Help can harm

Unintended consequences of child protection and parenting support for Vietnamese immigrant families in Germany

Datos Bibliográficos

ID2264006
AutoresNga Thi Thanh Mai (Department of Social Anthropology and Cultural Studies, Department of Social Anthropology and Cultural Studies University of Zurich Zurich Switzerland), Gabriel Scheidecker (0000-0002-4461-1773, Department of Social Anthropology and Cultural Studies, Department of Social Anthropology and Cultural Studies University of Zurich Zurich Switzerland, autor de correspondencia)
Año2025
Volumen53
Número2
Fecha de publicación2025-06-01
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessSí
TipoARTICLE
RevistaEthos (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 0091-2131 • E-ISSN: 1548-1352
EditorialWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1111/etho.70006
OpenAlexW4409559850
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas3
Referencias citadas49

In this paper, we explore the unintended consequences of parenting support and child protection services for families who have migrated from Vietnam to Berlin, Germany. We identify such negative consequences on three levels: The relationship between practitioners and parents was, contrary to good intentions, often characterized by tensions and distrust, which may undermine effective collaboration. Another potentially detrimental effect of parenting support is that parents may experience an intensification of parenting, increased stress, and insecurity concerning their competencies. Finally, parenting support may amplify intergenerational conflicts as children witness and potentially adopt the devaluation of their parents as incompetent agents. We argue that research and practice need to systematically attend to unintended consequences to avoid harm and develop more helpful approaches. In a plural society, we suggest, parenting support must be guided by the well-established insight that parenting varies for good reasons across groups, socioeconomic conditions, and individual families

Child protection · Criminology · Harm · Immigration · Political science · Unintended consequences · Vietnamese · Child Abuse and Trauma · Law · Migration, Health and Trauma · Poverty, Education, and Child Welfare · Psychology · Social Psychology