The power issue on the negotiation process of discharge – perceptions of children in care, caregivers and social workers

This presentation will report a research study aims at exploring the power issues when negotiating discharge among children placed in residential childcare services, their caregivers and the residential childcare social worker... [ view full abstract ]

This presentation will report a research study aims at exploring the power issues when negotiating discharge among children placed in residential childcare services, their caregivers and the residential childcare social worker in a Chinese context. It will highlight a) the perceived roles and power distributions of children, the caregivers and the residential childcare social workers and b)the strategies utilized by the children and the caregivers in response to the residential childcare social workers while striving for their own purposes will be highlighted. The design of the study is qualitative. A total of 8 children (from 7 families, with two children being siblings), 7 caregivers and 7 residential childcare social workers were recruited for the study. The data were collected by in-depth interviews, supplemented with the method of photo elicitation for children and analyzed by themes of the stories told by the informants. The results indicated that children had strong sense of powerlessness when they negotiated the discharge with adults, including their caregivers and the residential childcare social workers. The caregivers found that they had some say in the discharge but their views had to be endorsed by the residential childcare social workers. The residential childcare social workers did not deny that they had paramount power to make the discharge plan: they perceived their role as that of an assessor and an enable. Indeed, the findings revealed that the residential childcare services were, in the stories of children and the caregivers, a disciplinary force. The residential childcare social workers “gazed” them through the mechanisms such as case review meetings and home leave, and these observations became the grounds to measure the children’s suitability for discharge. The children and the caregivers utilized strategies such as compliance and resistance in response to the power of the social workers. This study concluded that residential childcare services as part of the array of Hong Kong’s child welfare services, adopted the work approaches as discipline and supervision for the children, and as punishment, blaming and risk minimization for the family. As a consequence, it was extremely difficult for social workers and families to establish a collaborative relationship in the services. It was suggested that a) residential childcare social workers should use their power flexibly based on situations and b) residential childcare services should adopt a work approach that emphasized on the well-being of children and families.