Critical social work theories have taken a prominent place in Canadian social work curriculums and academic social work literature in recent years. The prevalence of critical social work theory is understandable considering that the content of critical theories can help social workers grapple with how to carry out a practice that is centrally concerned with social justice. However, critical social work theories have generally been presented abstractly, with little attention placed upon the particular contexts of social work practice. As a result, not much is known about how critical social work theory is actually applied in practice. This is especially important in the context of child protection, where issues of oppression and power are particularly acute. / This thesis is premised on the assumption that an understanding of the context of child protection work is necessary in order to develop a critical social work theory that is applicable to this field. The thesis examines the context of child protection practice by exploring the subjective experiences of 14 front-line child protection workers. Drawing on in-depth interviews that focus on day-to-day practice, this thesis suggests that child protection work involves dealing with a range of fears that influence workers' practice, including their fears about children being harmed and about their own physical and professional vulnerability. As well, child protection workers presented a picture of the ways that their legislative and organizational context shaped their work. These factors of child protection appeared to influence a practice in which relationships and interventions with clients were focused on monitoring parents' completion of a series of tasks and children were constructed as vulnerable, individual, and rights-bearing. Ideas for a critical child protection practice are offered, based on these results. In particular, a critical child protection practice that includes the adoption of more detailed attention to the internal worlds of parents, child-care workers and children is discussed.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:LACETR/oai:collectionscanada.gc.ca:QMM.115595 |
| Date | January 2008 |
| Creators | Collings, Sara, 1971- |
| Publisher | McGill University |
| Source Sets | Library and Archives Canada ETDs Repository / Centre d'archives des thèses électroniques de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Coverage | Doctor of Philosophy (School of Social Work.) |
| Rights | All items in eScholarship@McGill are protected by copyright with all rights reserved unless otherwise indicated. |
| Relation | alephsysno: 003132812, proquestno: AAINR66274, Theses scanned by UMI/ProQuest. |
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