Children and Family Social Work

This book provides a review of up-to-date theoretical and research findings in child and family social work. It is part of Springer's Major Research Works series, with a focus on Social Work. It presents a critical analysis of emerging policy and methods of intervention for child and family wellbeing, resilience building, safeguarding and child protection, including global trends in childcare reform. Other areas of focus include, out of home care, family reintegration as well as recent debates around institutional care of children. Global policy developments and how these are transforming the way children are cared for in different parts of the world are discussed, including critical questions around social norms, interculture and cross-cultural issues, indigenist perspectives, ethics and values in social work with children and families. Chapters are drawn from experts in different parts of the world to provide a rich representation of varied perspectives on research and scholarshipin this field and demonstrate the implications for social work practice and policy developments.

List of contents

Section 1: Introduction and defining the field (1 chapter).- Section 2: Child and family well-being, methods of intervention (6 chapters) -Kwabena.- 1. Unpacking child and family wellbeing: Theory and practice.- 2. Social protection and family preservation.- 3. Interventions to address child and family well-being.- 4. Risk and resilience in family well-being.- 5. Early help and intervention to child and family wellbeing.- 6. Parenting/Positive Parenting - conceptualisation, literature around parenting, approaches, culture and parenting, positive parenting, fatherhood. Motherhood, parenting vs state mandates regarding child welfare, links to social work theory and praxis.- Section 3: Safeguarding and child protection (5 chapters).- 1. Child protection theory and praxis - Theorising child protection, theories, child protection systems (international, national, community, formal, non-formal -what works, skills and competences,links to contemporary social work.- 2. Safeguarding in the global context.- 3. Risk, vulnerability and child maltreatment - Conceptualising risk and vulnerability, vulnerability assessments, vulnerable children, addressing risks and vulnerability, including strengths and resilience approaches.- 4. Safeguarding and protection for children with disabilities.- 5. Child protection in conflict and humanitarian action.- Section 4: Out-of-home care and family reintegration (5 chapters).- 1. Out-of-home/out-of-family care: modernizing policy and practice (thinking about the future direction of out-of-home care practice and policy).- 2. Developmental health or wellbeing outcomes for children placed in out-of-home care.- 3. Current evidence-based practice in family reunification or reintegration.- 4. Transitions to Adulthood and Leaving Care: recent trends, debates and practices.- 5. The future of adoption.- Section 5: Socio-legal and policy developments (6 chapters).- Section summary: Global policy developments and how that has impacted different parts of the world. How policies are transforming the way children are cared for in different parts of the world.- 1. Glocalising the rights based approach to children s wellbeing/UN CRC/ other international legal frameworks - consensus and tensions.- 2. Marriage policies and family wellbeing (how different laws and policies and their interpretation affect marital relationships, and family wellbeing and implications for social work).- 3. Migration policies and families/children on the move.- 4. Social norms, intercultural and cross-cultural.- 5. Indigenist perspectives in social work with children and families.- 6. Ethics and Values in child and family social work.- Section 6: Summary and conclusion (1 chapter).

About the author

Janestic Mwende Twikirize is an Associate Professor of social work at Makerere University, Uganda. She has authored and co-authored seven books and more than 20 journal articles and book chapters, and made more than 30 international conference presentations in the last 6 years. In 2024, she received a Makerere University Vice Chancellor’s award for outstanding research excellence. She is the current Secretary of the International Association of Schools of Social Work (IASSW) and previously served as Vice President of the Association of Schools of Social Work in Africa (ASSWA). She is involved in several international academic partnerships and collaborative research projects globally, regionally and locally. Her research interests include decolonisation and indigenisation of social work, child and family social work, international social work and migration and social transformation.

Kwabena Frimpong-Manso is a senior lecturer in social work at the University of Suffolk in the UK. He has over 30 journal articles and book chapters and has presented at several international conferences. He is an executive member of the International Research Network on Transitions to Adulthood from Care. His research interests focus on child protection, care-leaving, alternative care for children, and community development.

Product details

• Assisted by: Frimpong-Manso (Editor), Kwabena Frimpong-Manso (Editor), Janestic Twikirize (Editor)
• Publisher: Springer, Berlin
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Release: 28.04.2026
• EAN: 9789819546633
• ISBN: 978-981-9546-63-3
• Illustrations: Approx. 400 p.
• Series: Social Work
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > Education > Social education, social work; Social Work, auseinandersetzen, Child Protection, positive parenting, socio-legal and policy developments, out-of-home care, child and family well-being, family reintegration, methods of intervention