Family capabilities shape the well-being of individuals and families, particularly in diverse sociocultural contexts. However, existing frameworks often fail to capture the complexities of family dynamics, particularly in South Africa. This limitation is addressed in this study by developing a new conceptual model, through an ethic of care lens, to understand family. A Human-Centered Design strategy is employed, utilizing workshops to gather and deductively interpret data. A sample of 53 participants is recruited from two communities in South Africa. The Listening Guide approach is used to analyze the data, alongside thematic analysis, to identify overarching themes. The findings reveal tangible needs (material and physical requirements), as well as intangible needs (emotional and psychological support). The relation between these needs and harms highlights how care is shaped in families. While families endeavor to meet intangible needs, many fail to communicate these intangible needs, which also leads to harm. This is exacerbated when the primary caregiver within the family, the ‘glue’, has needs for care that are not met. In addition, the findings reveal the interrelatedness of care in family dynamics among family members, and help to explore the boundaries, capacities, and capabilities of what families do and how they care.

Multimodal methods provide valuable opportunities within Participatory Action Research (PAR), to foster meaningful participation, and amplify marginalized voices. However, conventional research approaches have not always adequately captured the complex realities of the lived experiences of families, and multimodal techniques have remained underutilized for the exploration of such experiences. This study aimed to explore the use of creative multimodal methods, within a PAR framework, grounded in care among vulnerable South African families. A qualitative design was adopted, incorporating Human-centered Design principles, within a PAR approach. The participants were recruited from the Saldanha Bay Municipality area (n = 70), as well as Mitchells Plain (n = 59). The multimodal methodology included Draw-and-Tell, painting, object and photo elicitation, I-Poems, and LEGO^®-based activities. Data were annotated and transcribed verbatim, followed by thematic analysis. A total of 42 participants contributed towards the validation of the methods. The participants described experiences of deep emotional insight, self-reflection, and self-recognition, through engagement with the multimodal activities. The findings revealed that these approaches were: (1) credible, producing internally valid and contextually rich data; (2) contributory, generating original and applicable insights into family life; (3) communicable, offering accessible and structured ways for diverse participants to express their experiences; and (4) conforming, ensuring ethical engagement through inclusive participation. These findings demonstrate the potential of creative, arts-based, and participatory approaches, to advance methodological innovation in qualitative family research.

Children and families often face adversities that require whole-family interventions to promote well-being. Traditional child welfare models often demonstrate insufficient family involvement in decision-making, leading to gaps in safeguarding efforts. The Family Group Decision-Making (FGDM) model emerged as an intervention that empowers families to identify and develop solutions to their challenges. The aim of this systematic review protocol is to assess the application and utilisation of FGDM with a specific focus on synthesizing evidence that can inform its implementation within developing country contexts, where child welfare systems may face unique challenges. The Population, Intervention, Comparison, Outcome (PICO) framework will be used to define the research question. The inclusion and exclusion criteria will be based on studies that focus on FGDM (including its variants), publications from 2014 to December 2024, and studies published in English. Qualitative and quantitative design studies will be included. EBSCOhost (CINAHL, Masterfile Premier, MEDLINE, Academic Search Ultimate), PubMed, Sabinet, Wiley Online Library, Scopus, and Web of Science will be accessed through the University of the Western Cape’s library catalogue. Search terms will be combined with relevant keywords to create search strings using Boolean operators. The Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP) checklists will be used for appraisal. Three independent reviewers will screen articles, a fourth reviewer consulted in case of disagreements. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) flowchart will illustrate the search, screening, and selection process. Data will be qualitatively synthesized using thematic analysis. This protocol is registered on Open Science Framework https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/B3TH8 .