Welfare Professionals Research Articles

From Fear and Distrust to Trust and Collaboration: Exploring Transitions in the Quality of Relationships in the Encounters Between Immigrant Parents and Child Welfare Services

This article examines the characteristics of transitions in the quality of relationships from fear and distrust to trust and collaboration in the encounters between immigrant parents and child welfare services and explores what these changes demonstrate about trust and collaboration within such contexts. The study draws on empirical data from interviews with ten immigrant parents who have experience with the Norwegian Child Welfare Services due to allegations of child abuse and/or neglect. The findings show that the transition from fear and distrust to trust and collaborative relations does not evolve in clearly defined phases but rather unfolds as a complex cyclical process. This process appears to involve fear, distrust, and uncooperative behavior as a point of departure but can, in some cases, develop into trusting and collaborative relations with disruption and restoration during the process. The characteristics of the transitions seem to demonstrate that parents can engage in trusting and collaborative relations amid institutional distrust, fear, and vulnerability, if they experience the encounter as meaningful. The turning points in this regard include the following: (1) parents’ experience of positive interactions and relational trust with child welfare professionals and (2) defining moments in the subsequent intervention process, including parents’ awareness that the intervention will not lead to child removal and/or the positive impacts of therapeutic intervention measures like parental training courses, counseling, and financial support.

Exploring sensemaking of trust through the lens of time: Finnish welfare professionals’ perspectives on institutional encounters with forced migrants in the neoliberal welfare state

While attention has recently been given to the time sensitivity of trust, current research seems to fall short of examining welfare professionals’ experiences of the relation between trust and time. Therefore, this article employs an analytical lens of time and temporality to explore how welfare professionals make sense of trust and distrust in encounters with forced migrant service users in a changing neoliberal welfare state. Empirically, the analysis draws on semi-structured individual interviews with welfare professionals in employment and social service institutions in Finland. Theoretically, I apply a dual framework that leans on the interplay between trust and time. Recognising trust as relational yet fragile, contextual and dynamic, and viewing time as increasingly commodified and accelerated, I show how time impacts and shapes trust in institutional encounters. My analyses uncover four ways in which welfare professionals’ sensemaking of trust was linked to time. First, I show how the welfare professionals perceived the foundations of the trusting relationship in relation to time. Second, time and trust were interconnected in the efficient institutional tempo of encounters. Third, when the welfare professionals were replaced, trust was shaped negatively through disruptions to service user relationships in the series of institutional encounters. Fourth, I show how flows of institutional encounters shaped trust both positively and negatively. Thus, this article contributes to the literature on the intersections of trust, time and migration research, particularly in the transformation of the neoliberal Nordic welfare state context.

Are recent health, welfare and care graduates part of a rural and remote workforce solution? Evidence from Tasmania, Australia

BackgroundStrong growth in graduate supply from health, welfare and care courses across Australia may bode well for easing rural workforce shortages. However, little is known about the employment opportunities available for recent graduates in non-metropolitan areas. This study aimed to quantify and describe advertised job vacancies for health, welfare and care professions in Tasmania, a largely rural and geographically isolated island state of Australia. Further, it aimed to examine those job vacancies specifying that recent graduates were suitable to apply.MethodsJob advertisements for health, welfare and care professionals were collected weekly throughout 2018 from six online job vacancy websites. Data were extracted on 25 variables pertaining to type of profession, number of positions, location, and graduate suitability. Location of positions were recoded into a Modified Monash Model (MM) category, the Australian geographic standard used to classify rurality. Positions advertised in MM2 areas were considered regional and MM3-7 areas rural to very remote. Data were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics.ResultsOver the twelve-month period, 3967 advertisements were identified, recruiting for more than 4700 positions across 49 different health, welfare and care professions in Tasmania. Most vacancies were in the non-government sector (58.5%) and located in regional areas (71.7%) of the state. Professions most frequently advertised were registered nurse (24.4%) and welfare worker (11.4%). Eleven professions, including physiotherapist and occupational therapist, recorded a disproportionate number of advertisements relative to workforce size, suggesting discipline specific workforce shortages. Only 4.6% of collected advertisements specified that a recent graduate would be suitable to apply. Of these, most were for the non-government sector (70.1%) and located in regional areas (73.4%). The professions of physiotherapist (26.6%) and occupational therapist (11.4%) were most frequently represented in advertised graduate suitable positions.ConclusionsDespite a range of advertised employment opportunities for health, welfare and care professionals across Tasmania, few specified vacancies as suitable for recent graduates and most were located in regional areas of the state. Health, welfare and care services in non-metropolitan locations may need to develop more employment opportunities for recent graduates and explicitly advertise these to job-seeking graduates to help grow and sustain the rural and remote health workforce into the future.

Barriers perceived by advance care planning (ACP) facilitators in nursing and welfare professions in implementing ACP: An online survey

This study aimed to elucidate the barriers perceived by Advance Care Planning (ACP) facilitators in nursing and welfare professions when implementing ACP in practice. An online survey using Google Forms was conducted between December 2021 and January 2022. The survey targeted 220 individuals, including 82 who completed the Hiroshima Prefecture ACP Promotion Training in 2020 and 138 ACP Promotion Collaborators in Fukuyama City, Hiroshima Prefecture. In addition to the respondents' attributes, the survey asked about the importance of 37 items related to barriers to ACP implementation, using a 7-point scale. We compared two groups: nurses and physicians ("nurses/physicians") and other medical and nursing care professionals ("nursing care professionals, etc."). Responses were obtained from 67 participants (response rate: 34.4%). The barriers to ACP perceived by nursing care professionals were as follows: 1) lack of knowledge about ACP, 2) belief that other professions are more suitable for implementing ACP than themselves, and 3) difficulty in realizing intentions due to institutional and environmental factors. Nurses and physicians perceived lack of time as an important barrier. Measures such as 1) clarifying how different professions should be involved in ACP, 2) expanding educational opportunities tailored to each profession, 3) utilizing tools to support the decision-making process in ACP, and 4) establishing an information-sharing system infrastructure are considered to be effective in promoting the implementation of ACP by facilitators in the nursing and welfare professions. By implementing measures to address the barriers identified in this study, it is expected that the practice of ACP by facilitators in nursing and welfare professions will be promoted, and ACP will become more widespread in the community.

Students’ Constructions of Professional Judgement in Teacher Education, Medical Education and Police Education

Professional higher education encompasses the development of relational skills and professional judgement, especially in welfare professions where close contact with people is essential, such as policing, teaching and health care. In the current article, using a cross-professional analysis, we explore how students from three different professional education programmes – teacher education, police education and medical education – construct professional judgement in group discussions and interviews. The results show that participants construct professional judgement as a relationship between three different dimensions: personal ethics, educational standards and professional practice. The examples in this article show how students utilise these three different dimensions when discussing professional dilemmas to account for choices that they (would) make as being morally or ethically sound. We argue that these results shed light on the importance of providing students with opportunities to reflect openly on professional judgement in different ways, even though this may not currently be examined or graded in their education. Furthermore, the analysis demonstrates similarities between the three examined programmes, as well as similar student reflections on essential aspects of the professions.

“We should be treated like we are somebody”: Building supportive relationships with LGBTQ foster youth

AbstractObjectiveThis study uses in‐depth interviews and ecomapping techniques to explore LGBTQ youths' relationships with child welfare professionals and other affiliated, nonparental adults (CWP/ANPAs) who play a primary role in providing them with care and services.BackgroundSupportive relationships with caring adults are essential in reducing minority stress impacts and improving outcomes for LGBTQ foster youth, who often face victimization affecting their access to support. However, limited knowledge exists regarding LGBTQ foster youths' relationships with CWP/ANPAs and the role of relational support in their identity disclosure and access to appropriate care and services.MethodTwenty‐one LGBTQ foster youth, aged 17 to 21, participated in interviews and constructed visual diagrams of their relationships with CWP/ANPAs. Data were analyzed using directed content analysis.ResultsFindings highlight the need for CWP/ANPAs to improve relationships with LGBTQ foster youth. These improvements can be achieved through engagement in attitudes and practices that facilitate relationship development (e.g., empathy, respect, affirmation, knowledge, responsiveness), and reduce existing barriers (e.g., neglect, discrimination, mistreatment, lack of knowledge, fear of rejection).ConclusionsTo provide better support LGBTQ foster youth, CWP/ANPAs and child welfare agencies should increase their knowledge and skills, be more responsive to LGBTQ youths' specific needs, and implement inclusive policies and practice standards.ImplicationsCWP/ANPAs and agencies working with LGBTQ foster youth must develop an awareness and understanding of the strengths, needs, and challenges of LGBTQ foster youth to reduce stigma, bias, and discrimination in the foster care system and engage in affirming actions and practices that create a more inclusive environment for this population.

Supporting older youth in care: The role of caregivers

Adolescents living in care are vulnerable to a range of negative outcomes. Although the mental health and substance use problems of foster youth are widely documented, significantly less research examines the influence of caregivers on these two dimensions of health and wellbeing. Given the importance of caregivers to the development of adolescents in child welfare, the present study investigates the relationship between caregiver characteristics, caregiver attachment and placement type on mental health and substance use. The sample consists of 1,093 young people taken from the 2016 Ontario Looking After Children project who are between 16 and 17 years of age. Findings suggest that caregiver attachment, caregiver gender and the caregiver’s school expectations are all significantly associated with mental health and substance use among this population. Results will inform child welfare professionals about a number of risk-predictive factors of mental health and substance use problems among a sample of young people preparing to transition to adulthood. These findings will help service providers design policies and intervention strategies to improve the future outcomes of youth involved in child welfare.

Associations of Mental Health Service Utilization and Mental Health Diagnosis with Placement Instability Among Foster Children in a Southeastern State

AbstractPlacement instability for children in foster care is high, with children experiencing nearly 4.5 placement moves per 1,000 days in care on average. While prior research has demonstrated a predictive relationship between mental health problems and placement instability, few studies have examined the associations of specific mental health diagnoses or utilization of mental health (MH) services. To this end, this study seeks to investigate associations between MH service utilization, mental health diagnosis, and placement instability (rate of placement moves) for foster children. We analyzed statewide integrated administrative data to examine MH service utilization and mental health diagnosis on placement instability among foster children. We used SAS 9.4 to conduct descriptive, bivariate, and multiple linear regression models to address the objectives of the study. The retrospective cohort was composed of 1,002 children in foster care. The multivariable linear regression reveals that receiving in-patient services, receiving out-patient services, being diagnosed with conduct disorder, being Black children, older children, and female children, being placed in intensive case management, being sexually abused, having a single household family structure at time of removal, and having a high number of intakes significantly increased the rate of placement moves. The findings of this study have significant implications for the provision of mental health services to foster children and the promotion of placement stability, highlighting the role of child welfare professionals in fostering protective factors and mitigating risk factors to promote placement stability. Implications for practice and policy improvement are discussed.

“They told me that you can be with whomever you want, be who you are”: Perceptions of LGBTQ+ youth in residential care regarding the social support provided by child welfare professionals

LGBTQ+ youth strengthen their resilience resources through the development of meaningful relationships that provide them with unique tools to combat the stress derived from experiences of discrimination and violence targeting their marginalized identities. However, more research is needed to understand how this group benefits from the social support provided by child welfare professionals and how these relational processes may strengthen their resilience, since these professionals are often the only adult models of relationship, even after leaving care. The focus of this study was to understand youths’ processes of resilience-development through relationships with care professionals in the child welfare system. In this study, we held 15 narrative interviews with LGBTQ+ youth between the ages of 14 and 21 years that were living in residential care in Spain. We carried out a reflexive thematic analysis. The results show that LGBTQ+ youth in care experience feelings of safety through supportive relationships with professionals that are enhanced by availability, trust, and honesty. Safe spaces in care are facilitated by professionals who normalize LGBTQ+ issues and make LGBTQ+ youth feel they can be themselves in their residential homes. Functions of social support such as personal attachment, belonging, and acceptance were evident in the youths’ experiences. Young people expressed gratitude for professionals who provided identity support and who encouraged youths to authentically express themselves fully. Professionals who scaffold agency in youths’ identity development process, as well as emotional and practical support, promoted resilience. This knowledge is a building block to advance our understanding of how social support for LGBTQ+ youth in child welfare systems can counteract the negative impacts of non-affirming families and institutions by augmenting resilience.

Using a structured decision-making model to inform child welfare practice in Florida: safety versus removal

ABSTRACT Child welfare professionals use structured decision-making models (SDMs) to increase consistency in decision-making. The current study examined the relationship between safety and removal decisions of case managers in Florida. Secondary data from a previous study were used. Results indicated that participants identified the home as “unsafe” 50% of the time, while recommending in-home services 75% of the time. This inconsistency in identifying a home as unsafe yet opting for in-home services was unexpected. Although limited in generalizability and interpretability, this study demonstrates the inconsistencies in decision-making and the need for a more comprehensive examination of components impacting decision-making.

A Multidimensional Evaluation of the Factors in the Animal Welfare Assessment Grid (AWAG) That Are Associated with, and Predictive of, Behaviour Disorders in Dogs.

Behavioural disorders in dogs are common and have severe welfare consequences for dogs. This study aimed to assess the factors that are significant and predictive of behaviour problems in dogs using the animal welfare assessment grid (AWAG) to further understand what factors influence their welfare. 177 AWAG assessments were undertaken across 129 dogs that clinicians deemed to have a behavioural disorder. Wilcoxon rank-sum tests were used to assess the difference in scores between dogs with behaviour disorders and a cohort of healthy dogs (n = 117). This analysis showed that all physical factors besides body condition, all procedural factors besides procedure pain, and all psychological, and environmental factors were significantly different between healthy dogs and dogs with behaviour disorders. Spearman rank correlation coefficient (RS) revealed several significant strong positive correlations including the procedural impact on the dog's daily routine with aggression towards unfamiliar people and procedure pain, as well as other correlations between the dog's behaviour during assessment with the frequency at which they encounter fears and anxieties, clinical assessment and procedure pain, and reaction to stressors and social interactions. These findings highlight the interdependent nature of the various influences of welfare. Logistic regression analysis identified that aggression towards the caregiver, fears and anxieties frequency, and choice, control, and predictability were all significant predictors of behaviour disorders. The findings have important implications for veterinary, behaviour, and animal welfare professionals as any changes across these factors may indicate poor welfare linked to emotional disorders in dogs.

How vocational school principals perceive their role

ABSTRACT This study examines how vocational school principals in Israel perceive their role. A qualitative methodology was applied, with data derived from semi-structured interviews of 22 vocational school principals. We adopted a thematic analysis approach to analyze the interview transcripts, revealing three major themes: (1) the principals’ professional paths and motivations; (2) the principals’ perceptions of vocational school as a space of marginality and its ramifications; (3) the impact of the vocational students’ marginality on the principal’s role. The article discusses the principals’ descriptions of their role in the context of the ‘coalition of despair’, highlighting how education and welfare professionals’ experiences parallel those of the marginalized populations they serve. Moreover, the impact of the principals’ perception of their role in social inequality is addressed.

“There’s so much history”: shared parenting dynamics in kinship families

ABSTRACT Shared parenting, when adults collaborate in childrearing, is a practice of interest for children in out-of-home care. Yet, little is known about its feasibility and outcomes for kinship families who have preexisting relationships with birth parents. This article shares qualitative results from focus groups that explored participants’ experiences and attitudes toward shared parenting. The sample comprised 25 kinship caregivers and 34 child welfare professionals. Findings revealed that shared parenting within kinship families is often less feasible than desired. This article identifies barriers and facilitators of shared parenting, offers a shared parenting typology, and explores implications for policy and practice.

Influence of Welfare on the Professionalism of Journalists

This research aims to determine the influence of welfare on the professionalism of journalists in West Nusa Tenggara. This research was conducted using a quantitative correlational method with a questionnaire as the research instrument. The questionnaire used by researchers is a closed questionnaire which is measured using a Likert scale with the dimensions Strongly Agree (SS) with a value of 5, Agree (S) with a value of 4, Neutral (N) with a value of 3, Disagree (TS) with a value of 2, and Strongly Disagree (STS) with a value of 1. Meanwhile, the sampling technique used was random sampling with a type of purposive sampling. After conducting sampling, the researcher determined 45 respondents who answered the questionnaire. Data analysis was carried out using correlation and regression analysis of variable X (Welfare) with variable Y (Professionality of Journalists). This research found that there is a significant relationship between welfare and journalist professionalism. The calculated F value is 24.139. At degrees of freedom (df) = N – 2 = 45 – 2 = 43, Ftable is found to be 4.07. So, it can be concluded that Fcount > Ftable (24,139 > 4.07) with a significance value smaller than 0.05 (0.000 < 0.05) means that the independent variable has a significant effect on the dependent variable. Based on these criteria, H0 is rejected and H1 is accepted.

Exploring the relationships between self-care and well-being outcomes among child welfare professionals

ABSTRACT Child welfare workers experience increased risk of secondary traumatic stress (STS) and burnout. Despite encouragement to bolster self-care, little remains known about self-care and well-being outcomes. This study explored frequency of self-care and its relationship with STS, burnout, and compassion satisfaction by surveying 305 child welfare direct service and supervisor professionals. Participants completed the ProQol and reported frequency and types of self-care. Findings indicated frequency of self-care was associated with decreased STS and burnout, and increased compassion satisfaction. Given the prevalence of STS in child welfare, further exploration of self-care and its potential for strengthening well-being is necessary.

Ecosocial work among social welfare professionals in Finland: Key learnings for future practice

AbstractAn ecosocial approach implies integrating social and ecological sustainability on all levels of social work practice (Boetto, British Journal of Social Work, 2017:47(1), 48–67). This survey study explored the frequency of ecosocial work practices in Finnish social work and the factors that enable or hinder adopting ecosocial work in social work practice. The study found that ecosocial work practices are quite rarely applied in Finnish social work. It indicates that personal interest in and knowledge of the ecosocial approach, organizational practices, and client attitudes play an important role. Social welfare professionals as well as the organizations where they work should be informed of environmental issues affecting human wellbeing and of the ecosocial approach in social work. This study examines the present state of the ecosocial approach in Finnish social work and provides opportunities to reflect on the relationship between social work and the natural environment.

Social welfare professionals’ views on addressing environmental issues in social work in Finland

ABSTRACT Global environmental challenges such as climate change, biodiversity loss, and overconsumption of natural resources require urgent action. Environmental crises have social consequences; hence, social work should participate in recognizing and mitigating these . This study investigated social welfare professionals’ perceptions on the relation of their work to environmental issues in Finland and the factors that influence these views. The research questions were: 1) How important do social welfare professionals perceive addressing environmental issues to be in their work? 2) What kinds of environmental issues do they perceive as having the most influence on social work clients’ wellbeing in Finland? 3) What background factors are associated with the perceived importance of addressing environmental issues in social work? A survey (N = 542) conducted among Finnish social welfare professionals in November 2020 showed that most respondents perceived addressing environmental issues in social work as important. Increasing concentrations of the population in certain areas, anxiety related to environmental problems, and desolated rural areas were the three most important environment-related issues marked as impairing client wellbeing. Social welfare professionals who emphasized the importance of addressing environmental issues in their personal life and those working in private or third sector organizations were more likely than public sector counterparts to value addressing environmental issues in social work. The findings suggest that social welfare professionals recognize that environment-related issues affect client wellbeing; hence, these issues should be incorporated into social work training and practice.

Changing children's public perception of social work: A narrative evaluation of an educational intervention about social services

Summary This article explores children's learning experiences from taking part in an educational intervention about social services in school. Data were collected from six group interviews with 27 children after they had participated in lessons about social services. Following a narrative evaluation approach, the analysis focuses on the narratives of change that are made visible through the children's shared reflections about their learning experiences. Findings In their narratives of change, the children presented the educational intervention as meaningful for them because it increased their knowledge about social services as a possible support function for children and families. Some of the children related their previous more negative perceptions of social services to a collective story building on the idea that social services take children away from their families. Through the educational intervention, this collective story changed in part into another collective story building on the idea that social services help children and families to improve their relationships. Applications The study shows that an educational intervention about social services in school has the potential to increase children's knowledge about social services and to influence in a positive direction the collective stories that shape public perceptions of social work. Although such changes in collective stories can be expected to benefit social work practice, welfare professionals must be careful to promote opportunities for children to share experiences of social services that challenge, as well as align with, any of these collective stories.

Establishing a working definition for veterinary care desert.

To develop a formal definition of veterinary care deserts as guidance for veterinary and animal welfare professionals to easily identify areas with limited access to veterinary care that can be targeted with expansion or implementation of programs and services. 52 sources relating to veterinary care and 55 sources relating to human resource deserts were reviewed for themes and parameters relating to resource desert definitions and barriers to care. Of these, 37 veterinary and 42 human sources were included to inform the themes and parameters for our definition. We performed a scoping literature review with a focus on veterinary care barriers and definitions of human resource deserts. The review identified 3 common themes of accessibility (transportation; distance to resource), affordability (owner income or poverty level; cost of care), and availability (density of professionals) that were incorporated into the definition of a veterinary care desert and parameterized at the level of census tracts. A working definition for veterinary care deserts was established as a geographic area where accessible, affordable, and available veterinary care is limited. By consulting publicly available census tract data on accessibility, affordability, and availability, veterinary care providers and organizations can use this definition to identify areas most likely to be experiencing reduced access to veterinary care and target interventions accordingly.

영구임대주택 ‘찾아가는 마이홈센터’의 지역사회 연계실태와 활성화 방안

Background/Objectives: The purpose of this study is to understand the actual condition of community resources network m the “On-site Myhome Center” and propose a revitalization plan to increase the efficiency of supporting Housing welfare services with the limited resources and manpower of the center.
 Methods: The subjects of this study were 14 Housing welfare Professionals placed in the “On-site Myhome Center” of Permanent Public rental housing. It was surveyed as a questionnaire composed of open questions.
 Results: Each of the 14 “On-site Myhome Center” subject to this survey is carrying out specialized projects tailored to tenants. It provides continuous and integrated Housing welfare services by deriving optimal resources through organic links with private organizations and public institutions in the local community. Among the tasks of the “On- site Myhome Center” Housing welfare Professionals, most of them recognize the community resources network as important tasks within the third priority, including four who answered that their importance is the first priority.
 Conclusion/Implications: For the efficient community resource linkage work of the “On-site Myhome Center”, it is an urgent priority to recruit personnel who are qualified as Housing welfare Professional, not assistants. The lack of space m the “On-site Myhome Center” is also related to the center's internal and external status, so an independent space should be secured and a space for meetings with related organizations should be secured. It is necessary to actively promote the work of “On-site Myhome Center” at home and abroad, and to strengthen specialized projects that do not overlap with those of local social welfare centers or management offices.