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Barriers children face complaining about social work practice: a study in one English local authority

  • Clive Diaz
    ,
  • Hayley Pert
    ,
  • Tricia Aylward
    ,
  • Donna Neill
    ,
  • Lauren Hill
Research Output: Contribution to journal Article Peer-review

Abstract

Despite the introduction of guidelines and procedures aimed at encouraging and supporting children and young people to complain about the services they receive, children in care still face barriers to doing so in practice. This paper explores what happens when children in care are dissatisfied with the services they receive. Specifically, this study examines the complaints procedure for children in care. The findings are based on semistructured interviews with children in care, social workers, senior managers, and independent reviewing officers from one English local authority. Thematic analysis of these data identified five emergent themes: (a) complaints by children in care are managed at the lowest possible level, (b) senior managers have an overly optimistic view about children in care being informed of complaint procedures and being encouraged to do so, (c) children in care are worried about complaining, which is recognized by professionals, (d) children's voices are often not heard, and (e) when issues are clearly defined, independent reviewing officers have some degree of success in resolving complaints from children in care.

Publication Information

Output type

Research Output: Contribution to journal Article Peer-review

Original language

English

Pages from-to (Number of pages)

Pages 460-468

Journal (Volume, Issue Number)

Child and Family Social Work (Volume 25, Issue 2)

Publication milestones

  • Accepted/In press - 05/06/2019
  • Published - 21/11/2019

Publication status

Published - 21/11/2019

ISSN

1356-7500

External Publication IDs

  • handle.net: 10547/623608
  • Scopus: 85071776062

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