4 Working within frames and across boundaries in core group meetings in child protection
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Christopher Hall
Abstract
Poor information sharing, communication and coordination between agencies in child protection have been a central concern in the UK since the early 1970s, following a series of public inquiries into child deaths (Parton, 2014a, p 20). In response, government policies have established procedures that require all professionals to share concerns about children and contribute to multi-agency assessments, plans and interventions. Core group meetings (CGMs) were introduced in 1986, responding to concerns about ‘poor planning’, ‘a lack of collated information’ and ‘a lack of clarity regarding respective roles and responsibilities’ (Calder and Horwath, 2000, p 267). They are seen as combining the best features of child protection and family support (Mittler, 1997, p 80), and have been described as the ‘control room of inter-agency operations’ (Calder and Horwath, 2000, p 268). However, research has questioned how far such ambitions have been realised, with concerns about how different professionals contribute.
This chapter examines CGMs as arenas of multi-agency work in child protection. There is first a review of the development of policy and procedures in child protection in England, including where CGMs fit in. Concepts of framing and boundary work are outlined next to analyse the data. Two main analyses are presented. First, there is an examination of the structuring role of the chair, and second, there is an analysis of how professionals negotiate boundaries of expertise and remit. The conclusion considers how far CGM practice appears to promote multi-agency coordination. The data examined in this chapter were collected in northern England.
Abstract
Poor information sharing, communication and coordination between agencies in child protection have been a central concern in the UK since the early 1970s, following a series of public inquiries into child deaths (Parton, 2014a, p 20). In response, government policies have established procedures that require all professionals to share concerns about children and contribute to multi-agency assessments, plans and interventions. Core group meetings (CGMs) were introduced in 1986, responding to concerns about ‘poor planning’, ‘a lack of collated information’ and ‘a lack of clarity regarding respective roles and responsibilities’ (Calder and Horwath, 2000, p 267). They are seen as combining the best features of child protection and family support (Mittler, 1997, p 80), and have been described as the ‘control room of inter-agency operations’ (Calder and Horwath, 2000, p 268). However, research has questioned how far such ambitions have been realised, with concerns about how different professionals contribute.
This chapter examines CGMs as arenas of multi-agency work in child protection. There is first a review of the development of policy and procedures in child protection in England, including where CGMs fit in. Concepts of framing and boundary work are outlined next to analyse the data. Two main analyses are presented. First, there is an examination of the structuring role of the chair, and second, there is an analysis of how professionals negotiate boundaries of expertise and remit. The conclusion considers how far CGM practice appears to promote multi-agency coordination. The data examined in this chapter were collected in northern England.
Chapters in this book
- Front Matter i
- Contents vii
- List of figures and tables viii
- Notes on contributors ix
- Acknowledgements xi
- Introduction 1
- From a collaborative and integrated welfare policy to frontline practices 9
- Examining talk and interaction in meetings of professionals and service users 33
- How chairs use the pronoun ‘we’ to guide participation in rehabilitation team meetings 63
- Working within frames and across boundaries in core group meetings in child protection 83
- Alignment and service user participation in low-threshold meetings with people using drugs 115
- Sympathy and micropolitics in return-to-work meetings 141
- Negotiating epistemic rights to knowledge concerning service users’ recent histories in mental health meetings 171
- Relational agency and epistemic justice in initial child protection conferences 197
- Conclusion 225
- Postscript 241
- Index 247
Chapters in this book
- Front Matter i
- Contents vii
- List of figures and tables viii
- Notes on contributors ix
- Acknowledgements xi
- Introduction 1
- From a collaborative and integrated welfare policy to frontline practices 9
- Examining talk and interaction in meetings of professionals and service users 33
- How chairs use the pronoun ‘we’ to guide participation in rehabilitation team meetings 63
- Working within frames and across boundaries in core group meetings in child protection 83
- Alignment and service user participation in low-threshold meetings with people using drugs 115
- Sympathy and micropolitics in return-to-work meetings 141
- Negotiating epistemic rights to knowledge concerning service users’ recent histories in mental health meetings 171
- Relational agency and epistemic justice in initial child protection conferences 197
- Conclusion 225
- Postscript 241
- Index 247
