Skip to main content

A Context-Informed Approach to the Study of Child Risk and Protection: Lessons Learned and Future Directions

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Context-Informed Perspectives of Child Risk and Protection in Israel

Part of the book series: Child Maltreatment ((MALT,volume 10))

  • 344 Accesses

Abstract

In this chapter we intend to adopt a meta position vis-à-vis the different cases and findings presented in previous chapters and share some of our insights acquired from our research project, Context-Informed Perspectives of Child Risk and Protection in Israel. Our exploration and the findings presented in previous chapters led us to rethink the ontological nature of the categories of child “risk” and “protection” and to reflect on some common myths that we encounter both in the professional literature and in the field of social work dealing with “children at risk” and child protection practice. In the first part of this chapter, we will outline and deconstruct three prevalent myths we identified in the “risk” discourse, as a first step in conceptualizing a context-informed approach to the study of risk and protection of children and the professional practices that are derived from it. This chapter will discuss the stance of the observer and the issue of power, the discrepancies and value mismatch between parents and professionals, and the concept of complexity in the “risk” discourse. We will conclude with methodological insights and with implications for policy and practice in the field of child risk and protection.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 84.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Arnett, J. (2008). The neglected 95%. Why American psychology needs to become less American. American Psychologist, 63(7), 602–614.

    Google Scholar 

  • Askeland, G. A., & Døhlie, E. (2015). Contextualizing international social work: Religion as a relevant factor. International Social Work, 58(2), 261–269.

    Google Scholar 

  • Banks, S. (2012). Ethics and values in social work. Hampshire, UK: Palgrave Macmillan.

    Google Scholar 

  • Barry, M. (2007). Effective approaches to risk assessment in social work: An international literature review. Edinburgh: Scottish Executive Social Research.

    Google Scholar 

  • Baum, N. (2007). It’s not only cultural differences: Comparison of Jewish Israeli social work student’s thoughts and feelings about treating Jewish Ultra-Orthodox and Palestinian Israeli clients. International Journal on Intercultural Relations, 31(5), 575–589.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ben-Ari, A., & Enosh, G. (2011). Processes of reflectivity: Knowledge construction in qualitative research. Qualitative Social Work, 10(2), 152–171.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ben-Eliezer, U. (2008). Multicultural society and everyday cultural racism: Second generation of Ethiopian Jews in Israel’s ‘crisis of modernization’. Ethnic and Racial Studies, 31(5), 935–961.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bowlby, J. (1969). Attachment and loss, volume I: Attachment. London: Penguin Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Byrne, D. (2002). Complexity theory and the social sciences: An introduction. New York, NY: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cabral, R. R., & Smith, T. B. (2011). Racial/ethnic matching of clients and therapists in mental health services: A meta-analytic review of preferences, perceptions, and outcomes. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 58(4), 537–554.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dewey, J. (1933). How we think: A restatement of the relation of reflective thinking to the educative process. Lexington, MA: Heath.

    Google Scholar 

  • Engdau-Vanda, S. (2019). Resilience in immigration – The story of Ethiopian Jews in Israel. Tel Aviv: Resling Press. [Hebrew]

    Google Scholar 

  • Engdau-Vanda, S. (2020). The circular construction of “risk” for children of oppressed groups: Israeli social workers’ perspectives on children of Ethiopian origin. Under review in Child & Family Social Work.

    Google Scholar 

  • Garb, H. N. (1997). Race bias, social class bias, and gender bias in clinical judgment. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 4(2), 99–120.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gemara, N., & Nadan, Y. (2020). “He Who Spareth the Rod Hateth His Son”: Perceptions regarding corporal punishment among Ultra-Orthodox Jewish fathers in Israel. Journal of Interpersonal Violence. Epub ahead of print. https://doi.org/10.1177/0886260520908026

  • Gergen, K. J. (2015). An invitation to social construction (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gershoff, E. T., & Grogan-Kaylor, A. (2016). Spanking and child outcomes: Old controversies and new meta-analyses. Journal of Family Psychology, 30(4), 453–469.

    Google Scholar 

  • Heinrich, J., Heine, S. J., & Norenzayan, A. (2010). The weirdest people in the world? Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 33(2–3), 61–83.

    Google Scholar 

  • Holland, S. (2004). Child and family assessment in social work practice. London: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Houston, S. (2017). Towards a critical ecology of child development in social work: Aligning the theories of Bronfenbrenner and Bourdieu. Families, Relationships and Societies, 6(1), 53–69.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jeyasingham, D. (2012). White noise: A critical evaluation of social work education’s engagement with whiteness studies. British Journal of Social Work, 42, 669–686.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kagan, M., Orkibi, E., & Zychlinski, E. (2018). ‘Wicked’, ‘deceptive’, and ‘blood sucking’: Cyberbullying against social workers in Israel as claims-making activity. Qualitative Social Work, 17(6), 778–794.

    Google Scholar 

  • Keddell, E. (2017). Interpreting children’s best interests: Needs, attachment and decision-making. Journal of Social Work, 17(3), 324–342.

    Google Scholar 

  • Keller, H. (2018). Universality claim of attachment theory: Children’s socioemotional development across cultures. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 115(45), 11414–11419.

    Google Scholar 

  • Korbin, J. E., & Spilsbury, J. S. (1999). Cultural competence and child neglect. In H. Dubowitz (Ed.), Neglected children: Research, practice and policy (pp. 69–88). Newbury Park, CA: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kreitzer, L. (2012). Social work in Africa: Exploring culturally relevant education and practice in Ghana. Calgary, BC: University of Calgary Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Levine, R. A. (2017). Challenging developmental doctrines through cross-cultural research. In J. Cassaniti & U. Menon (Eds.), Universalism without uniformity: Explorations in mind and culture (pp. 23–31). Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lincoln, Y. S., & Guba, E. G. (1985). Naturalistic inquiry (Vol. 9, pp. 438–439). Beverly Hills, CA: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lum, D. (Ed.). (2011). Culturally competent practice: A framework for understanding diverse groups and justice issues (4th ed.). Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole.

    Google Scholar 

  • Marchetti, R., Wilson, R. H., & Dunham, M. (2016). Academic achievement and extracurricular school activities of at-risk high school students. Educational Research Quarterly, 39(4), 3–20.

    Google Scholar 

  • Morelli, G., Quinn, N., Chaudhary, N., Vicedo, M., Rosabal-Coto, M., Keller, H., et al. (2018). Ethical challenges of parenting intervention in low- to middle-income countries. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 49(1), 5–24.

    Google Scholar 

  • Murray, J., & Farrington, D. P. (2010). Risk factors for conduct disorder and delinquency: Key findings from longitudinal studies. The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, 55(10), 633–642.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nadan, Y. (2017). Rethinking ‘cultural competence’ in international social work. International Social Work, 60(1), 74–83.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nadan, Y., Roer-Strier, D., Gemara, N., Engdau-Vanda, S., & Tener, D. (2018). In the eyes of the beholder: Parental and professional value mismatch in child risk and protection in two communities in Israel. International Journal of Psychology, 53(S2), 23–33.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nadan, Y., & Stark, M. (2017). The pedagogy of discomfort: Enhancing reflectivity on stereotypes and bias. British Journal of Social Work, 47(3), 683–700.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nadan, Y., Weinberg-Kurnik, G., & Ben-Ari, A. (2013). Bringing context and power relations to the fore: Intergroup dialogue as a tool in social work education. British Journal of Social Work, 45(1), 260–277.

    Google Scholar 

  • National Association of Social Workers. (2015). NASW standards for cultural competence in social work practice. Washington, DC: Author.

    Google Scholar 

  • Park, Y. (2005). Culture as deficit: A critical discourse analysis of the concept of culture in contemporary social work discourse. Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare, 32(3), 11–33.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pissarides, C., & Wadsworth, J. (2013). Unemployment risks. In E. Mclaughlin (Ed.), Understanding unemployment (pp. 71–92). London: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Plotkin Amrami, G. (2018). How is a new category “born”? On mechanisms of formation, cycles of recognition, and the looping effect of “national trauma”. Health, 22(5), 413–431.

    Google Scholar 

  • Reisch, M., & Andrews, J. (2014). The road not taken: A history of radical social work in the US. New York, NY: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rokeach, M. (2008). Understanding human values. New York, NY: Simon and Schuster.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schmid, H., & Benbenishty, R. (2011). Public attitudes toward child maltreatment in Israel: Implications for policy. Children and Youth Services Review, 33(7), 1181–1188.

    Google Scholar 

  • Shalhoub-Kevorkian, N., & Roer-Strier, D. (2016). Context-informed, counter-hegemonic qualitative research: Insights from an Israeli/Palestinian research team studying loss. Qualitative Social Work, 15(4), 552–569.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sisneros, J., Stakeman, C., Joyner, M. C., & Schmitz, C. L. (2008). Critical multicultural social work. Chicago, IL: Lyceum Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Skivenes, M., & Skramstad, H. (2013). The emotional dimension in risk assessment: A cross-country study of the perceptions of child welfare workers in England, Norway and California (United States). The British Journal of Social Work, 45(3), 809–824.

    Google Scholar 

  • Smeeton, J. (2020). “A murky business”: A phenomenological ontology of risk in child protection social work. Qualitative Social Work, 19(2), 284–300.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sonego, M., Llácer, A., Galán, I., & Simón, F. (2013). The influence of parental education on child mental health in Spain. Quality of Life Research, 22(1), 203–211.

    Google Scholar 

  • Strier, R., & Feldman, G. (2017). Reengineering social work’s political passion: Policy practice and neo-liberalism. British Journal of Social Work, 48(3), 751–768.

    Google Scholar 

  • Taylor, C. (2004). Underpinning knowledge for child care practice: Reconsidering child development theory. Child & Family Social Work, 9(3), 225–235.

    Google Scholar 

  • Vicedo, M. (2013). The nature and nurture of love: From imprinting to attachment in Cold War America. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Yip, K. S. (2004). A Chinese cultural critique of the global qualifying standards for social work education. Social Work Education, 23(5), 597–612.

    Google Scholar 

  • Young, A. (1995). The harmony of illusions: Inventing post-traumatic stress disorder. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Yochay Nadan .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2020 Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Nadan, Y., Roer-Strier, D. (2020). A Context-Informed Approach to the Study of Child Risk and Protection: Lessons Learned and Future Directions. In: Roer-Strier, D., Nadan, Y. (eds) Context-Informed Perspectives of Child Risk and Protection in Israel. Child Maltreatment, vol 10. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-44278-1_17

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-44278-1_17

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-44277-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-44278-1

  • eBook Packages: Social SciencesSocial Sciences (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics