Homelessness and leaving care : the experiences of young adults in Queensland and Victoria, and implications for practice

This research first asks ‘What happens when young people leave state care?’ in respect of Victoria and Queensland and second ‘What are the service support implications of this?’ A number of methods were used to explore these questions including semi-structured interviews with 27 young adults aged 19-23 years who had been homeless or at risk of homelessness, and focus groups with young people and service providers. This study provides support for the proposition that young people should be proactively and voluntarily involved in periodic monitoring of their lived experience post care and linkage of this monitoring to the activation of timely support. The great majority of young people involved in this study thought this was not only desirable but important. Whilst some young people will be in close contact with leaving care services many others will not. New research is recommended to develop a mentoring and support activation process using participatory monitoring and action research methods. This type of approach reflects the importance of utilising processes with young people in care and leaving care which acknowledge their personhood and capacity to contribute voluntarily to the processes which seek to support them.

Social work with marginalised people who have a mild or borderline intellectual disability : practicing gentleness and encouraging hope

People with mild or borderline intellectual disabilities are a group of people who usually do not meet the eligibility criteria for specialist disability services, yet are high users of many generalist services, such as mental health, child protection, and criminal justice systems. They may traverse many services, often entering, exiting, and returning to the same service providers with few positive results. This article explores the practice approach of the Meryton Association, a medium-sized nongovernment agency located in Brisbane, Australia. The Meryton Association provides social work support to people with mild to borderline intellectual disabilities, actively assisting this group to build relationships, resources, knowledge, and autonomy in their everyday lives. Using qualitative in-depth interviews with Meryton Association staff and secondary analysis of Meryton Association policy and practice documents, the challenges and opportunities of using this practice approach have been documented. The article proposes that specialist services are needed that use a developmental approach, stress the importance of relationship, and the need to practice gentleness and hope in social worker-client interaction.

Book Reviews : "Off Limits: a parent’s guide to keeping kids safe from sexual abuse" and "Smart Parenting for Safer Kids"

Two important books on the topic of child sexual abuse prevention were recently published: Off Limits: A Parent’s Guide to Keeping Kids Safe from Sexual Abuse (Wurtele & Berkower, 2010) and Smart Parenting for Safer Kids (Briggs, 2010). The authors of both books are highly credentialed with long experience researching and writing about child sexual abuse prevention. Sandy Wurtele, PhD, is author of landmark child- and parent-focused sexual abuse prevention programs conducted in the USA over the past 30 years. She has published over 80 journal articles and book chapters on this topic. Her co-author, Feather Berkower, MSW, has been conducting workshops for adults on this topic for 25 years. Freda Briggs, PhD, has over 40 years’ experience in child protection in Australia and has also published numerous scholarly works on the topic. She was the inaugural recipient of the Australian Humanitarian Award in 1998, was Senior Australian of the Year in 2000, and was awarded an Order of Australia in 2005.

Mandatory reporting laws

As part of the effort to protect children from significant abuse and neglect, each state and territory in Australia has enacted legislation commonly known as "mandatory reporting laws". There is much confusion about the nature and effects of these laws, both generally and within each jurisdiction. Accordingly, the main aim of this chapter is to review and explain the legislative principles across Australia. In doing so, the chapter will identify differences between the state and territory laws and will situate the laws as part of a system of responses to the whole spectrum of child abuse and neglect. We will also highlight the need for effective reporter training and public awareness, especially given the tension between the widely perceived need for a community response to child abuse and neglect and the simultaneous concern to avoid unnecessary reporting of innocuous events and situations.

Feature article coverage of Australian out-of-home care : portrayals and policy reform

Mandatory reporting is a key aspect of Australia’s approach to protecting children and is incorporated into all jurisdictions’ legislation, albeit in a variety of forms. In this article we examine all major newspaper’s coverage of mandatory reporting during an 18-month period in 2008-2009, when high-profile tragedies and inquiries occurred and significant policy and reform agendas were being debated. Mass media utilise a variety of lenses to inform and shape public responses and attitudes to reported events. We use frame analysis to identify the ways in which stories were composed and presented, and how language portrayed this contested area of policy. The results indicate that within an overall portrayal of system failure and the need for reform, the coverage placed major responsibility on child protection agencies for the over-reporting, under-reporting, and overburdened system identified, along with the failure of mandatory reporting to reduce risk. The implications for ongoing reform are explored along with the need for robust research to inform debate about the merits of mandatory reporting.

Australian print media framing of mandatory reporting

Mandatory reporting is a key aspect of Australia’s approach to protecting children and is incorporated into all jurisdictions’ legislation, albeit in a variety of forms. In this article we examine all major newspaper’s coverage of mandatory reporting during an 18-month period in 2008-2009, when high-profile tragedies and inquiries occurred and significant policy and reform agendas were being debated. Mass media utilise a variety of lenses to inform and shape public responses and attitudes to reported events. We use frame analysis to identify the ways in which stories were composed and presented, and how language portrayed this contested area of policy. The results indicate that within an overall portrayal of system failure and the need for reform, the coverage placed major responsibility on child protection agencies for the over-reporting, under-reporting, and overburdened system identified, along with the failure of mandatory reporting to reduce risk. The implications for ongoing reform are explored along with the need for robust research to inform debate about the merits of mandatory reporting.

Editorial of "International Journal of Critical Indigenous Studies, Volume 5, Number 2, 2012"

This edition is marked by a strong Antipodean focus. The first three articles bring a critical Indigenous perspective to areas previously cosseted by Western understandings. Robyn Moore, using critical discourse analysis, takes Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard’s 2011 ‘Closing the Gap’ speech to task for naturalising Indigenous Australia’s position on the wrong side of the social and economic ‘gap’. She argues that, far from accepting white culpability, Gillard instead polishes cultural deficit understandings of Indigenous disadvantage by framing the social and economic divide in meritocratic terms. In so doing, Moore further argues, Gillard casts a benevolent light upon white Australia.

Carer perspectives of factors affecting placement trajectories of children in out-of-home care

Carers are at the frontline working with children in the care of the child protection system. This paper reports carer's views about key factors influencing the placement trajectories of children and young people living in out-of-home care in Queensland, Australia. The study sample included 21 foster and kinship carers with a minimum two-year experience in the carer role. Study data were from semi-structured telephone interviews in which carers shared their experiences of the factors impacting upon placement stability and placement movement. Carers' responses were analysed thematically. Data analysis yielded an overarching theme regarding placement trajectory: Carer engagement, and its three sub-themes; with the child; with the child protection system; and, with the caring role. Findings suggested that carer engagement and ‘fit’ are complex constructs that play critical influential roles in placement outcomes (stability or movement) for individual children in out-of-home care. It is argued that practice needs to be better grounded in these relational dynamics, and better aligned concerning the power differentials that exist.

Lastensuojelun sosiaalityö asiakirjoina : Dokumentoinnin ja tiedonmuodostuksen dynamiikka

Tutkimuksen keskeinen tehtävä on selvittää, mikä on dokumentoinnin merkitys lastensuojelun sosiaalityön tiedonmuodostuksessa ja ammattikäytännöissä. Asiakirjateksteistä koostuvaa tutkimusaineistoa tarkastellaan kolmesta eri suunnasta kysymällä: 1)Miten asiakirjoja kirjoitetaan? 2) Mitä asiakirjoihin kirjoitetaan? 3) Miksi asiakirjoja kirjoitetaan niin kuin kirjoitetaan? Tutkimusaineisto muodostuu lastensuojelun sosiaalityöntekijöiden laatimista asiakastietojärjestelmään tallennetuista muistiinpanoista ja huostaanottopäätöksistä. Tutkimukseen on valittu 20 huostaanotetun eri-ikäisen lapsen ja heidän perheensä asiakirjat yhteensä 1613 asiakirjatulostussivua. Tekstit ajoittuvat vuodesta 1989 vuoteen 2000. Tutkimusmenetelmä on diskurssianalyyttinen ja tukeutuu Fairclough`n (1997)esittämään kolmiulotteiseen malliin, jossa diskurssi määritellään tekstin, käytäntöjen ja sosiokulttuurisen ympäristön suhteeksi. Diskurssianalyysi on näiden rakenteiden ja niiden välisten suhteiden kuvaamista, tulkintaa ja selittämistä. Fairclough’n mallia mukaillen tutkimuksen analyysi koostuu retoriikan ja tematiikan analyyseistä sekä pragmatiikan näkökulman sisältävästä tarkastelusta. Asiakirjatekstien pilkkominen puhujakategorioihin osoitti tekstien olevan moniäänisiä, useiden henkilöiden näkemyksiä ja mielipiteitä sisältäviä tekstipintoja. Retoriikan analyysi näytti, että lastensuojelun sosiaalityön asiakirjat sisältävät paljon dynaamisia kuvauksia työstä. Asiakirjojen kirjoittaminen moniäänisiksi tuo tekstiin uskottavuutta, ja se on myös yksi retorinen vaikuttamiskeino. Tematiikan tarkastelu osoitti,että asiakirjojen sisällölliset teemat (lapsen hoiva, arjen hallinta, yhteistyö ja päihteiden käyttö) ja kokemukselliset teemat (huoli, vastuu, yhteys ja moraali) toistuvat sisäkkäisinä ja päällekkäisinä säikeinä dynaamisesti vaihdellen. Sosiaalityöntekijät kirjaavat teksteihin monia yhtäaikaisia teemoja, joiden avulla rakentavat ammatillista ymmärrystä kyseessä olevasta tilanteesta. Asiakirjojen tutkiminen pragmatiikan suunnasta toi esiin, kirjoittamisen ja lukemisen kontekstiulottuvuudet sekä tiedonmuodostusprosessin. Asiakirjojen laatiminen on osa sosiaalityön käytäntöjä. Se on myös keskeinen alue ammattikunnan yhteisen ammatillisen ymmärryksen luomisessa ja ylläpitämisessä. Muistiinpanot, huostaanottopäätökset ja lakitekstit ovat intertekstuaalisia. Lastensuojelun sosiaalityön asiakirjojen tutkiminen on avannut uusia mahdollisuuksia ymmärtää sosiaalityön dokumentointiprosessia, merkitystä ja roolia sekä tiedonmuodostuksen dynamiikkaa. Tekstien kirjoittaminen, niiden lukeminen, tietojen siirtäminen ja asiakkaan kuuleminen samoin kuin kuulemisen kirjaaminen ovat sosiaalityön dokumentoinnin keskeisiä haasteita. Tutkimus pyrkii avaamaan ymmärrystä asiakirjatekstien monivivahteiseen ja dynaamiseen maailmaan ja siten myös sosiaalityön dokumentoinnin arkeen. Tarkastelut mahdollistavat työn kehittämisen erityisesti sosiaalityön asiakasvaikuttavuuden mittaamisen ja parantamisen suuntaan. Asiakirjoissa ilmenevä tiedonmuodostuksen dynamiikka syntyy kirjoittamiskäytäntöjen, kirjoittamisen ja lukemisen sekä toimintakäytäntöjen yhteisessä alueessa. Avainsanat: sosiaalityö, lastensuojelu, dokumentointi, asiakirja, diskurssianalyysi, tiedonmuodostus.

Stadilaispojat, rikokset ja lastensuojelu : Viisi tapaustutkimusta kuudelta vuosikymmeneltä

Societal reactions to norm breaking behavior of children reveal, how we understand childhood, the relations between generations and communitie's ratio of tolerance. In Finland the children that repeatedly commit crimes receive social service measures that are based on Child Welfare Act. In the city of Helsinki (Stadi in the slang of Helsinki) existed an agency specifically established for ill-behaving children until the 1980's, agter which an unified agency for the maltreated and maladjusted children was founded. Through five boys' welfare cases, this research aims at defining what kind of positions, social relations and structures are constructed in the social dynamics of these children's everyday lives. The cases cover different decades from the 1940s to the present. At the same time the cases reflect the child welfare and societal practices, and reveal how the communities have participated in constructing deviance in different eras. The research is meta-theoretically based on critical realism and specifically on Roy Bhaskar's transformative model of social activity. The cases are analyzed in the framework of Edwin M. Lemert's societal reaction theory. Thus the focus of the study is on the wide structural context of the institutional and societal definitions of deviance. The research is methodologically based on a qualitative multiple case study research. The primary data consist of classified child welfare case files collected from the archives of the city of Helsinki. The data of the institutional level consist of the annual reports from 1943 to 2004 and the ordinances from 1907 onwards, and of various committee documents produced in the law-making process of child welfare, youth and criminal legislation of the 20th century. Empirical finding are interpreted in a dialogue with previous historical and child welfare research, contemporary literature and studies on the urban development. The analysis is based on Derek Layder's model of adaptive theory. The research forms a viewpoint to the historical study of child welfare, in which the historical era, its agents and the dynamics of their mutual relations are studied through an individual level reconstruction based on the societal reaction theory. The case analyses reveal how the positions of the children form differently in the different eras of child welfare practices. In the 1940s the child is positioned as a psychopath and a criminal type. The measures are aimed at protecting the community from the disturbed child, and at adjusting the individual by isolation. From 1960s to 1980s the child is positioned as a child in need of help and support. The child becomes a victim, a subject that occupies rights, and a target of protection. In the turn of the millennium a norm breaking child is positioned as a dangerous individual that, in the name of the community safety, has to be confined. The case analyses also reveal the prevailing academic and practical paradigms of the time. Keywords: childhood, youth, child protection, child welfare, delinquency, crime, deviance, history, critical realism, case study research

Sikiöaikana päihteille altistuneiden lasten kasvuympäristö ja kehitys

Life of children exposed to alcohol or drugs in utero This study focused on the growth environment, physical development and socio-emotional development of children, aged 16 and under, who had been exposed to alcohol (n=78) or drugs (n=15) in utero. The aim of the study was to obtain a comprehensive picture of the living conditions of these children and to examine the role of the growth environment in their development. The study was carried out using questionnaires, written life stories and interviews. Attachment theory was used as a background theory in the study. Over half of the children exposed to alcohol were diagnosed with foetal alcohol syndrome (FAS), one quarter was diagnosed with foetal alcohol effects (FAE), and one fifth had no diagnosis. Most of the children exposed to drugs had been exposed to either amphetamines or cannabis, and a smaller number to heroin. Some of the children exposed to alcohol were mentally handicapped or intellectually impaired. The children exposed to drugs did not exhibit any serious learning difficulties but a considerable number of them had socio-emotional development problems. Language and speech problems and attention, concentration and social interaction problems were typical among both the children exposed to alcohol and those exposed to drugs. Only one child had been placed into long-term foster care in a family immediately after leaving the maternity hospital. In biological families there had been neglect, violence, mental health problems, crime and unemployment, and many parents were already dead. Two of the children had been sexually abused and four were suspected of having been abused. From the point of view of the children's development, the three most critical issues were 1) the range of illnesses and handicaps that had impaired their functional capacity as a result of their prenatal exposure to alcohol, 2) child's age at the time of placement on a long-term basis, and 3) the number of their traumatic experiences. The relationship with their biological parents after placement also played a role. Children with symptoms were found in all diagnosis categories and types of exposure. Children with the smallest number of symptoms were found among those who had never lived with their biological parents. Almost all children were exhibiting strong symptoms at the time of placement in foster care. In most cases, they were behaving in a disorderly manner towards others, but some children were withdrawn. The most conspicuous feature among those with the most severe symptoms was their disorganized behaviour. Placement in a foster family enhanced the children's development, but did not solve the problems. The foster parents who brought these children up did not receive as much therapy for the children and support for the upbringing as they appear to have needed. In Finland, transfer to long-term custody is based on strict criteria. The rights of children prescribed in the child protection law are not fulfilled in practice. Key words: FASD, FAS, FAE, alcohol exposure, drugs exposure, illegal drugs, early interaction, child development, attachment

Substance misuse problems during pregnancy with special emphasis on buprenorphine

Maternal drug abuse during pregnancy endangers the future health and wellbeing of the infant and growing child. On the other hand, via maternal abstinence, these problems would never occur; so the problems would be totally preventable. Buprenorphine is widely used in opioid maintenance treatment as a substitute medication. In Finland, during 2000 s buprenorphine misuse has steadily increased. In 2009 almost one third of clientele of substance treatment units were in treatment because of buprenorphine dependence. At Helsinki Women s Clinic the first child with prenatal buprenorphine exposure was born in 2001. During 1992-2001 in the three capital area maternity hospitals (Women s clinic, Maternity hospital, Jorvi hospital) 524 women were followed at special antenatal clinics due to substance abuse problems. Three control women were drawn from birth register to each case woman and matched for parity and same place and date of the index birth. According to register data mortality rate was 38-fold higher among cases than controls within 6-15 years after index birth. Especially, the risk for violent or accidental death was increased. The women with substance misuse problems had also elevated risk for viral hepatitis and psychiatric morbidity. They were more often reimbursed for psychopharmaceuticals. Disability pensions and rehabilitation allowances were more often granted to cases than controls. In total 626 children were born from these pregnancies. According to register data 38% of these children were placed in out-of-home care as part of child protection services by the age of two years, and half of them by the age of 12 years, the median follow-up time was 5.8 years. The risk for out-of-home care was associated with factors identifiable during the pre- and perinatal period. In 2002-2005 67 pregnant women with buprenorphine dependence were followed up at the Helsinki University Hospital, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. Their pregnancies were uneventful. The prematurity rate was similar and there were no more major anomalies compared to the national statistics. The neonates were lighter compared to the national statistics. They were also born in good condition, with no perinatal hypoxia as defined by standard clinical parameters or certain biochemical markers in the cord blood: erythropoietin, S100 and cardiac troponin-t. Almost 80% of newborns developed neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) and two third of them needed morphine medication for it. Maternal smoking over ten cigarettes per day aggravated and benzodiazepine use attenuated NAS. An infant s highest urinary norbuprenorphine concentration during their first 3 days of life correlated with the duration of morphine treatment. The average length of infant s hospital stay was 25 days.

Uutta, vanhaa ja lainattua : Tampereen Kaupunkilähetyksen kristillissosiaalisen työn asemoituminen hyvinvointivaltion rakentumisessa vuosina 1939−1973

The main purpose of this study was to provide a full account of the Christian social work carried out at the Tampere City Mission (TCM) as well as the Missions sphere of operations from the Second World War to the early 1970s, comprising a period of significant change. The study consists of charting the processes of change and connections within the activities of the TCM and how examining these were linked to the general tendencies of the period, in lay work, social work, professionalization and the representation of gender. The positioning of the activities is described on the basis of these tendencies. The main sources for the study were the archives of the Mission, for example the minutes of meetings, correspondences as well as annual reports, and the archives of its partners, such as the City of Tampere, the Evangelical Lutheran parishes of Tampere and the State Welfare Administration. The archives of the Helsinki, Turku and Stockholm Missions supplied comparison reference and other material. In particular, social welfare and Christian social work technical journals of were used as printed sources. The principal method used was the genetic method of historiology. The research subject was also evaluated from the point of view of third sector research in addition to that of professionalization studies and gender studies. By the beginning of the research period, the TCM had turned more and more dedicatedly into a multipurpose social service organization maintaining social services such as old people s homes and children´s homes. This development continued, even though new areas of activity emerged and older ones fell into disuse. Social innovations sprang up, marriage counseling being one of them. On the national level, the TCM pioneered the provision of sheltered industrial work for intellectually disabled persons as well as housing services for them. As new activities were initiated, they overlapped with the established ones, and the TCM handed some of its child protection functions over to the municipality, in accordance with the current adaptation theory. The use of its own property to produce ever-changing social services may be the reason why the association s work continued on with vitality. Functional networks and political aid in the field of social services also bolstered the association. As in other Nordic countries, nonprofit organizations served as partners rather than competitors, with the State establishing institutional welfare arrangements. In the 1960s the municipal takeover of social services impacted the TCM activities. Rules for government subsidies and municipal allowances were not well established; hence these funds were not easily available, making improvements difficult. The TCM was a community in which women had a relatively strong position and an opportunity to make a difference. Female staff were reasonably equal to men, and women worked as heads of a several institutions. Care work employed a number of men, which went against the traditional segregation of labour between the sexes. The TCM s operations were from early on very professionalized, and were developed with particular care. Keywords: Christian social work, third sector, professionalization, gender

Abuso sexual infantil intrafamiliar: a subnotificação e os serviços de saúde

A pesquisa investigou aspectos referentes ao diagnóstico e à notificação de abuso sexual infantil intrafamiliar pelos serviços básicos de saúde do Município de Maringá-PR. O abuso sexual contra crianças é um problema de saúde pública, devido à alta incidência epidemiológica e às graves conseqüências dele decorrentes. Apesar de iniciativas municipais recentes para enfrentamento do problema, poucos são os casos denunciados oficialmente, o que dificulta o dimensionamento do problema e a criação de políticas adequadas. As instituições de saúde são espaços privilegiados para a detecção precoce e a notificação dos casos, porém é essencial que, na medida em que os profissionais de saúde consigam identificar a ocorrência da violência, sintam-se seguros para notificar. Dificuldades em relação à detecção, à notificação e ao funcionamento da rede de apoio às vítimas foram levantadas, possibilitando inferir pontos estratégicos para desenvolvimento de programas de capacitação necessários para o estabelecimento de ações de combate ao abuso sexual infantil. Os resultados apontam dificuldades importantes no que se refere ao diagnóstico precoce e insuficiente informação sobre o processo de notificação e de encaminhamento dos casos. Essas dificuldades podem ser minimizadas mediante a adoção de uma política de educação continuada, bem como do fortalecimento da rede de proteção à criança e ao denunciante.