Understanding complexity in families' lives: the usefulness of 'family practices' as an aid to decision-making

摘要

An important aspect of the uncertainty that surrounds social workers' decision-making in child protection situations concerns the complex, unconventional nature of the families referred for social work interventions. In a study of social work decision-making, social workers struggled to make sense of these families and assess whether they were safe places for children. More recent sociological studies have emphasized the fluidity and diversity of family relationships in late modernity. In particular, the study of 'family practices', which focus on what people actually do to actively negotiate their family roles, could be a useful way of understanding this complexity and provide social workers with a valuable tool for understanding the situations about which they must make decisions.