Periodic Reporting for period 1 - PCPPP (Poverty, Child Protection and Parents' Participation)
Reporting period: 2020-09-01 to 2022-08-31
There is growing recognition that child protection (CP) systems across the English-speaking world are failing to meet the goal of promoting a better and safer society for children and their families. An accumulating body of data attests to the poor outcomes of CP interventions, the existence of inequalities in these systems, and the fact that many parents have negative experiences within them. Despite the broad consensus regarding the ethical and practical importance of parent participation, studies have found that the voices, needs, and experiences of families, especially those in poverty, are often excluded and ignored by policy makers and practitioners. As a result, calls for the development of poverty-aware practices alongside an interest in innovative ways to meaningfully involve parents in order to promote improvements in CP system practice has increased worldwide.
Accordingly, this MSCA project – that was conducted in the Department of Social Work at Royal Holloway University of London (RHUL), under the supervision of Professor Anna Gupta – aspired to promote innovative, poverty-aware forms of parents' participation and family inclusion practices in child protection policy and practice. In order to do that, the project involved a comprehensive, qualitative research on advocacy and activism of parents with lived experiences of the child protection system in the UK. The project, that investigated various forms of parents’ advocacy and activism, had 4 main scientific objectives: 1) To map, describe, and conceptualize the development and application of parent advocacy in England. 2) To explore the experiences and perspectives of all stakeholders who participate in parent advocacy 3) To examine and theorize the relevance of the PAPCP framework to parent advocacy. 4) To empirically enrich and further develop the PAPCP’s understanding of the complex relationship between poverty and CAN. Also, in order for the project to foster the development of the individual researcher, the training objectives for the researcher were foster the development of the researcher.
Accordingly, this MSCA project – that was conducted in the Department of Social Work at Royal Holloway University of London (RHUL), under the supervision of Professor Anna Gupta – aspired to promote innovative, poverty-aware forms of parents' participation and family inclusion practices in child protection policy and practice. In order to do that, the project involved a comprehensive, qualitative research on advocacy and activism of parents with lived experiences of the child protection system in the UK. The project, that investigated various forms of parents’ advocacy and activism, had 4 main scientific objectives: 1) To map, describe, and conceptualize the development and application of parent advocacy in England. 2) To explore the experiences and perspectives of all stakeholders who participate in parent advocacy 3) To examine and theorize the relevance of the PAPCP framework to parent advocacy. 4) To empirically enrich and further develop the PAPCP’s understanding of the complex relationship between poverty and CAN. Also, in order for the project to foster the development of the individual researcher, the training objectives for the researcher were foster the development of the researcher.
In order to meet these objectives, the researcher conducted an extensive qualitative study that involved a) a scoping review of the literature on parent advocacy (that yielded one conference presentation and one scientific article currently under review) b) a mapping of parent advocacy services across the UK (that was presented in 3 conferences and one workshop and led to the development of an online database (see pfan.uk/support) c) a research project that analysed the construction of parents in 33 child protection court proceedings (that was presented in one conference and is currently under review for a scientific publication) e) a case study on the development of a parent advocacy network in Wales (that resulted in a evaluative report and one journal article underway) f) a case study on the co-production of a parent-led policy report (that resulted in a policy report and the publication of a scientific article. g) a participatory research project with ATD Fourth World (an international antipoverty organization) that is still going on (and produced one summary report of the first phase) and h) 49 semi-structured interviews with parents and professionals that take on active roles as activists in the field of the child protection system (presented in two conferences and one journal article underway).
The researcher also presented his work in 10 academic and professional conferences and delivered 12 seminars/workshops in universities and other institutes. During the course of the fellowship, he developed, alongside with activists, a teaching resource on poverty-aware social work, led the writing of three funding proposals (one accepted), joined the steering committee of an international scientific network, supervised 2 MA students and organized a one-day hybrid conference in his host institute with 80 participants from around the world. The data sets collected during this MSCA will inform and enhance multiple publications in the coming years, in addition to the ones produced or published during the fellowship itself.
The researcher also presented his work in 10 academic and professional conferences and delivered 12 seminars/workshops in universities and other institutes. During the course of the fellowship, he developed, alongside with activists, a teaching resource on poverty-aware social work, led the writing of three funding proposals (one accepted), joined the steering committee of an international scientific network, supervised 2 MA students and organized a one-day hybrid conference in his host institute with 80 participants from around the world. The data sets collected during this MSCA will inform and enhance multiple publications in the coming years, in addition to the ones produced or published during the fellowship itself.
By addressing the intersection of child protection, parents’ participation and poverty in an interconnected manner the project makes four main contributions to the state of the art in the field: First, it helps conceptualize and define parent advocacy by developing a typology of the various forms of advocacy and activism practiced by parents with lived experience. Second, it details the process of developing parent advocacy projects and the challenges and opportunities embedded in it. Third, it exemplifies and conceptualizes how and why co-production can be an essential component of critical child protection studies. Fourth, it links critical poverty-aware approaches to the developing field of parent advocacy.
The project had a major impact on the researcher’s academic career – he developed an extensive network of scientific collaborations, developed his abilities as a researcher and acquired new methodological skills. The MSCA also enabled him to acquire a tenure track position in the Department of Social work Ben Gurion University of the Negev.
The project’s social impact can already be seen in several contexts: In Wales, the evaluative report written by the researcher was presented as supportive evidence for a successful funding application to the Welsh government. In England his collaborative work with others on the co-production of the parent led policy report and its emphasis on the importance of parent advocacy is reflected in a recommendation made by the Independent Review of Children’s Social Care. Also, the presentation of his work on parent advocacy in various settings and to different audiences (e.g. parents, professionals, local authority staff) has contributed to a growing number of parent advocacy initiatives within local authorities.
Another potential impact of the work is that the findings of the project with ATD Fourth World will be submitted to the UN review of human rights in the UK. Lastly, based on the extensive knowledge and experience gained by the researcher, he has already began to initiate the development of parent advocacy in Israel. Ultimately, the project will hopefully contribute to the construction of more just and humane child protection systems and to the promotion of the well-being of children and families.
The project had a major impact on the researcher’s academic career – he developed an extensive network of scientific collaborations, developed his abilities as a researcher and acquired new methodological skills. The MSCA also enabled him to acquire a tenure track position in the Department of Social work Ben Gurion University of the Negev.
The project’s social impact can already be seen in several contexts: In Wales, the evaluative report written by the researcher was presented as supportive evidence for a successful funding application to the Welsh government. In England his collaborative work with others on the co-production of the parent led policy report and its emphasis on the importance of parent advocacy is reflected in a recommendation made by the Independent Review of Children’s Social Care. Also, the presentation of his work on parent advocacy in various settings and to different audiences (e.g. parents, professionals, local authority staff) has contributed to a growing number of parent advocacy initiatives within local authorities.
Another potential impact of the work is that the findings of the project with ATD Fourth World will be submitted to the UN review of human rights in the UK. Lastly, based on the extensive knowledge and experience gained by the researcher, he has already began to initiate the development of parent advocacy in Israel. Ultimately, the project will hopefully contribute to the construction of more just and humane child protection systems and to the promotion of the well-being of children and families.