Government, 2019; Woods & Henderson, 2018), a trend that has been noted in other countries with child protection systems focusing on immediate risk (Broadhurst et al.,

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“…The quote from Anna similarly highlights the potential for professional resistance (Critchley 2019a ) whereby the IRO rejected deterministic perceptions of parenting capacity based on historical concerns. Yet, as discussed in Chapter 4 , young people's past experiences have the potential to taint professionals' views of parents and historical records have the potential to further contribute to disadvantage.…”

Section: Fear and Mistrust Of Social Workersmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Children of Looked After Children

Roberts¹

2021

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List of tables vi About the author and contributors vii 7 Conclusion: if this were my child 123 References 143 Index 159 vi List of tables 2.1 Prevalence of sexual health behaviours by living arrangement 2015 2.2 Odds ratios for the association between foster care and sexual health behaviours 2.3 Prevalence of sexual health behaviours by living arrangement 2017 2.4 Odds ratios for the association between being in care and sexual health behaviours 3.1 Descriptive statistics for study variables by care leaver status of birth parents 3.2 Relationship status of parents 3.3The number and nature of recorded needs for young people 3.4Living arrangements of children 6.1The number and nature of recorded needs for young people vii

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Jumping Through Hoops: Families’ Experiences of Pre-birth Child Protection

Cited by 8 publications

References 28 publications

Giving up the ghost: Findings on fathers and social work from a study of pre-birth child protection

Giving up the ghost: Findings on fathers and social work from a study of pre-birth child protection

‘The lion's den’: Social workers' understandings of risk to infants

The Children of Looked After Children

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