IngentaConnect An ecological approach to social work with children and families

Author: Jack G.¹

Source: Child & Family Social Work, Volume 2, Number 2, 1997 , pp. 109-120(12)

Abstract:

This paper examines research into the social ecology of parents and children, with particular reference to the effects of social support on family functioning and outcomes for children. The historical failure of social work in the UK to successfully apply the findings from this area of research to mainstream work with children and families is considered in the light of the prevailing child protection discourse. Challenges to this discourse are now beginning to emerge from developments in both research and practice. The implications of these developments for the construction of a new discourse, which recognizes the wider social and political factors that shape the family environment, are discussed. It is argued that there is sufficient research evidence available to demonstrate the potential of community social work strategies, which enhance the social support networks of families, to significantly reduce the incidence of child abuse. A number of successful action-research projects of this nature are considered.

Keywords: Child abuse; social support; parenting

Language: English

Document Type: Research article

Affiliations: 1: Lecturer in Social Work, University of Exeter, Department of Social Work and Probation Studies, Amory Building, Rennes Drive, Exeter EX4 4RJ, UK

The full text article is temporarily unavailable.

We apologise for the inconvenience. Please try again later.