Child and Family Social Work 2002, 7, pp 141–146 © 2002 Blackwell Science Ltd

The Child’s World: Assessing Children in Need

Jan Horwath (ed.)Jessica Kingsley, London, 2001, 349 pp. ISBN 1 85302

957 2

This edited reader presents 20 chapters specificallywritten for the collection, intended to support theFramework for the Assessment of Children in Need andtheir Families (Department of Health 2000). It con-tributes to a range of initiatives to promote moreeffective and integrated child care service provision.The framework itself is ecological and attempts to re-focus child protection within the context of childrenin need.

With the explicit intention of relating sound andcurrent knowledge and research to policy and prac-tice, the content of the reader is organized into fourclearly defined sections: the assessment framework;the assessment process; assessing the developmentalneeds of children; and assessing parental capacity torespond to the developmental needs of the child. Thecontributions are prepared by experienced practition-ers, academics and researchers in relevant fields, andthe book is directed at trainers, practitioners and man-agers to ‘promote assessment practice that leads toinformed decision-making, planning and interven-tion, which in turn results in better outcomes for children and families’ (p. 15). For each of the key sections, aims are identified and the relationshipbetween each chapter and the assessment frameworkis established through an introductory statement. Alevel of consistency is also achieved by the adoptionof a similar structure for each chapter. Furtherreading and a broader range of references are indicated at the end of each contribution.

Like similar initiatives intended to encourageknowledge-based practice in child care, for examplethe Looking After Children system, this one representsan attempt to confront longer term issues about therelationship between theory and practice in child caresocial work. Such attempts to overcome the perceiveddifficulties in this relationship, however, inevitably run

the risk of instead generating more procedural orinstrumental forms of practice.

In many ways this is an impressive collection, par-ticularly in the range of issues covered. The inclusionof chapters by Dearden and Becker about youngcarers, Gordon about the importance of supervision,Banks about the assessment of families from minor-ity ethnic groups, and Cotson et al. about the assess-ment of parents with learning disabilities is especiallywelcome.The proportion of the collection about chil-dren’s developmental needs and communicating withchildren keeps their interests central, and Gilligan’scontribution will be particularly useful. The bookremains close to practice throughout and because of this, and the careful presentation of each sectionand chapter, it will be accessible and useful to social workers in training, newly qualified workers andother professionals involved in the assessmentprocess.

There is, however, some variability in the approachof the different contributions, and some inconsistencyin underlying theoretical or conceptual commitments.Whilst this is not to suggest that there can or should be absolute theoretical congruity, some of theinconsistencies are pronounced. Since the contribu-tions all relate to the same framework, they raise questions for those using the publication about howthey understand, deal with or resolve these ambigui-ties. This, in turn, raises issues about how it willinform the practice of assessment within the newframework.

The context and background remain at a high levelof generality. There is recognition at the outset of theneed to broaden assessment to incorporate attentionto wider social and environmental factors such asracism, unemployment and poverty, and this is pickedup on by a number of subsequent contributors(Shemmings and Shemmings, for example). However,overall, the collection fails sufficiently to engage withbroader societal and political factors that not justshape the lives of service users, but that compromisepolicy and organizational responses and confound thepossibilities of knowledge-based practice. Whilst thepredominance of child protection and lack of atten-

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Book Reviews Editor: Jonathan Dickens

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tion to family support are acknowledged, the under-lying reasons for this are not given due regard. Theoften chaotic organizational context and de-moralizedworkforce, many of whom are aware of existing ten-sions and struggling to achieve best practice in inaus-picious circumstances, warrant greater weight than isgiven.

Related to this, there is insufficient integrated atten-tion to the impact of oppressions and the implicationsfor anti-oppressive practice, although, again, this isnot true of every chapter.The significance of analysingparenting as a gendered activity, and the issue ofdomestic violence, are directly addressed in only a fewof the chapters, although family violence or violencebetween adults is frequently referred to. There is noreference to domestic violence in the index. Whilst itwas positive that chapters were included about theassessment of parents with learning difficulties andthe assessment of families from minority ethnicgroups, this should not have precluded other authorsfrom considering the diversity of service users.Neither does the collection, other than in one or twoexceptions, address the ways in which agencies andinterventions are involved in perpetuating discrimina-tion and oppression.

The collection shows how difficult it is to withstandthe tendency to individualize social problems andpathologize service users, although it is evident thatmany of the contributors have tried to avoid doing so. This mirrors the difficulties that practitioners ex-perience on a daily basis, in reconciling theoreticalknowledge and research findings with the exigenciesof service users’ lives and a difficult organizationalcontext. The book will make a contribution towardsthe development of knowledge-based assessmentwhere practitioners and managers take an evaluativeapproach.This is most likely to be the case if they arein agencies and teams that give active support to the-oretical debate and recognize the messy complexitiesof practice.

Christine HarrisonLecturer in Applied Social StudiesSchool of Health and Social StudiesUniversity of Warwick

Reference

Department of Health (2000) Framework for the Assessment of

Children in Need and their Families. The Stationery Office,

London.

An Introduction to Working with Children:A Guide for Social Workers

Matthew Colton, Robert Sanders and MargaretWilliamsPalgrave, Basingstoke, 2001, 267 pp. £14.99. ISBN 0 333

69308 6

This textbook presents a good introduction to childcare social work for anyone wanting a snapshot of thebreadth of current practice, and an understanding ofthe background in history and research. The clearlayout, exercises and case examples would also lendthemselves well to use in training. Each chapter beginswith a detailed table of contents, objectives for thechapter, and definitions of key terms. This makes iteasy to dip in and out of, and useful as a referenceguide for the beginning social worker.

The three central chapters are by far the longest.They concentrate on family support, protecting chil-dren and looking after children, narrowing the focuson to the field-work role. The surrounding chapterson the origins and contexts of child welfare, childdevelopment, anti-discriminatory practice and skillsin working with children are also directly relevant toresidential or community-based workers. The ‘finalthoughts’ chapter reflects constructively on the futureof social work and the difficulties social workers face,for example addressing the impact of the discovery ofabuse within the care system.

Throughout, social work practice is viewed in itshistorical, cultural and political context, for exampleexamining the impact of poverty on social workclients. This approach sits easily with the ecologicalperspective of the Assessment Framework (Departmentof Health 2000). The reader is encouraged to seeissues from different standpoints, and so to questionthe received wisdom of an institutional view. The his-torical perspective illustrates how social work practicehas been subject to political and theoretical fashionand practice continues to change over time. Aware-ness is also raised of the ethical issues facing socialworkers and the complicated, ambivalent nature ofthe work. However, there is less discussion of how tosolve ethical dilemmas or competing demands, andsometimes the book gives the impression of raisingmore questions than it answers, or of pessimism aboutthe possibilities for success.

The discussions of law and procedure are particu-larly thorough and clear, and cover all the major relevant publications and forms. This is backed up

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with a wide range of research sources, particularlyfrom North America. These would be sufficient toallow a worker or student on placement to use theLooking After Children paperwork, attend a child pro-tection conference or understand a case file. However,these sections risk an overemphasis on a descriptionof the current state of social work, without addinganything new. For instance, the chapter on lookingafter children describes at length the different types ofplacement available, but much less attention is paidto the more practical issues of how a placementshould be chosen, supported or assessed, or whatfactors might lead to the success or breakdown of aplacement.

Possibly the book suffers because its colours are nottied to the mast of any one theoretical standpoint.Discussion of theory is limited to a few pages in thechild development chapter and later in a section onthe causes of child abuse. Thus the complexities ofsystemic theory, attachment theory or feminism areglossed over and the result is somewhat confusing.This may have been a deliberate choice for an intro-ductory text, but a genuine understanding of theseapproaches is necessary for effective social work.Because people and relationships are complicated,social workers are repeatedly faced with professionaldilemmas. Without applying a theoretical frameworkto the situation, social workers risk getting swept fromcrisis to crisis, responding to demands without plan-ning. Again, the book sometimes lifts the lid on theseproblems without really offering clear solutions.

To conclude, in places I felt this book failed to reallyget to grips with the more slippery dilemmas anddebates that make social work as fascinating, chal-lenging and varied as it is. Otherwise, it provides athorough and very clear description of research, policyand procedures in child care social work. It presentsa good snapshot of the current state of practice, andhow it arrived at this point. It would be an excellentgeneral guide for an adult services social worker facedwith child care issues, a DipSW student on a statu-tory placement, or anyone at the beginning stages ofa social work career.

Clea BarryChildren and Families Social Worker, London

Reference

Department of Health (2000) Framework for the Assessment of

Children in Need and their Families. The Stationery Office,

London.

Kinship Care: The Placement Choice forChildren and Young People

Bob Broad (ed.)Russell House Publishing, Lyme Regis, 2001, 160 pp. ISBN

1 898924 96 1

Conference papers compiled for publication cansometimes seem contrived for the sole purpose of theUniversity Research Assessment Exercise, a variationon the theme of ‘bums on seats’. Kinship Care is avolume of papers presented, in the main, to a confer-ence on kinship care at De Montfort University in1999. However, the book was a pleasant surprise.Most of the contributors have had a long history ofresearch and writing about children cared for byfamily adults other than their parents, and in additionseveral speak from their own experience as familycarers. This seems to me quite unusual and refresh-ing. It was interesting that my own reaction to earlystatements from some contributors that their interestwas personal as well as professional was a sort ofheightened awareness and greater attention. I supposeit signalled to me immediately the book was notintended to be a potboiler and those who were writingcared deeply about the issues.

Kinship Care is particularly useful for its presenta-tion of the views and experiences of families, forexample Sophie Laws’ follow-up study of families inWandsworth (Chapter 12). The similarity of carerexperience of state systems is evident throughout thebook.The problem most frequently raised is the inad-equate level of and variations in financial support forfamily carers. Many carers mention the lack of infor-mation about legal and other matters, and paucity ofother support services. Some carers feared asking forhelp in case the child was removed from their care.However, the positive results for most children caredfor within their kinship network, emerging time aftertime in studies here and in the USA and NewZealand, show continuity and stability of placementand individual and family identity. There is substan-tial evidence to show the outcomes for such childrenare better than those in stranger-care, particularly forminority children.

Nevertheless, pulling a range of conference paperstogether into a coherent whole is always difficult andthis volume reflects some of these difficulties. Thebook is divided into three sections; Legal, Researchand Theoretical Perspectives; Policies in Practice; andWays Forward. It was not always clear to me why

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some papers were placed in one section rather thananother and why the sections varied so greatly inlength. Since there was little attempt to link eachsection with another or examine controversies withinthe material to any extent, it is difficult for the readerto explore particular aspects sequentially or identifydiffering perspectives easily. As an example, ValerieO’Brien (Chapter 7) and David Pitcher (Chapter 11)come to opposite conclusions in relation to assessingfamily members as carers. The former proposes briefassessments undertaken by one worker, whilst thelatter argues for a continuation of the two-workerapproach and an assessment similar to those used forprospective foster carers.

Chapters which attempt to lay out some of thedefining concepts and identify broad scale issues, suchas Paul Nixon’s excellent overview of Family GroupConferences in New Zealand and the UK (Chapter10) and Lynda Ince’s pertinent reflections on themeaning of kinship (Chapter 14), tend to occur laterin the volume than chapters examining very specificissues such as the legal status of grandparent carers inthe UK (Chapter 1). I was left feeling unsure as to thedefinition of ‘kinship care’ presented and the reasonsfor the variations. Some chapters focused on secondand third generation blood relatives, some on widernetworks including ‘chosen’ family members andsocio-cultural groupings (particularly those consider-ing black and minority families), whilst Elaine Farmer(Chapter 8) reviewed research examining the restora-tion of children to their parents from the care of thelocal authority.

Such a variation in material is not necessarily a flawif the volume is seen as a source book to be dippedinto for information about very different aspects ofkinship care rather than a comprehensive examinationof the issues. For example, Chapter 1, JenniferJenkins’ comprehensive outline of the legal position ofgrandparent carers, is likely to be a helpful startingpoint for carers themselves, social workers and gener-alist advice agencies such as the CAB. Roger Greeff ’silluminating work about family dynamics in kinshipcare (Chapter 6), on the other hand, is more relevantto experienced practitioners and those studying for aDiploma in Social Work or awards at post-qualifyinglevel. The strength of Kinship Care lies in its useful-ness to a wide range of workers, agencies and organi-zations, and I would certainly recommend this bookto anyone involved with the care of children.

Stephanie PetrieLecturer in Social WorkUniversity of Liverpool

Family Group Conferencing: NewDirections in Community-centered Childand Family Practice

Gale Burford and Joe Hudson (eds)Aldine De Gruyter, New York, 2000, 338 pp. ISBN 0 202

36122 5

This text adds to the growing body of Family GroupConference literature.The book has a strong interna-tional theme: there are contributions from Australia,the USA, Sweden, Northern Ireland, England,Canada and New Zealand. These contributions are clustered around four themes: Origins and Philosophical Framework, Practice Frameworks,Comparative Practice, and Evaluating Family GroupConferences.

Within each theme the editors draw together arange of contributions and perspectives allowing dif-ferent aspects of the Family Group Conference modelto be explored. As the themes suggest, the text aimsto consider both the practice and theoretical dimen-sions of Family Group Conferences.

The book’s foreword argues this text to be ‘perhapsthe most comprehensive statement on Family GroupConferences to appear in the international literatureof social work and child welfare’. The foreword alsoidentifies the target audience, suggesting that ‘Allthose who work with, plan services for, or conductresearch on services for children and families will findsomething of substance in this volume’. The book isnot an introductory text; it will be of use and interestto those already familiar with aspects of the model andwill also be of interest for those considering interna-tional perspectives in child welfare practice.

The text is ambitious in its aims and range. Thematerial covered is extensive. The editors and con-tributors offer an opportunity to consider the theo-retical and wider context of Family GroupConferences. Allied developments are explored, as arethe accounts of practice development in a variety ofsettings. Cultural contexts for the development of thispartnership-based practice are discussed and offeruseful insights into the issues and dilemmas faced indifferent settings when adopting this approach. Theeditors argue that ‘there is a sense that practice hasoutrun the development of relevant theory’, and thetext makes an important attempt to locate this prac-tice within theoretical analysis.

The contributors identify some shared issues in thedevelopment of Family Group Conferences – these

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will be familiar to those in the UK who have beenactive in promoting the model.The benefit for the UKaudience is the opportunity to consider the ways inwhich these issues have been addressed by otherFamily Group Conference initiatives in other coun-tries and settings.There is also a clear statement aboutthe need to avoid unrealistic expectations of themodel, and to apply the same rigour in assessing itsvalue to all other alternative decision-makingprocesses.

The sheer range of the text does bring its own lim-itations. Some contributions leave the reader withunanswered questions and not all contributionsachieve the high standards set by others. A reducednumber of chapters to allow more depth would havebeen a means of addressing the need, at times, formore critical reflection.

This text is an important contribution to the FamilyGroup Conference literature. What is surprising,given the user-led nature of the model, is the limitedinput by service users. This is essentially a profes-sionally driven collection of material. The limitedinvolvement of service user commentary is a key issue.Whilst some contributors do provide some child andfamily input, this is not a common theme. It cannotbe reflective of the spirit of Family Group Confer-ences to be developing material that does not providethe means for service users to write about and reflecton the use of the model.

Overall this is a book that brings together someimportant and very useful material.The developmentof the use of Family Group Conferences and thethinking that surrounds this development will benefitfrom this text.

Kate MorrisSenior LecturerUniversity of Birmingham

Families in Conflict: Perspectives ofChildren and Parents on the Family CourtWelfare Service

Ann Buchanan, Joan Hunt, Harriet Brethertonand Victoria BreamThe Policy Press, Bristol, 2001, 114 pp. £16.99. ISBN 1

86134 333 7

There could hardly be a better time to publish a studyof this sort. Research on separating families’ experi-ences of court proceedings and welfare reports ismuch needed. The Children and Family Court and

Advisory Service (CAFCASS), the new agencywhich, amongst other things, provides services to suchfamilies is in the process of forming (though somewould say ‘storming’ is more accurate), and there is agreat opportunity for such research to inform practiceand strategy.

The book focuses on a study of the court processand welfare report experiences of separated parents(100 interviewed) and their children (30 interviewed).Through a mixture of interviews and questionnairesthe study arrives at eight key findings. Parents andchildren in separated families were found to be highlydistressed. The parental distress was greater thefurther they progressed into the court system towardsits most adversarial aspect: the final hearing. The distress of children was linked to the level of parentaldistress. Crucially, it was found to exist at a levelequivalent to that for children made subject to careorders.

A high proportion of parents (nearly 90%)expressed some dissatisfaction with the court process.They highlighted areas such as contested hearings,lack of judicial continuity and the length of proceed-ings. Only a quarter of parents were completely satis-fied with arrangements after one year. More than halfexpressed dissatisfaction with the way in whichreports were prepared. Not surprisingly, the degree ofsatisfaction was most closely linked to whether thecase outcome conformed to what parents hoped toachieve. This goes some way to supporting the prac-titioner folklore that ‘you can only ever expect to haveone happy party at the end of a report, if that’. Thereport tries to assess the effects of issues such as ethnicity, race, religion and culture on the levels ofparental satisfaction, as well as considering domesticviolence. However, the relatively small samplenumbers make it difficult to provide conclusive find-ings in such areas.

Generally, the children seemed to have a very pos-itive view of the report writer. They were clear aboutthe role of the report writer and felt their views hadbeen taken seriously. The fact that most of the chil-dren will not have seen the section of the report relat-ing to them means, of course, that they will not havehad the opportunity to say how accurately their viewshad been represented. Eighty per cent of the childrenfelt they wanted to be involved in the decision-makingprocess, but only 4 out of 10 felt that this had hap-pened. It is not clear from the study as to whether allthe children had the same understanding of what ‘thedecision-making process’ meant and in what way theyfelt involved or not. Perhaps the most useful part of

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the feedback for practitioners is a series of ‘Top Tips’for other children, parents and report writers whichrepresent principles we all know, but which we needto be reminded of on a regular basis (e.g. ‘If youngchildren are going through a problem talk to them ina child’s way; some children don’t really understandwhat you are saying but they will not say so’).

The report rightly points out that, because of thesmall sample numbers, only tentative conclusionsshould be drawn from its findings. We should alsoremember that ‘consumer preferences’ may not be thesame as ‘good practice’. To give a memorableexample: out of the nine children who said theymissed something whilst on contact visits, four missedpets, three their friends and only two missed the resident parent! An interesting finding, but possiblynot one on which to base future family policy!

However, it is the section on ‘Implications for Policyand Practice’ which will excite most discussion andwhich will also prove most controversial. Possibly themost surprising finding was that which equated thelevel of problems for children in private law matters

with those experiencing care proceedings. The stressof separation for children has always been recognizedto some degree, but it has generally been held to be‘less serious’ than in public law.

The suggestions for policy and practice changesrange from the specific, such as more time to be spenton each report, to the far reaching, such as the pro-posed preventative family support model to reducechild and adult distress levels. Perhaps most signifi-cantly, the study suggests that purely legal interven-tions are not the answer and that CAFCASS’sintervention should incline towards the facilitativeand therapeutic rather than the investigative.

This study combines thought-provoking researchfindings with an account of the raw emotionsinvolved. This produces an incisive and accessiblepiece of work which raises radical questions about theimmediate future of practice and longer term familypolicy.

Simon ArthurNorfolk CAFCASSTeam Manager

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