title: Engaging with families in child protection: lessons from practitioner research in Scotland.
abstract: This paper reports findings from practitioner-led research on engagement with families in the child protection system in Scotland. Engagement is here defined in a participative sense, to mean the involvement of family members in shaping social work processes. Key findings include the importance of workers building trusting relationships; the value of honest and clear communication, information, and explanation; and the potential for formal structures such as reports and meetings to hinder family engagement. These findings contribute to a growing critique of managerialism in social work.
authors.affiliation: University of Glasgow.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gallagher
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: Helen
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wosu
authors.forename: Jane
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Stewart
authors.forename: Scott
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hunter
authors.forename: Viviene E
authors.initials: VE
authors.lastname: Cree
authors.forename: Heather
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wilkinson
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D002669:Child Welfare; D003142:Communication; D005190:Family; D005195:Family Relations; D006801:Humans; D011368:Professional-Family Relations; D012107:Research Design; D012606:Scotland; D012947:Social Work / Q000379:methods*; D035502:Trust