Skip Navigation



BJSW Advance Access published online on October 8, 2008
British Journal of Social Work, doi:10.1093/bjsw/bcn133
This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My Personal Archive
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by van Nijnatten, C.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us  
What's this?

© The Author 2008. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The British Association of Social Workers. All rights reserved

Deadlocked Dialogues in Child Welfare

Carolus van Nijnatten

Carolus van Nijnatten is developmental psychologist and professor in social studies of child welfare at the University of Utrecht, and professor of social work at Radboud University Nijmegen, the Netherlands.

Correspondence to Carolus van Nijnatten, University of Utrecht/Radboud University Nijmegen, Interdisciplinary Social Sciences, PO Box 80140, 3508 TC Utrecht, The Netherlands. E-mail C.H.C.J.vanNijnatten{at}uu.nl


  Abstract

In the interactions with families, child welfare workers investigate the parental capability to guarantee their children's safe and prosperous development. A main strategy of child welfare workers is to encourage parental reflection, which may help parents to consider the family problems from a more remote position. Findings from a two-fold case study show that the conversational mode of professionals and clients are crucial to bring about this reflective position. Both the professionals' abstract and layered approach and the legal context of family intervention may restrain clients to take a reflective position and to better see the nature of their problems and the ways to solve them.

Keywords: Child welfare, professional discourse, care and control, interactional analysis, symbolization


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us    What's this?




Disclaimer: Please note that abstracts for content published before 1996 were created through digital scanning and may therefore not exactly replicate the text of the original print issues. All efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, but the Publisher will not be held responsible for any remaining inaccuracies. If you require any further clarification, please contact our Customer Services Department.