Parents’ emotional experiences of their contact with the Child Welfare Services: a synthesis of previous research- a research review

Navigating emotions in child welfare: Immigrant parents’ experiences and perceptions of involvement with child welfare services in Norway

“…Many parents perceived that caseworkers stereotyped and generalised immigrants as abusive parents, and some believed caseworkers were more focused on confirming abuse accusations than impartially investigating cases. While research with non-immigrant parents involved with child welfare (Davies, 2011;Tembo and Studsrød, 2018) has also shown that parents feel judged due to perceptions that caseworkers focus more on confirming accusations, the parents in this study attribute this to immigrants being a stereotyped and stigmatised group. The findings show that parents' relationships with caseworkers were marred by perceptions of feeling judged as bad parents due to their immigrant backgrounds and perceptions that stigma in CWS is fuelled by caseworkers' preconceived ideas on parenting cultures in other parts of the world.…”

“…However, if CWS find that children's lives or health are in immediate danger, emergency placements can be made at any point during this process. This whole process, which entails the reporting, investigation, assistance and out-of-home or emergency placements, is emotionally stressful for many parents (Tembo and Studsrød, 2018) and contributes to the tension characterising parent-caseworker interaction.…”

“…Moreover, as Kent (2007) noted, the migration process, especially for refugees, allows for greater exposure to traumatic events, which can have negative consequences for children and parents and hence as Dettlaff and Fong (2014) argued, might increase immigrant parents' possible CWS involvement and influence how they relate with caseworkers. While involvement with CWS might be challenging for most parents (Tembo and Studsrød, 2018), migration-related factors and acculturation challenges might perpetuate vulnerabilities for immigrant parents (Berg et al, 2017;Tembo and Studsrød, 2017). Hence, understanding and responding to immigrant families present significant challenges for child welfare and social work practice.…”

“…Research on child welfare services (CWS) has shown that an emotional dimension is present in child welfare and affects parent-caseworker relationships (Thrana and Fauske, 2014). Negative emotions, such as anger, fear, anxiety and sadness, dominate parents' experiences and can negatively affect interactions with caseworkers (Davies, 2011;Tembo and Studsrød, 2018). Perhaps equally important is how parents' emotional expressions might be interpreted by workers and how they may affect their involvement with CWS and the outcomes of their cases.…”

Social Class and Child Welfare: Intertwining Issues of Redistribution and Recognition

“…In 2006, Dumbrill (2006) stated that child welfare interventions must begin by addressing the power imbalance that exists between worker and client, and by acknowledging the fear parents may be feeling. We agree that acknowledging parents' feelings and emotions is important in child welfare (Tembo and Studsrød 2018). However, it is critical to analyse power imbalances due to economic marginalization.…”