title: Construction of court petitions in cases of alternative placement of children at risk: meaning-making strategies that social workers use to shape court decisions.
abstract: This study examines court petitions constructed by 19 Israeli social workers in cases involving the placement of 37 maltreated children in alternative care. The petition is seen not as a systemic description of the child made by the social worker, but rather as a construction based on the social workers' understandings and interpretations with the aim of shaping court decisions. As such, the article describes a number of meaning-making strategies that social workers employ to construct petitions: (a) constructing the mother as "the problem," (b) constructing the story as one of "no change in sight," (c) constructing out-of-home care as the only solution, with no other alternatives, and (d) minimizing the narrator's personal involvement in the case. Implications for child protection officers are presented.
authors: Bob Shapell School of Social Work, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel. ronitl@post.tau.ac.il
authors: Ronit
authors: R
authors: Leichtentritt
authors: Bilha
authors: B
authors: Davidson-Arad
authors: Einat
authors: E
authors: Peled
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D002648:Child; D002649:Child Abuse / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000517:prevention & control; D002655:Child Custody / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D002669:Child Welfare / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000523:psychology; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005220:Fathers / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007557:Israel; D007603:Jurisprudence; D008297:Male; D009035:Mothers / Q000523:psychology; D010287:Parent-Child Relations / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D012947:Social Work / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence* / Q000379:methods