Child participation in intensive family support interventions : do adults overestimate the degree to which children feel involved?

Lätsch, David Cyrill

Publication type:	Conference other
Type of review:	Peer review (abstract)
Title:	Child participation in intensive family support interventions : do adults overestimate the degree to which children feel involved?
Authors:	Lätsch, David Cyrill
et. al:	No
Conference details:	16th International Conference of the European Scientific Association on Residential & Family Care for Children and Adolescents (EuSARF), Zurich (online), 1-3 September 2021
Issue Date:	1-Sep-2021
Language:	English
Subjects:	Kindesschutz; Sozialpädagogik; Familienhilfe
Subject (DDC):	306.8: Family sociology 362.7: Youth services
Abstract:	Context: Emerging evidence from international research suggests that children tend to be overlooked in many forms of intensive family interventions. In their work with the families, social workers predominantly address caregivers alone, while children and adolescents are often treated as indirect clients of the intervention, that is, interactions with them are intentionally restrained. As a rationale for this practice, it has been suggested that social workers are careful not to substitute for children’s caregivers in their parental roles, and keeping interaction with children at a minimum is seen as a necessity in this context. However plausible this assumption may be, there is little research on how children and adolescents themselves perceive this practice and to what degree, under specific circumstances, they approve or disapprove of it. In our study, we are examining how children’s perspective on their involvement in intensive family support is intertwined with (i) baseline case, caregiver, worker, and children characteristics, (ii) children’s satisfaction with the intervention, and (iii) the development of children’s well-being and social functioning over the course of the intervention. Methods: Data are collected at four different time-points, starting at the beginning of the intervention and covering a total span of 18 months. Caregivers, workers, and children aged 10 years and over fill-in questionnaires. Children’s Involvement is rated by all three groups. Data collection is currently ongoing. A total sample of approximately N=100 interventions is expected. Findings: Preliminary analyses on a subset of the sample show that caregivers and workers report stronger involvement of children than the children do themselves. Controlling for other case and family characteristics, involvement seems to be positively associated with children’s satisfaction with the intervention, more internalizing and externalizing problems, and increasing age. Conclusions: Although based on only a subset of the sample, preliminary analysis suggests that adults may overestimate the degree to which children and adolescents feel involved in intensive family support interventions. We will further explore this finding, discuss potential explanations, and consider strategies to confront it. Future analyses should reveal whether the quantity and quality of child involvement is associated with positive or negative development of case, caregiver and child characteristics during the intervention.
URI:	https://digitalcollection.zhaw.ch/handle/11475/24464
Fulltext version:	Published version
License (according to publishing contract):	Licence according to publishing contract
Departement:	Social Work
Organisational Unit:	Institute of Childhood, Youth and Family (IKJF)
Published as part of the ZHAW project:	Wirksamkeit sozialpädagogischer Familienbegleitung im Kontext des Kindesschutzes
Appears in collections:	Publikationen Soziale Arbeit

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Lätsch, D. C. (2021, September 1). Child participation in intensive family support interventions : do adults overestimate the degree to which children feel involved? 16th International Conference of the European Scientific Association on Residential & Family Care for Children and Adolescents (EuSARF), Zurich (Online), 1-3 September 2021.

Lätsch, D.C. (2021) ‘Child participation in intensive family support interventions : do adults overestimate the degree to which children feel involved?’, in 16th International Conference of the European Scientific Association on Residential & Family Care for Children and Adolescents (EuSARF), Zurich (online), 1-3 September 2021.

D. C. Lätsch, “Child participation in intensive family support interventions : do adults overestimate the degree to which children feel involved?,” in 16th International Conference of the European Scientific Association on Residential & Family Care for Children and Adolescents (EuSARF), Zurich (online), 1-3 September 2021, Sep. 2021.

LÄTSCH, David Cyrill, 2021. Child participation in intensive family support interventions : do adults overestimate the degree to which children feel involved? In: 16th International Conference of the European Scientific Association on Residential & Family Care for Children and Adolescents (EuSARF), Zurich (online), 1-3 September 2021. Conference presentation. 1 September 2021

Lätsch, David Cyrill. 2021. “Child Participation in Intensive Family Support Interventions : Do Adults Overestimate the Degree to Which Children Feel Involved?” Conference presentation. In 16th International Conference of the European Scientific Association on Residential & Family Care for Children and Adolescents (EuSARF), Zurich (Online), 1-3 September 2021.

Lätsch, David Cyrill. “Child Participation in Intensive Family Support Interventions : Do Adults Overestimate the Degree to Which Children Feel Involved?” 16th International Conference of the European Scientific Association on Residential & Family Care for Children and Adolescents (EuSARF), Zurich (Online), 1-3 September 2021, 2021.