Journal of Children s Services

Simpson, Jennifer Evyonne; Bardsley, Janet; Haider, Sharif; Bayley, Kenneth; Brown, Gill; Harrington-Vail, Amanda; Dale-Emberton, Ann

2017 Journal of Children s Services

doi: 10.1108/JCS-11-2016-0020

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to communicate the findings of an empirical research project based on a real world problem that involved the development of a continuous professional development (CPD) framework for a children’s integrated service workforce. In addition, to give attention to the notion that children’s integrated services have not necessarily been viewed from the perspective of conflict management and that this has meant ensuing conflicts that characterise such organisations are more often than not ignored.Design/methodology/approachA case study approach involving a mixed methodology consisting of semi-structured interviews for senior managers and service leads; a quantitative survey for frontline practitioners and focus groups for service users, carers and children.FindingsRather than the service being fully integrated, services were aligned, and this was reflected in the conflict between professional cultures, reinforcing an “us and them” culture. This culture had seemingly permeated all aspects of the organisation including the senior management team. It was also noted that certain systems and processes, as well as bureaucracy, within the service were seen as hindering integrated working and was in effect a catalyst for conflict.Research limitations/implicationsWhat has become evident during the course of this empirical study is the need to further explore the functioning of children’s integrated services using conflict management theories, tools and techniques so as to understand how best to manage conflict to an optimum where an environment of creativity and productiveness is created.Practical implicationsTherefore, when devising a CPD framework it can be argued that there is a need to address some of the types of conflict at the micro-frontline practitioner level of the organisation, as it is this level where there is opportunity through a variety of mechanisms, for example formal and non-formal learning, ring-fenced time, attendance at conferences, team away days and shadowing opportunities can be used to achieve a greater understanding of professional roles, improve working relationships and engage in the division of tasks in a fashion that will promote collaborative working.Social implicationsThe extent to which a children’s integrated service can be the harbinger of a range of multi-faceted conflicts that include the jarring of professional cultures, task conflict, inter-personal incompatibilities and competing value bases cannot be underestimated. Therefore, when devising a CPD framework it can be argued that there is a need to address some of the types of conflict at the micro-frontline practitioner level of the organisation.Originality/valueThrough the application of conflict management theory it will be illustrated how conflict could be used to effectively steer children integrated services towards creativity and productivity through an organisational wide framework that not only embraces dissonance, but also promotes a learning environment that takes advantage of such dissonance to incorporate a hybrid of professional practice and expertise.

Grey, Ben; Farnfield, Steve

2017 Journal of Children s Services

doi: 10.1108/JCS-03-2016-0006

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to report on the initial validation of a new method, called the “Meaning of the Child Interview” (MotC), to assess the psychological meaning all children have for their parents, but which in cases of risk, submerge or distort the child’s identity. The MotC analyses parental discourse using a method developed from the discourse analysis used to classify the Adult Attachment Interview together with patterns derived from the infant CARE-Index, a procedure that evaluates face-to-face parent-child interaction. This allows the MotC to illuminate how the parent’s thinking influences the developing relationship between parent and child.Design/methodology/approachParents are interviewed using the Parent Development Interview (PDI), or an equivalent, and then the interview transcript is classified using the MotC system. The coding method was developed from interviews drawn from the first author’s work with children and families in the family court system, and then tested with a sample of 85 mothers and fathers, 62 of whom were parents drawn from an “at risk” context. The parents were also videoed in a short free play interaction, using the CARE-Index.FindingsThe study found a strong correspondence between the levels of risk as assessed by the MotC patterns of parental representation of care giving, the risk to the parent-child relationship observed using the CARE-Index. There was also corroboration of the patterns of interaction identified by the MotC.Originality/valueThe results of the study provide good evidence for the Meaning of the Child as an identifiable construct, and as an assessment tool to identify and assess the nature of “at risk” parent-child relationships. MotC was developed in a clinical setting within the Family Court justice system, and is designed to offer assistance to child protection and mental health practitioners deciding how to intervene in particular parent-child relationships.

Jonkman, Harrie; Wonderen, Ron van

2017 Journal of Children s Services

doi: 10.1108/JCS-03-2017-0005

PurposeResearch shows that growing up in unsafe neighbourhoods is a risk for the social and emotional development of children. At Home in the Street (TOS) is a community intervention that aims to create a clear, decent and emotionally safe environment for children in neighbourhoods. This programme is implemented in many communities in the Netherlands. The purpose of this paper is to determine the effectiveness of TOS.Design/methodology/approachThis study has a longitudinal (three waves), quasi-experimental design, which includes 644 children who live in either ten experimental or ten control neighbourhoods. The effects are examined by using the strengths and difficulties (SDQ) instrument and propensity score matching control techniques. Multilevel methods were used on multi-imputed data sets.FindingsThe intervention does not have a statistically significant effect on the social and emotional development of children. However, exploratory analysis suggests that it may have a positive effect if the intervention is used more intensively.Research limitations/implicationsFuture research may be conducted for a longer period to identify more precisely the different effects of the intervention on the development in SDQ scores in relation to age and gender.Practical implicationsThe intervention may be effective in the case of high programme quality. Developers should therefore continue to invest in programme quality. This also applies to other social interventions: in order to accomplish effective social investments, these should be combined with sound research, as shown in this study.Originality/valueThis study suggests that community interventions may be effective if used with particular regularity. The authors have also demonstrated that implementing this type of complex research is feasible if certain methods are used that help overcome these challenges.

Dickson, Kelsey S.; Zeedyk, Sasha M.; Martinez, Jonathan; Haine-Schlagel, Rachel

2017 Journal of Children s Services

doi: 10.1108/JCS-12-2016-0022pmid: 29151846

PurposeWell-documented ethnic disparities exist in the identification and provision of quality services among children receiving community-based mental health services. These disparities extend to parent treatment engagement, an important component of effective mental health services. Currently, little is known about differences in how providers support parents’ participation in treatment and the degree to which parents actively participate in it. The purpose of this paper is to examine potential differences in both provider and parent in-session participation behaviours.Design/methodology/approachParticipants included 17 providers providing standard community-based mental health treatment for 18 parent-child dyads, with 44 per cent of the dyads self-identifying as Hispanic/Latino. In-session participation was measured with the parent participation engagement in child psychotherapy and therapist alliance, collaboration, and empowerment strategies observational coding systems.FindingsOverall, results indicate significantly lower levels of parent participation behaviours among Hispanic/Latino families compared to their Non-Hispanic/Non-Latino counterparts. No significant differences were seen in providers’ in-session behaviours to support parent participation across Hispanic/Latino and Non-Hispanic/Non-Latino families.Research limitations/implicationsThese findings contribute to the literature on ethnic differences in parent treatment engagement by utilising measures of in-session provider and parent behaviours and suggest that further investigation is warranted to documenting and understanding ethnic disparities in parents’ participation in community-based child mental health treatment.Originality/valueThis paper contributes to the evaluation of differences in parent treatment engagement through demonstrating the utility of an in-session observational coding system as a measure of treatment engagement.

Bullock, Roger

2017 Journal of Children s Services

doi: 10.1108/JCS-02-2017-0003

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to assess the legacy of six pioneer child care researchers.Design/methodology/approachAn assessment of the achievements of a generation of child care researchers.FindingsThe early researchers were not only highly innovative in terms of theory and methodologies but also left a set of studies that stimulated and informed subsequent studies.Originality/valueA review of the work of six pioneering child care researchers.