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BJSW Advance Access originally published online on February 22, 2008
British Journal of Social Work 2009 39(3):435-450; doi:10.1093/bjsw/bcm150
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© The Author 2008. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The British Association of Social Workers. All rights reserved

Identifying Families with Multiple Problems: Possible Responses from Child and Family Social Work to Current Policy Developments

Trevor Spratt

Dr Trevor Spratt is Director of the Batchelor of Social Work (Relevant Graduate Route) and a Senior Lecturer in Social Work at the School of Sociology, Social Policy and Social Work at Queen's University, Belfast.

Correspondence to Dr Trevor Spratt, School of Sociology, Social Policy and Social Work, Queen's University Belfast, 6 College Park, Belfast BT7 1LP, Northern Ireland. Email: t.spratt{at}qub.ac.uk


  Abstract

In the development of family policy under New Labour there has been a growing tendency to identify groups who are likely to be high in lifetime costs to the state. Investment in such groups is seen as crucial. Whilst the economic case for current investment is compelling, idenitiying one of these groups, ‘families with multiple problems’ raises complex research problems and ethical issues. Reseach indicates that families with multiple problems may be identified on the caseloads of child and family social worker and there are claims that key events such as the registration of a child on the child protection register may indicate such multiple problems. This offers new opportunities for child and family social work to embrace less incident based ways of working in favour of longer term provision of services to address longer term risks.

Keywords: child welfare, social policy, child protection, investment state


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