The fork in the road — a Scottish perspective on relationship-building as a catalyst toward prevention in child welfare

This dissertation uses a case-based methodology, in-depth participant interviews, and document review, to explore the experiences of child welfare professionals within an emerging Scottish child welfare system. The Scottish system is often viewed as a hybrid approach that is highly focused on prevention and community involvement but sits between residual approaches found in countries such as the U.S. and Canada, and universal approaches found in countries such as Sweden and Belgium. Since Scotland’s devolution from the United Kingdom in 1999, new policies have impacted all areas of Scottish life and many are highly focused on the well-being of Scottish children. The perspectives of Scottish child welfare professionals provide important insights into a distinct, relational approach to social work that emphasizes characteristics such as honesty, listening, persistence, trust, and understanding. Unique aspects of the Scottish system include a focus on civic engagement, a multi-agency approach, and including children’s views from the first point of contact. Additionally there has been a focus on working with families impacted by substance misuse through an approach that acknowledges the spectrum of issues that often surround addiction, but is still highly focused on resilience and recovery. The experience of the Scots in developing and implementing their child welfare system over the past decade may provide important insights into building sustainable, holistic models of child and family support in other cultural contexts.

Name thesis:degree_name

Ph.D.

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Social Work

Grantor

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2011

Author dc:creator

• Robertson, Anne S.

Contributors dc:contributor

• Haight, Wendy L.
• Anderson, Steven G.
• Korr, Wynne S.
• Shapiro, Constance H.

• Child welfare
• Social work
• International Social Work
• Relationships
• Relational Social Work
• Ecological Theory
• Prevention
• Scotland
• Devolution
• Substance Abuse
• Child Welfare Policy
• Child Well-Being
• Universal Family Support

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright 2011 Anne S. Robertson

Language dc:language

en

Handle dc:identifier

http://hdl.handle.net/2142/26195

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/26195