Child Protection and social distancing: Improving the capacity of social workers to keep children safe during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Lead Research Organisation: University of Birmingham
Department Name: Social Work and Social Care

Abstract

This research will explore the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on child protection practice and service users and improve the capacity of social workers and other professionals to keep children safe in a period of institutionalised social distancing. Building on our existing research on the use of digital technology in everyday life (Pink et al, 2015; Pink et al, 2017) and effective child protection, especially the centrality of social workers getting close to children in their homes (Ferguson, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2020), we will identify areas of concern and advise on effective responses. Using digital ethnographic methods at four anonymised sites, the study will generate and rapidly disseminate in-depth knowledge of new challenges and social work practices developed in response to COVID-19, such as the novel use of digital technologies, and their impact on service users, social workers and social work organisations. Qualitative - interview, visual and digital - methods will be used to gather data from social work staff and service users about in-person and 'virtual home visits'. These insights will be used to rapidly inform child protection practice nationally.

Engagement with participants and our collaborators the British Association of Social Workers and Research in Practice will shape recommendations for practice and coproduced guidance, and ensure national dissemination and impact. This will enhance the capacity of social workers nationally to keep children safe at a time of new and potentially increased risk, including of dometic abuse, and will also have future research use, such as informing the embedding of digital technologies into social work practice.
 
Title Social Work and Child Protection during the COVID-19 Pandemic 
Description This is a film that was costed for in the research proposal and made as an innovative way of showing our key research findings. It takes the form of re-enactments of encounters between practitioners and families with actors playing social workers, children and parents and the script is based on the actual words of participants that they spoke in research interviews. Some changes have been made to ensure participants remain anonymous. 
Type Of Art Film/Video/Animation 
Year Produced 2022 
Impact The film has only be released for six weeks and the feedback has been universally positive, with countless social workers and educators saying (om Twitter, for instance) how useful it is. 
 
Description We began this research in May 2020 and have already produced many outputs relating to the findings concerning the impact of Covid-19 on social work and child protection and on the lives of vulnerable children and families during the pandemic. These include that during lockdowns social workers continued to visit children at home who were at high risk of abuse and harm. Social distancing was very difficult and often not happening when social workers conducted home visits, meaning that infection risks from Covid-19 were high. PPE was not always readily available when needed and there has been local as well as national differences in how government guidance has been interpreted, especially with respect to wearing facemasks. Social work departments followed government guidance and pivoted to using digital platforms to conduct work with children and families - 'virtual home visits' - during the first lockdown (March - June 2020), but for subsequent lockdowns digital casework was framed in guidance as a last resort and workers expected to see children and families face-to-face and at the same frequency as they did pre-pandemic. Our findings suggest that this pushed social workers into having to take high personal risks of getting infected (and thereby risk infecting their own families) and that government guidance and local authorities have underestimated the value of 'digital casework'. Social workers have been creative and innovative in seeing children in spaces outside the home, such as gardens and parks. The extra stresses from the pandemic have resulted in some children entering care who probably would not have had it not been for Covid-19. Parents of children in care have often experienced not being allowed family time with their children due to Covid risks and if they had in-person meetings they were not allowed to touch or hug them. Online case conferences and other meetings have worked quite effectively for professionals but some parents without adequate wifi and computers have struggled to fully participate. Social workers have generally found working from home isolating and they miss the informal support of colleagues in the office. Yet a lot of social workers like the flexibility working from home gives them and are reluctant to go into the office and try to minimise how often they do so. Despite all the challenges social workers have faced our data suggests they have been effective at helping many families and keeping children safe. The parents we interviewed mostly found the service they got helpful. We have drawn out the key components of helpful social work and effective child protection work during the pandemic. More recently we have published on what our data shows about the limits to child protection during lockdowns, as a contribution to assisting with understanding of tragic cases where children died from abuse during lockdowns despite the involvement of social workers, such as six year old Arthur Labinjo-Hughes and Star Hobson. These cases are the subject of national review and we have asked to contribute our research findings to that review. Since mid-2022 we have been engaging more with post-pandemic futures, helping child protection organisations and practitioners to think about the kinds of relationships with children and families that are taking shape as COVID restrictions end, and the prospects for using digital technology in practice. This includes attention to workplace issues and what the evidence shows about staff working from home or in the office and the significant adverse effects of the pandemic and child protection work on staff well-being and retention. Social work and child protection organisations have consistently fed back that the findings are very helpful.
Exploitation Route We have done 37 engagement activities since the research began. This reflects the large interest in the research when lockdowns and pandemic restrictions were occurring. We also made a film based on the findings that provides re-enactments using actors playing social workers and children and parents of the key challenges for child protection during COVID-19 and how they were effectively overcome. In 2023 social work organisations are grappling with how best to shape their policies and practice 'post-pandemic' and our research provides a highly valuable evident base and baseline for what happened during social distancing and how policy and practice can best develop to keep children safe and help families.
Sectors Communities and Social Services/Policy,Healthcare
URL https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/schools/social-policy/departments/social-work-social-care/research/child-protection-and-social-distancing.aspx
 
Description We published research briefings and blogs from early on in the data collection phase in 2020, sharing emerging findings. We have also done several webinars and presented the findings at 37 events, including symposia for leaders in children's social care, as well as practitioners. Feedback suggests that social work leaders and managers and practitioners have benefitted from learning from our findings by being helped to make sense of the effects of the pandemic on children at risk of harm and families and services and what needs to be done to ensure social workers are as effective as possible during it and beyond the pandemic. The film we made that is based on the findings was released in January 2022 and had been very positively received by the social work and child protection sector. We have published 7 academic outputs in peer-reviewed journals, one of which won a major European Social Work Research prize for the best paper of 2021. The research has reached an international audience, not least due to the global impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
First Year Of Impact 2020
Sector Communities and Social Services/Policy,Digital/Communication/Information Technologies (including Software),Education,Healthcare,Government, Democracy and Justice
Impact Types Societal,Policy & public services
 
Description 'Partners in Practice' project funded by the Department for Education, on 'Social Work in a Pandemic', involving six local authorities. 
Organisation Cornwall Council
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Public 
PI Contribution This was a 'Partners in Practice' project funded by the Department for Education, involving six local authorities that we were involved in as the academic partners feeding in learning from our own Covid study. This required us attending 7 meetings of the working group on 'Social Work in a Pandemic', writing the report and presenting at the conference event. The audience at the conference was made up of social workers and managers who were grappling with the impact of Covid-19 on their work and the event focused on how they are relating to children in ways that can keep them safe and are helpful to parents and families. The report Social Work in a Pandemic' was published on 30th November 2021.
Collaborator Contribution They examined their organisation's response to the pandemic and what can be learned from it and this learning was pooled produce a report.
Impact It is too early for this.
Start Year 2021
 
Description 'Partners in Practice' project funded by the Department for Education, on 'Social Work in a Pandemic', involving six local authorities. 
Organisation Department for Education and Child Development
Country Australia 
Sector Public 
PI Contribution This was a 'Partners in Practice' project funded by the Department for Education, involving six local authorities that we were involved in as the academic partners feeding in learning from our own Covid study. This required us attending 7 meetings of the working group on 'Social Work in a Pandemic', writing the report and presenting at the conference event. The audience at the conference was made up of social workers and managers who were grappling with the impact of Covid-19 on their work and the event focused on how they are relating to children in ways that can keep them safe and are helpful to parents and families. The report Social Work in a Pandemic' was published on 30th November 2021.
Collaborator Contribution They examined their organisation's response to the pandemic and what can be learned from it and this learning was pooled produce a report.
Impact It is too early for this.
Start Year 2021
 
Description 'Partners in Practice' project funded by the Department for Education, on 'Social Work in a Pandemic', involving six local authorities. 
Organisation Essex County Council
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Public 
PI Contribution This was a 'Partners in Practice' project funded by the Department for Education, involving six local authorities that we were involved in as the academic partners feeding in learning from our own Covid study. This required us attending 7 meetings of the working group on 'Social Work in a Pandemic', writing the report and presenting at the conference event. The audience at the conference was made up of social workers and managers who were grappling with the impact of Covid-19 on their work and the event focused on how they are relating to children in ways that can keep them safe and are helpful to parents and families. The report Social Work in a Pandemic' was published on 30th November 2021.
Collaborator Contribution They examined their organisation's response to the pandemic and what can be learned from it and this learning was pooled produce a report.
Impact It is too early for this.
Start Year 2021
 
Description 'Partners in Practice' project funded by the Department for Education, on 'Social Work in a Pandemic', involving six local authorities. 
Organisation Hertfordshire County Council
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Public 
PI Contribution This was a 'Partners in Practice' project funded by the Department for Education, involving six local authorities that we were involved in as the academic partners feeding in learning from our own Covid study. This required us attending 7 meetings of the working group on 'Social Work in a Pandemic', writing the report and presenting at the conference event. The audience at the conference was made up of social workers and managers who were grappling with the impact of Covid-19 on their work and the event focused on how they are relating to children in ways that can keep them safe and are helpful to parents and families. The report Social Work in a Pandemic' was published on 30th November 2021.
Collaborator Contribution They examined their organisation's response to the pandemic and what can be learned from it and this learning was pooled produce a report.
Impact It is too early for this.
Start Year 2021
 
Description 'Partners in Practice' project funded by the Department for Education, on 'Social Work in a Pandemic', involving six local authorities. 
Organisation Kent and Medway NHS and Social Care Partnership Trust
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Public 
PI Contribution This was a 'Partners in Practice' project funded by the Department for Education, involving six local authorities that we were involved in as the academic partners feeding in learning from our own Covid study. This required us attending 7 meetings of the working group on 'Social Work in a Pandemic', writing the report and presenting at the conference event. The audience at the conference was made up of social workers and managers who were grappling with the impact of Covid-19 on their work and the event focused on how they are relating to children in ways that can keep them safe and are helpful to parents and families. The report Social Work in a Pandemic' was published on 30th November 2021.
Collaborator Contribution They examined their organisation's response to the pandemic and what can be learned from it and this learning was pooled produce a report.
Impact It is too early for this.
Start Year 2021
 
Description 'Partners in Practice' project funded by the Department for Education, on 'Social Work in a Pandemic', involving six local authorities. 
Organisation South Tyneside Council
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Public 
PI Contribution This was a 'Partners in Practice' project funded by the Department for Education, involving six local authorities that we were involved in as the academic partners feeding in learning from our own Covid study. This required us attending 7 meetings of the working group on 'Social Work in a Pandemic', writing the report and presenting at the conference event. The audience at the conference was made up of social workers and managers who were grappling with the impact of Covid-19 on their work and the event focused on how they are relating to children in ways that can keep them safe and are helpful to parents and families. The report Social Work in a Pandemic' was published on 30th November 2021.
Collaborator Contribution They examined their organisation's response to the pandemic and what can be learned from it and this learning was pooled produce a report.
Impact It is too early for this.
Start Year 2021
 
Description 'Partners in Practice' project funded by the Department for Education, on 'Social Work in a Pandemic', involving six local authorities. 
Organisation Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Public 
PI Contribution This was a 'Partners in Practice' project funded by the Department for Education, involving six local authorities that we were involved in as the academic partners feeding in learning from our own Covid study. This required us attending 7 meetings of the working group on 'Social Work in a Pandemic', writing the report and presenting at the conference event. The audience at the conference was made up of social workers and managers who were grappling with the impact of Covid-19 on their work and the event focused on how they are relating to children in ways that can keep them safe and are helpful to parents and families. The report Social Work in a Pandemic' was published on 30th November 2021.
Collaborator Contribution They examined their organisation's response to the pandemic and what can be learned from it and this learning was pooled produce a report.
Impact It is too early for this.
Start Year 2021
 
Description Collaboration with Research in Practice and the British Association of Social Workers for the Impact of Covid-19 on Social Work and Child Protection study 
Organisation British Association of Social Work
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Learned Society 
PI Contribution We have produced research findings and they have provided Impact activities
Collaborator Contribution We have produced research findings and they have provided Impact activities
Impact Published research briefings, blogs, and have run webinars
Start Year 2020
 
Description Collaboration with Research in Practice and the British Association of Social Workers for the Impact of Covid-19 on Social Work and Child Protection study 
Organisation Research in Practice
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Charity/Non Profit 
PI Contribution We have produced research findings and they have provided Impact activities
Collaborator Contribution We have produced research findings and they have provided Impact activities
Impact Published research briefings, blogs, and have run webinars
Start Year 2020
 
Description Being helpful in Social Work during COVID-19- Presentation to South Gloucestershire Children's Services, 16th March 2021 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Local
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact The audience was social workers who were grappling with the impact of Covid-19 on their work and trying to make sense of that and the session focused on home visits and how they are relating to children in ways that are helpful and can keep them safe.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2021
 
Description Celebrating Social Work and Relationship-Based Practice - before, during and after Covid-19 - Or, how social workers are helpful. Lewisham CC children's social care conference, 15.3.22 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Local
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact The audience was social workers who were grappling with the impact of Covid-19 on their work and trying to make sense of that and the session focused on how what the research showed about how social workers are and are not relating to children in ways that are helpful and can keep them safe. It was their World Social Work Day celebration and the emphasis was on what can be learned from what social workers do well.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2021
 
Description Celebrating Social Work and Relationship-Based Practice, before and during COVID-19 - Or, how social workers are helpful, Worcester Children's services conference, 28.9.21 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Regional
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact The audience was social workers who were grappling with the impact of Covid-19 on their work and trying to make sense of that and the session focused on how what the research showed about how social workers are and are not relating to children in ways that are helpful and can keep them safe.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2021
 
Description Child Protection and Social Distancing: Improving the capacity of social workers to keep children safe during the COVID-19 pandemic - emerging findings. National webinar in collaboration with Research in Practice, 4th November 2020 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact A webinar at which we presented emerging early findings from our research
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2020
 
Description Child Protection and home visits before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Training/workshop for social worker across the North East of England, 16.2.22 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Regional
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact The audience was social workers who were grappling with the impact of Covid-19 on their work and trying to make sense of that and the session focused on how what the research showed about how social workers are and are not relating to children in ways that are helpful and can keep them safe.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2021
 
Description Child protection beyond the pandemic: Shaping direct practice with children and families, 29th May 2022 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact A knowledge exchange session in collaboration with Research in Practice based on sharing and discussing the research findings
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2022
 
Description Child protection beyond the pandemic: Shaping direct practice with children and families, 30th May 2022 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact A knowledge exchange session in collaboration with Research in Practice based on sharing and discussing the research findings
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2022
 
Description Getting close while social distancing: The re-making of social work and child protection during COVID-19 - Webinar on our research findings hosted by the British Association of Social Workers, 21st January 2021 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact Webinar on our research findings, hosted by the British Association of Social Workers, who are a project partner on the project.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2021
 
Description Home visits and social work with children and families - workshop/training for social workers, Sunderland CC and the North East 31 March 2022 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Regional
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact This audience was made up primarily of social workers and their managers and the aim was to help them make sense of what the research shows with respect to home visits and how social workers are relating to children in ways that can keep them safe.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2022
 
Description Home visits and social work with children and families, before and during Covid-19 - workshop / training for social workers at Stockport Children's Services, 4th March 2021 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Local
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact The event considered the learning from our research on the nature of effective home visits and social work with children and families, before and during Covid-19.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2021
 
Description Home visits and social work with children and families, before and during Covid-19 - workshop/training for social workers at Leeds County Council, 18th September 2020 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Regional
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact The event considered the learning from our research on the nature of home visits and social work with children and families, before and during Covid-19.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2020
 
Description Home visits and social work with children and families, before and during Covid-19 - workshop/training for social workers in Darlington CC, 4.2.22 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Regional
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact The audience was social workers who were grappling with the impact of Covid-19 on their work and trying to make sense of that and the session focused on how what the research showed about how social workers are and are not relating to children in ways that are helpful and can keep them safe.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2021
 
Description Home visits and social work with children and families, before and during Covid-19 - workshop/training for social workers, Sunderland CC and the North East. 30.11.21 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Regional
Primary Audience Policymakers/politicians
Results and Impact This audience was made up primarily of social workers who were grappling with the impact of Covid-19 on their work and trying to make sense of that and the session focused on what the research shows with respect to home visits and how social workers are relating to children in ways that can keep them safe.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2021
 
Description Home visits and social work with children and families, before and during Covid-19. Workshop/training for Kent Children's Services, 11th February 2021 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Regional
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact The event considered the learning from our research on the nature of home visits and social work with children and families, before and during Covid-19.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2021
 
Description Home visits and social work with children and families, before and during Covid-19. Workshop/training for South Tyneside Children's Services, 12th May 2021 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Regional
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact The audience was social workers who were grappling with the impact of Covid-19 on their work and trying to make sense of that and the session focused on how what the research showed about how social workers are and are not relating to children in ways that are helpful and can keep them safe.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2021
 
Description Home visits and social work with children and families, before and during Covid-19. Workshop/training for Staffordshire Children's Services 9th March 2021 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Regional
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact This audience was made up primarily of social workers who were grappling with the impact of Covid-19 on their work and trying to make sense of that and the session focused on home visits and how they are relating to children in ways that can keep them safe.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2021
 
Description Home visits and social work with children and families, before and during Covid-19 - workshop/training for social workers at Stoke County Council 12th October 2020 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Regional
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact This was a training event for children's social care looking at the research evidence with respect to conducting effective home visits and social work with children and families, before and during Covid-19.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2020
 
Description How social workers are being creative and helping children and families during COVID-19 and can do so beyond it. Edinburgh Child Protection Committee Conference 13.4.21 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact This audience was made up of practitioners and policy makers from a range of disciples who had child safeguarding responsibilities, examining the impact of Covid-19 on their work and how they are relating to children in ways that can keep them safe.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2021
 
Description Intimate child protection and social care work, before and after Covid-19, South Yorkshire Social Work Teaching Partnership, 14.10,21 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Regional
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact The audience was social workers who were grappling with the impact of Covid-19 on their work and trying to make sense of that and the session focused on how what the research showed about how social workers are and are not relating to children in ways that are helpful and can keep them safe.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2021
 
Description Oxford Multi-disciplinary shared learning from COVID-19 project, Oxford University, 27.9.22 
Form Of Engagement Activity A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Policymakers/politicians
Results and Impact This was an expert working group made up of leading researchers from Sociology, medicine, the police, public health and social work who came together to consider what we can learn across disciplines from COVID-19 and take forward into future policies and practices.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2021
 
Description Recovering from COVID-19: Learning from the impact of the pandemic on social workers, practice supervisors and staff support, Conference Keynote for Research in Practice 4th July 2022 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact Conference exploring the impact of Covid-19 on social work practice and possible post-Covid futures
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2022
 
Description Relationship-Based Practice During Covid-19, conference presentation to Birmingham Children's Trust Social Work Department, 26th November 2020 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Regional
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact Conference presentation on our emerging research findings to the social work workforce of Birmingham Children's Trust
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2020
 
Description Social Work and Relationship-Based Practice Before & After COVID-19 -Or, how social workers are helpful, Cheshire East Children's Social Work Conference 20.10.21 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Regional
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact The audience was social workers who were grappling with the impact of Covid-19 on their work and trying to make sense of that and the session focused on how what the research showed about how social workers are and are not relating to children in ways that are helpful and can keep them safe.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2021
 
Description Social Work in a Pandemic - Report Launch, national on-line event, funded by Dept of Education, run by Essex CC. 30.11.21 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact This was the launch of the report of a working group of seven local authorities who examined together the response of children's social care in England to COVID-19. Our research team were the academic partners on the project and fed in the results of study. The audience was social workers and managers from local authorities across the country who are in key leadership and strategic positions who were grappling with the impact of Covid-19 on their work and trying to make sense of that and the session focused how our data shows that social workers are relating to children in ways that are helpful and can keep them safe.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2021
 
Description Social Work in a Pandemic: Learning from COVID-19, Department for Education conference, led by Essex CC, 26.5.21 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact This was a 'Partners in Practice' project funded by the Department for Education, involving seven local authorities that we were involved in as the academic partners feeding in learning from our own Covid study. This required us attending 7 meetings of the working group on 'Social Work in a Pandemic', writing the report and presenting at the conference event. The audience at the conference was made up of social workers and managers who were grappling with the impact of Covid-19 on their work and the event focused on how they are relating to children in ways that can keep them safe and are helpful to parents and families.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2021
 
Description Social Worker tenacity during the COVID-19 pandemic and what a good home visit looks like, Rotherham Children's Social Care annual conference, 24 March 2021 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Local
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact This audience was made up primarily of social workers who were grappling with the impact of Covid-19 on their work and trying to make sense of that and the session focused on home visits and how they are relating to children in ways that can keep them safe.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2021
 
Description Social work and child protection for a post-pandemic world: The re-making of practice during COVID-19. European Social Work Research Conference, Romania - online event - 6.5.21 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Other audiences
Results and Impact Paper to an academic social work research conference attended by social work educators, and researchers and some service users.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2021
 
Description Social work before and during the pandemic and what good practice looks like. Southampton Children's services conference 20.4.21 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Regional
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact The audience was social workers and managers who were grappling with the impact of Covid-19 on their work and trying to make sense of that and the session focused on home visits and how they are relating to children in ways that are helpful and can keep them safe.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2021
 
Description The Impact of Covid-19 and Social Distancing on Social Work and Child Protection, conference hosted by Westminster Education Forum, 26th November 2020 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Policymakers/politicians
Results and Impact Workshop/conference on the impact of Covid-19 on child protection.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2020
 
Description The Impact of Covid-19 on Social Work, Child Protection and Relationship-Based Practice, conference presentation to CAFCAS (Children and Family Court Advisory Service), 2nd February 2021 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact Conference presentation to CAFCAS, considering the implications of the research findings concerning Covid-19 for court social workers.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2021
 
Description The effects of Covid-19 on social work with children and parents, Hertfordshire social work conference, 15 April 2021 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Regional
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact The audience was social workers grappling with the impact of Covid-19 on their work and trying to make sense of that and the session focused on how they are relating to families and children in ways that are helpful and can keep them safe.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2021
 
Description The impact of COVID-19 on social work and child protection - National Principal Social Worker Network, 20.4.21. 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact The audience was Principle Social Workers from local authorities across the country who are in key leadership and strategic positions who were grappling with the impact of Covid-19 on their work and trying to make sense of that and the session focused how our data shows that social workers are relating to children in ways that are helpful and can keep them safe.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2021
 
Description The impact of COVID-19 on social work and child protection , seminar at Brighton Children's Social Work, 27th May 2021 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Local
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact The audience was social workers who were grappling with the impact of Covid-19 on their work and trying to make sense of that and the session focused on how what the research showed about how social workers are and are not relating to children in ways that are helpful and can keep them safe.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2021
 
Description The impact of COVID-19 on social work and child protection, Essex Childrens Social Care event, 30.4.21 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Regional
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact The audience was social workers who were grappling with the impact of Covid-19 on their work and trying to make sense of that and the session focused on how what the research showed about how social workers are and are not relating to children in ways that are helpful and can keep them safe.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2021
 
Description The impact of COVID-19 on social work and child protection. York Children's Services, 13.5.21 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Local
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact The audience was social workers who were grappling with the impact of Covid-19 on their work and trying to make sense of that and the session focused on how what the research showed about how social workers are and are not relating to children in ways that are helpful and can keep them safe.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2021
 
Description The impact of COVID-19 on social work and child protection: Reflections on digital practices. Research in Practice National Practice leaders event, 18.11.21 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact The audience was social worker leaders who were grappling with the impact of Covid-19 on their work and trying to make sense of the turn to using digital platforms in their casework and inter-agency decision-making. The session focused on how what the research showed about how social workers have used the digital, service users' experiences of it and the extent to which it is helpful to parents and children and can keep them safe.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2021
 
Description The impact of Covid-19 and Social Distancing on Social Work and Child Protection: Looking Forward to the Future, Symposium for Research in Practice Senior Leaders Forum, 8th December 2020 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Policymakers/politicians
Results and Impact This was a forum for national leaders involved in social care and safeguarding that considered the impact of the pandemic and the future of services, policy and practice
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2020