Dealing with risk in situations of poverty: when complexity in frontline practice becomes wallpaper for organisational policy

ABSTRACT

A recent body of research draws on the concept of child welfare inequality and shows that social inequalities, such as poverty, are reproduced in and through child welfare and protection interventions. We therefore examine how the recent preoccupation with risk relates to ways in which frontline social workers in child welfare and protection deal with poverty. Our contribution is based on a qualitative research project in a governmental organisation in Flanders (the Dutch-speaking part of Belgium) that implements the Australian risk assessment method Signs of Safety (SofS). We explore how frontline social workers who implement Signs of Safety in Flanders deal with risk in situations of poverty, and identify four strategies of discretion in dealing with poverty: (1) poverty as a complicating factor, (2) poverty as a concern, (3) poverty as an undercover concern for social workers, and (4) poverty as a social problem that requires structural responses. Our research findings particularly show that the interaction of frontline social work with organisational policy is crucial. Rather than framing poverty as ‘the wallpaper of frontline practice’, we argue that the complexity and struggle at stake in frontline practice becomes ‘wallpaper’ for child welfare and protection organisational policy in Flanders.

SAMENVATTING

Recent onderzoek is gebaseerd op het concept van ongelijkheid in kinderwelzijn en toont aan dat sociale ongelijkheden, zoals armoede, worden gereproduceerd in en door interventies in kinderwelzijn en kinderbescherming. We onderzoeken daarom hoe de recente preoccupatie met risico's zich verhoudt tot de manier waarop eerstelijns sociaal werkers in kinderwelzijnszorg en – bescherming omgaan met armoede. Onze bijdrage is gebaseerd op een kwalitatief onderzoeksproject in een overheidsorganisatie in Vlaanderen (het Nederlandstalig deel van België) die de Australische risicobeoordelingsmethode Signs of Safety (SofS) toepast. We onderzoeken hoe eerstelijns sociaal werkers die Signs of Safety in Vlaanderen implementeren omgaan met risico's in situaties van armoede, en identificeren vier strategieën van discretie in het omgaan met armoede: (1) armoede als complicerende factor, (2) armoede als zorg, (3) armoede als undercover zorg voor sociaal werkers, en (4) armoede als sociaal probleem dat structurele antwoorden vereist. Onze onderzoeksresultaten tonen in het bijzonder aan dat de interactie van eerstelijns sociaal werk met organisatorisch beleid van cruciaal belang is. In plaats van armoede te framen als ‘het behangpapier van de eerstelijnspraktijk', stellen we dat de complexiteit en strijd die in de eerstelijnspraktijk op het spel staan ‘behangpapier’ wordt voor het organisatiebeleid inzake welzijn en bescherming van kinderen in Vlaanderen.

KEYWORDS:

• Child welfare and protection
• discretion
• organisational culture
• Signs of Safety

KERNWOORDEN:

• jeugdbescherming en jeugdzorg
• discretie
• organisatiecultuur
• Signs of Safety

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Lore Dewanckel

Lore Dewanckel is a PhD student, affiliated to the Department of Social Work and Social Pedagogy at Ghent University, Belgium. Her PhD research focuses on the non-take up of social rights of people in poverty. Other research interest include child welfare and protection, interpretive research methodologies, social work in relation to (intersections of) social and conceptualisations of citizenship and social rights.

John Decoene

John William Decoene is a PhD student, affiliated to the Department of Social Work and Social Pedagogy at Ghent University, Belgium. His PhD research focuses on the relationship between Child Welfare and Protection Services and poverty. Other research interests include social work and social rights, and interpretive research methodologies.

Laura Van Beveren

Laura Van Beveren is a postdoctoral researcher, affiliated to the Department of Social Work and Social Pedagogy at Ghent University, Belgium. Her PhD research focused on critical reflection and reflexivity in social work practice and education. Other research interests include interpretive research methodologies and discursive studies of social work concepts such as poverty and risk.

Rudi Roose

Rudi Roose is Associate Professor of Social Work, affiliated to the Department of Social Work and Social Pedagogy at Ghent University, Belgium. His research interests include social work and social rights, child welfare and protection, rationalisation and marketisation of public service delivery, and primary social work and social assistance service delivery.

Griet Roets

Griet Roets is Associate Professor of Social Work, affiliated to the Department of Social Work and Social Pedagogy at Ghent University, Belgium. Her research interests include social work in relation to (intersections of) social inequalities of poverty, gender, age, dis/ability, and race/ethnicity, conceptualisations of citizenship and social rights, socio-spatial approaches in social work, and interpretative research methodologies and research ethics.