Insights

How we think about and understand fathering has changed. Active ‘fathering’ is now an accepted role for men at home and fathers are visible outside the school gates, in parks and playgrounds and in the streets and shopping centres. Fathers’ involvement in child care increased from less than 15 minutes a day in the mid-1970s to three hours a day during the week by the late 1990s, with more at the weekend. This trend of increasing involvement has continued…

Families where one or both parents have a learning disability can often have very complex needs as a result of a range of issues including poverty, discrimination, depression, poor self-esteem, and unemployment. These families are often over-represented in care proceedings due to a perception that the parent(s) do not possess the skills and knowledge necessary to parent effectively rather than them being purposefully neglectful or abusive.

Examines how women’s narratives of their experience of domestic abuse and social work intervention in cases of child protection could inform practice in Scotland.

Gypsy Travellers have an important place in modern day Scotland with a heritage and culture that should be celebrated and valued. The fact that they are often not, points to deep seated prejudices that should be positively challenged.

This insight presents what research tells us about social workers’ communication with children and young people in everyday practice. It also introduces key findings from a UK-wide study of social workers’ communication with children and young people.

Appreciative inquiry is an action research approach that offers a powerful contribution to meeting the appetite for real change that is evident across public services in Scotland.

This evidence summary explores the impact of welfare reform – in a climate of austerity and cuts – on key client groups and its consequent effect on the social services workforce in Scotland. It draws on evidence from the UK where relevant or transferable, but focuses on the Scottish context, impact and response.

Peer support is not new and exists in many forms, from the informal sharing of experiences, to formalised roles such as that of peer workers in mental health services. Narrative studies of recovery provide a wealth of evidence on the importance and value of support from others who have had similar experiences, and how it brings something different to that of professional support relationships…

This Insight written by Martin Kettle, Glasgow Caledonian University summarises key research evidence and draws out implications for practice.

This evidence summary looks at the relationship between homelessness and offending, the impact of prison, key challenges and messages for practice. Not all offenders will spend time in prison, but there is evidence that both offending and imprisonment increase the risk of homelessness.