Abstract

Based on extensive studies into child welfare services, this important book brings together research into what works in service provision for minority ethnic families. Reviewing studies of the nature and adequacy of the services provided, and the outcomes for the children and their families, this book provides much-needed guidance for policy and practice around issues of cultural and ethnic background and identity, and puts forward suggestions for future research. The authors consider in particular:

* the complex needs and identities of minority ethnic families who might use child welfare services

* how families using social services view current practice

* the impact of the formal child protection and court systems on ethnic minority families

* placement patterns and outcomes for children from the different minority ethnic groups who are in residential care, foster care or adopted

* cultural issues and `matching' the social worker to the family.

Drawing on current government statistical returns and the 2001 national census, this wide-ranging analysis challenges dated research and practice and proposes a revisionary agenda for future research and culturally sensitive child welfare practice, making it essential reading for all child welfare professionals.

This is a very informative and comprehensive summary of a wide range of research in the field of working with minority ethnic children and families.
CAFCASS
This book is an interesting and important resource for professionals who work with, look after or undertake research on children and young people from ethnic minority families.
Children Now
In all, the book is both a credible and valuable reader's digest of information, sensible in its appraisals, yet ambitious in its intent. THe authors are to be commended for this wholly stimulating constellation of ideas and facts.
Child and Family Social Work
Thoburn, Chand and Procter have produced a valuable contribution to our knowledge about service provision for minority ethnic children and their families. The authors provide an interpretation and summary of research under four broad and over-lapping areas of family support, child protection, child placement and social work practice, identifying ambiguities, contested areas, and major gaps. The section on child placement is particularly illuminating and contains important messages for practitioners... The authors rightly emphasise the complexity of the needs of minority ethnic children and their families and their multi-faceted identities. They stress the importance of avoiding stereotypes and assumptions based on limited knowledge or experiences of the language, culture or religion of different minority ethnic groups.
British Journal of Social Work
June Thoburn is Professor of Social Work at the School of Social Work and founding Director of the Centre for Research on the Child and Family at the University of East Anglia, Norwich. She has an international reputation for her research and writing on child and family social work, child protection, adoption and foster care. She was awarded the CBE in 2002 for services to social work. Ashok Chand is a Lecturer in Social Work at the University of Nottingham where he teaches child and family social work on qualifying and post-qualifying programmes. He is currently researching family support and child protection services to South Asian families. Joanne Procter is responsible for the statistical aspects of this study. She has a degree in social policy and is currently researching the place of in-court mediation in helping separating parents to reach agreements in disputes about children.