Tag: parents

By WM

Abruptly, leaving an assignment that was almost due, glancing at the screen in shock, I could not believe what my eyes had just seen. I started having these ideas running through my head, could this be the best approach to protecting our tamariki, if not what else could be done. A news article had just popped on my screen, “Supernanny like Social Workers could be living in at risk homes”. (Stuff, May 23, 2019) What could this entail for child protection?

I immediately put myself in the shoes of the client, a parent whose child is about to be uplifted. I felt disgusted by the idea of having someone I must look up to, to be able to parent my own child. I felt I as a parent, there is someone parenting over me, could they be telling me what I should and should not do? In my own world view, parenting is also socially constructed, and this is likely to be a bone of contention between me the practitioner and myself. There is no universal standard of parenting, so where do we draw the line? Could practitioners validate what they can view as valid, distinct and acceptable parenting in the eyes of Oranga Tamariki.

I thought this as a form of punishment or reward, as (Skinner, 1948) demonstrates in his Operant Conditioning theory where he wants to promote a certain behaviour. Allowing practitioners in my private space means I would be rewarded by being permitted to stay with my tamariki, failure to agree will entail otherwise. I found this as nothing other than coercive behaviour which automatically switches me into a defensive mood. It gives someone power over me where I have been the power figure. Could this constitute power imbalances that can lead to a tug of war between myself and the practitioner?

This could probably also lead to the aspect of culture. Paora Moyle (2014), in her blog aptly explains the concept of privileging worker expertise about the client’s culture. It should be acknowledged that a group of people can belong to the same culture, but their world views might be different and that should be respected. Having a social worker in my own space and treat me as an African because of the knowledge that she might have regarding Africans could be insulting especially if I do not relate to some of the assumptions the practitioner might have. With regards to New Zealand, lack of Māori practitioners in social services leads to limited growth of Māori-appropriate programmes and methods in essential social work with families (Moyle, 2014). Hence bridging that gap of cultural appropriateness could not be as easy as a stroll in the park

Putting on different lenses now, the professional lenses. How would the recent controversial attempt to uplift a child in Hawkes Bay turned out if the young mother had a social worker in the home. With Oranga Tamariki claiming to carry a whanau centred approach, the immediate uplift of the child questions the competency of the state organisation in practising their values. If coming in to uplift a child, how whanau focused could that intervention be? For Oranga Tamariki to try to uplift the child, there were probably some concerns around the child. For a win-win situation what could have happened differently? Parents of Parents?

With the number of increasing number of children being abused in state care, the introduction of “parents of the parents”, can be the best intervention. Children are uplifted from their homes because the environment is not safe for them to flourish. Research has also proven that some children are coming out of foster care worse off than when they were with their parents. Hence what’s the rationale of taking one out of the cage and pushing them into the wilderness?  Having practitioners in the home, could that not probably mean that some of the good family’s values are upheld, and family relations maintained, and people staying out of more trouble.

From a strength based perspective, having practitioners in the homes will allow for the tapping in of the family’s strengths and coping mechanisms (Strengths-Based Models in Social Work, McCashen,2005). Having once off encounters with clients might not give tangible results, but that immediate support when they lapse can be very helpful. Relationships tend to flourish were there is trust, consistency, reliability, and don’t we think having practitioners in the homes can promote such

From an outsider’s point of view, it is good to note and acknowledge the efforts being employed by the New Zealand government to address social issues in the country especially when it comes down to child protection. A holistic approach to family centred practice is of paramount importance in child protection. Removing a child from its whanau should not be an option but how best to support the whanau to take care of their own.

It should be noted that practitioners are neither immune to the social ills of the society either. The practitioners are expected to engage with the families 24/7/365 days a year. It should be taken into consideration that social workers are not immune to social problems they experience some of these issues with their own children. We must be wary of creating another problem where families of social workers must endure the absence of their parents, when their parents are busy parenting other children’s parents. Could that not be classified as “problem transference?

I remain open minded to see when these new services come into effect and see how effective this intervention is as far as child protection is concerned. My only concern is Oranga Tamariki who are usually like a “roaring lion looking for whom to devour”.