Nygren, K., Walsh, J., Ellingson, I. et al. (1 more author) (2021) Gender, parenting and practices in child welfare social work? A comparative study from England, Ireland, Norway and Sweden. British Journal of Social Work, 51 (6). pp. 2116-2133. ISSN 1468-263X
Abstract
This article explores ways in which gender equality, family policy and child welfare social work intersect in four countries: England, Ireland, Norway and Sweden. Over time, conditions for gender equality in parenting have improved, partly due to family policy developments removing structural barriers. These changes, however, vary between countries; Sweden and Norway are considered more progressive as compared to the UK and Ireland. Here, we draw on focus group data collected from child welfare social workers in England, Ireland, Norway and Sweden to compare these different contextual changes and how these are reflected in related social work practice decisions. The focus group discussions were based on a vignette, and thematic analysis was applied. Overall, welfare social workers are aware of the need to support gender equality in parenting, there is a heavy focus on mothers in child welfare practice decisions, and fathers are largely absent. Uniquely, we show that this is influenced by both a strong child-centred perspective, and a gendered risk perspective, in which fathers are seen to pose more risk to the children than mothers.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2020 The Author(s). Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The British Association of Social Workers. This is an author-produced version of a paper subsequently published in British Journal of Social Work. Uploaded in accordance with the publisher's self-archiving policy. |
Keywords: | child welfare; comparative social work; gender; parenting |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Sheffield |
Academic Units: | The University of Sheffield > Faculty of Social Sciences (Sheffield) > Department of Sociological Studies (Sheffield) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Sheffield |
Date Deposited: | 25 Jun 2020 08:01 |
Last Modified: | 04 Aug 2022 00:14 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Oxford University Press (OUP) |
Refereed: | Yes |
Identification Number: | 10.1093/bjsw/bcaa085 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:162196 |