The Social Work Assessment of Parenting: An Exploration

ed from assessments and decisions made in the actual conduct of practice. We do not, for example, know whether, and how, these beliefs might influence the case by case performance of practice in the real world. The absence of a focus on social workers’ own construction of parenting and the connection between this construction and social workers’ practice strategies excludes a potential third stream from the discourse. What, we might ask, is the link between social workers’ construction of parenting and the child protection response, or use of family support? How does this influence the conduct of practice? In view of the significance currently ascribed to the use of research and evidence in practice this would suggest an interest in psychology, particularly social workers’ understanding and use of the psychological literature on parenting in their assessment and decision making. It makes sense, therefore, to focus not only on social workers’ construction of parenting but to do so in the light of key themes from contemporary psychological literature. This paper has an exploratory and inductive element, so it does not pretend to be comprehensive. Rather it attempts, through drawing on social workers’ accounts, to identify some key themes in the conduct of practice.