Managing contact for children in public care

This paper examines children in public care. There has been little research on social workers’ views and experiences of managing contact for children in public care, and none focused in Scotland, where different institutional and legal features provide contrast with the rest of the UK. This study explored the views
of 19 social work practitioners and managers and three Reporters to
the Children’s Hearing system regarding the management of contact
for children in non-permanent placements, using semi-structured
interviews and a focus group. The paper focuses on the themes of the
supervision and assessment of contact, risks associated with contact
and contact via ICT—e-mail and the internet. It suggests improvements
in assessing contact are needed and concludes that while there are
strengths in practitioners’ current awareness of risks, a risk-based
conception of contact, as exemplified by most respondents’ views
about the use of new technology, is in tension with the thrust of current
legislation; conceptions of contact need to be flexible enough to
embrace the variety of purposes contact might serve.