What Knowledge and Skills Do Early Career Social Workers Need to Practice Effectively With Children and Families
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 12569439 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Lisa Bostock (0000-0002-2714-9687, Institute of Applied Social Research, University Square University of Bedfordshire Luton UK, corresponding author), Laura Shephard (0009-0005-7088-6083, Institute of Applied Social Research, University Square University of Bedfordshire Luton UK), Louise Grant (0000-0002-7356-8161, Institute of Applied Social Research, University Square University of Bedfordshire Luton UK) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 31 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 521-532 |
| Publication date | 2025-05-07 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Child & Family Social Work (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1356-7500 • E-ISSN: 1365-2206 |
| Publisher | Wiley (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1111/cfs.13306 |
| OpenAlex | W4410170475 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 71 |
There is an extensive literature base about the knowledge and skills required by social workers to work effectively with children and their families. However, making sense of how best to translate this into direct practice can be challenging, particularly when newly qualified. The paper is based on a wider rapid evidence assessment (REA) of the post‐qualifying knowledge and skills required by early career social workers (ECSWs) to practice effectively with children and their families. The REA involved searching for relevant English language literature (2012–2023) in ASSIA, Social Care Online, SocINDEX and PsycInfo and specialist journals. However, it was soon apparent that the literature was not segmented by career stage and wider searches relating to knowledge and skills needed to be undertaken. In total, 51 papers were included for review. Studies identified were largely qualitative, exploring the knowledge and skills required through observations of direct practice and self‐report studies from the perspectives of social workers and children and families themselves. Where knowledge and skills were identified, relationship building and good authority skills were associated with some improved outcomes for family members. The review presents findings through practice‐near descriptions of what works to build early career expertise with children and their families
Developmental psychology · Medical education · Political science · Sociology · Family and Disability Support Research · Medicine · Psychology · Research in Social Sciences · Social Work Education and Practice · Social Work
Child Protection Practice
Doing Template Analysis
How social workers reflect in action and when and why they don’t
The PRISMA 2020 statement
‘I know how it sounds on paper’ risk talk, the use of documents and epistemic justice in child protection assessment home visits
Parents’ views on improving relationships with their social workers
Towards a psychosocial formulation of newly qualified social worker supervision
Dynamics of professional parental status disclosure in child protection work
Skills and knowledge not checklists
What do I need to work on? Perspectives of social work employers and graduates
Impact of Motivational Interviewing by Social Workers on Service Users
Service needs of young people affected by adverse childhood experiences (ACEs)
Social Work Skills
What does empathy sound like in social work communication? A mixed‐methods study of empathy in child protection social work practice
What social workers do in performing child protection work
The challenges presented by parental mental illness and the potential of a whole‐family intervention to improve outcomes for families
If kids don't feel safe they don't do anything’
Understanding and working with adolescent neglect
Recognizing and addressing child neglect in affluent families
Making meaningful connections
What do social workers and children do when they are together? A typology of direct work
On the margins of the child protection system
Patterns of practice
Social work, poverty, and child welfare interventions
The home visit in child protection social work
Social work the ‘art of relationship’
The lion's den’
The assembly of active participation by parents of children subject to a multi‐agency model of early intervention in child and family services
Ascertaining the wishes and feelings of young children
What do children think about their social worker? A Q‐method study of children's services
Keeping the focus on children
Experiences of social work intervention among mothers with perinatal mental health needs
Weight of Evidence
Why does systemic supervision support practitioners’ practice more effectively with children and families
What is the impact of supervision on direct practice with families
A randomized controlled trial of training in Motivational Interviewing for child protection
Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation
Decision Making in Children and Families Social Work
Don’t Even Get Us Started on Social Workers’
Exploring Communication between Social Workers, Children and Young People
Balancing Risk and Protective Factors
Learning by Stealth
The Unheld Child
The Role of Uncertainty in Professionals’ Thinking about Children Who Harm Other People
Parenting in fear
We’re giving you the sack’—Social Workers’ Perspectives of Intervening in Affluent Families When There Are Concerns about Child Neglect
Where are they now? An appraisal of former child protection social workers employment status and reasons for leaving child protection work
How Effective are Current Joint Working Practices between Children and Family Social Workers and Mental Health Care Coordinators, in Supporting Families in which there is a Primary Care-giver, with a Diagnosis of Emotionally Unstable Personality Disorder
Revisiting the Knowledge Base of Social Work
What Is the Relationship between Worker Skills and Outcomes for Families in Child and Family Social Work
It’s So Complex!’
How Children Become Invisible in Child Protection Work
Thrown into the Water
The gap between theory and practice in social work
Thrown into a pit
Pragmatism as a Research Paradigm and Its Implications for Social Work Research
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |