Social work encounters of the first kind : child protection social workers' experiences of preparing for, and meeting their clients for the first time : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Social Work at Massey University, Manawatu, New Zealand
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Date
2019
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Massey University
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Abstract
This research investigates the experiences of child protection social workers as they
prepare to meet the client families they work with for the first time. It is important to
understand the experiences of social workers in child protection as first contact with
clients is a critical time and the experience lays the foundation for any ongoing
relationship. The study speaks to social workers experiences on the “front line” and
adds to the body of knowledge evolving in the home visiting space.
The study applied a qualitative framework and employed semi-structured interviews to
gather rich, descriptive data of social worker experience. The results found that child
protection social workers practice in an environment constructed as a neoliberal
process that positions risk and mitigating risk as sacrosanct ahead of welfare or
supporting families in need. This construction pervades the first contact space and
constrains a social work process. Recommendations call for the reconstruction of first
contact in child protection as a critically reflexive process that is relationship focussed
and accounts for structural inequalities.
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Keywords
Social work with children, Family social work, Child welfare workers, New Zealand, Attitudes