A number of studies have investigated parents’ experiences with the Child Welfare Services (CWS). The purpose of this review is to analyse previous research on how parents experience their contact with CWS. The aim is to determine current knowledge, and to provide a synthesis of current understandings. The main research question that guides this review is: What parental emotional experiences are evident in previous research and what activated them? Furthermore, we compared the experiences among the different countries represented in this study. The wicked problem concept and emotions, stress and coping theory informed the analysis. The revised framework for integrative review inspires the methodology and analysis. Data was collected through a computerized database search, networking and journal hand search. Fifteen articles are included in this review representing five countries: Norway, Australia, Canada, the US and the United Kingdom. The analysis shows that even though parents reported some positive experiences, the contact is often stressful and highly emotional. To various degrees, anger, sadness, fear and anxiety were common responses. This review indicates that relational and procedural aspects of the process and parents’ perception of help measures in child welfare evoked parents’ emotions. The findings reflect more similarities than differences in emotional experiences in the different countries. We conclude with a discussion of implications for social work practice.

This article discusses whether a child can and should be engaged as a co-researcher on moral and epistemological grounds. Selected research literature has been used to illustrate various approaches to the issue of children's participating as co-researchers in social research. By exploring the predicament of childhood and the meaning of the concept ‘research’, we attempt to clarify the necessary conditions for a person to qualify as a researcher and for an activity to qualify as research. We then look at the extent to which the concept of ‘child’ fits within these frames.

Despite the increasing number of women experiencing incarceration internationally, their experiences of motherhood after prison rarely studied. This review aims to explore and synthesize current research on the nature of the lived experience of motherhood after imprisonment. A qualitative synthesis review of English language-based articles published before January 2020 was used. 14 peer-reviewed qualitative studies were identified. The findings indicate that the post-release was a time when mothers re-claim their mothering role but faced significant challenges without sufficient support systems. It was also a time of reflection on the impact that the context of incarceration had on parenting roles and relationships with their children. The review found that we have limited understanding of the mothers’ current experiences of motherhood post-release. The reports are also insufficient to capture the mothers’ voice in different contexts. Further research is therefore required to explore the motherhood experience after release in greater depth and richness.

Social workers all around the world work with families and family complexity in their everyday practice. In this article, we present findings from a cross-national study exploring how social workers in child welfare conceptualise ‘family’, and how they relate to ‘family’ in their practice. Data presented is taken from focus groups with twenty-eight social workers from Chile, Mexico and Norway. The findings reveal that in Chilean, Mexican, and Norwegian social work, the conceptualisation of family has expanded over time, acknowledging various family forms and displays, and an increased orientation towards networks regardless of biological ties. However, differences were found, particularly in the way professionals view extended family, perspectives on family intervention, and the position of children in the family. Practical implications will be discussed.