Social work, poverty, and child welfare interventions

Morris, K, Mason, W, Bywaters, P, Featherstone, B, Daniel, B, Brady, G ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3431-6543, Bunting, L, Hooper, J, Mirza, N, Scourfield, J and Webb, C, 2018. Social work, poverty, and child welfare interventions. Child and Family Social Work, 23 (3), pp. 364-372. ISSN 1356-7500

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Abstract

The relationship between children's material circumstances and child abuse and neglect raises a series of questions for policy, practice, and practitioners. Children and families in poverty are significantly more likely to be the subject of state intervention. This article, based on a unique mixed methods study of social work interventions and the influence of poverty, highlights a narrative from practitioners that argues that, as many poor families do not harm their children, it is stigmatizing to discuss a link between poverty and child abuse and neglect. The data reveal that poverty has become invisible in practice, in part justified by avoiding stigma but also because of a lack of up-to-date research knowledge and investment by some social workers in an "underclass" discourse. We argue, in light of the fact that poverty is a contributory factor in the risk of harm, that it is vital that social work engages with the evidence and in critical reflection about intervening in the context of poverty. We identify the need for fresh approaches to the harms children and families face in order to support practices that engage confidently with the consequences of poverty and deprivation.

Item Type:	Journal article
Publication Title:	Child and Family Social Work
Creators:	Morris, K., Mason, W., Bywaters, P., Featherstone, B., Daniel, B., Brady, G., Bunting, L., Hooper, J., Mirza, N., Scourfield, J. and Webb, C.
Publisher:	Wiley
Date:	11 July 2018
Volume:	23
Number:	3
ISSN:	1356-7500
Identifiers:	Number Type 10.1111/cfs.12423 DOI 1279811 Other
Rights:	© 2018 John Wiley & Sons Ltd
Divisions:	Schools > School of Social Sciences
Record created by:	Lee Houghton
Date Added:	27 May 2021 16:50
Last Modified:	31 May 2021 15:02
URI:	https://irep.ntu.ac.uk/id/eprint/42940

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