Deaf parents and safeguarding - cultural-linguistic perspectives on parenting assessment
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Manchester
Department Name: School of Health Sciences
Abstract
This study concerns parenting assessments in relation to safeguarding in instances when one or more parent is a Deaf BSL (British Sign Language) user. It is a timely topic in light of an increasing number of child removals involving Deaf families and family court guidance that an expert in sign language/Deaf culture and the impact of deafness is required in all family court proceedings involving a Deaf parent. This is an important recognition of the significance of cultural competence in assessments involving Deaf parents who are more readily regarded as disabled rather than minority language users from a recognised cultural community. The study will examine both the current state of social work practice with regard to parenting assessment involving Deaf parents of hearing and/or deaf children from a cross-cultural parenting perspective. It will also explore the means to more effective assessment practice from an asset-based perspective that regards assessment as an opportunity for supportive actions too along the wellbeing-safeguarding-child protection continuum. In a field where there is little evidence but much practice concern the study's findings will be of relevance to advanced child and family practitioner roles to be implemented from 2018 and future developments in light of the Wood review of LSCBs.
People |
ORCID iD |
Alys Young (Primary Supervisor) | |
Rosemary Fay Oram (Student) |
Studentship Projects
Project Reference | Relationship | Related To | Start | End | Student Name |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
ES/P000665/1 | 30/09/2017 | 29/09/2027 | |||
1881330 | Studentship | ES/P000665/1 | 30/09/2017 | 30/10/2024 | Rosemary Fay Oram |
Description | Study One was conducted earlier than planned due to the scarcity of relevant literature and the interviews took place with the expert informants. Their practice wisdom has helped design Study Two, the recruitment for which, is being processed with Manchester City Council, our external partner. The other most significant achievement was the invitation to give a presentation on safeguarding based on the findings of Study One, on an international scale in South Africa. It is an acknowledgement of much needed work in that area. |
Exploitation Route | Elements from some real-life case examples provided by Study One were disguised and incorporated into scenarios; these will be a good tool for mainstream social workers to decide how best to deal with each case. The data will be published in two articles as part of the thesis with the aim of raising awareness around areas of good practice and pitfalls in safeguarding. |
Sectors | Communities and Social Services/Policy |
Description | CASE partner |
Organisation | Manchester City Council |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Public |
PI Contribution | Manchester City Council is the CASE partner in this ESRC funded PhD studentship. |
Collaborator Contribution | Professional expertise and advice, access to data subjects, co-supervision. |
Impact | Not yet. Data collection with this partner begins in 2020 |
Start Year | 2017 |
Description | Manchester City Council |
Organisation | Manchester City Council |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Public |
PI Contribution | External partner |
Collaborator Contribution | Professional support |
Impact | Site visits Knowledge exchange |
Start Year | 2017 |
Description | 6th Postgraduate Research Showcase Conference, University of Manchester |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Local |
Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
Results and Impact | School seminar - part of my progression: Year 2 |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
Description | Joint Social Work Education and Research Conference, Manchester |
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 | Doctoral presentation with the PhD group for peer support. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
Description | NMWSW 7th Showcase - University of Manchester |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
Results and Impact | I gave a poster presentation about Study One of my PhD which was well-received by the other students. It was a steep learning curve for me as to how to best deliver a summary of the research very briefly using the poster. Based on the feedback from the examiners, I feel more confident now about preparing a poster presentation to reach out to a wider audience in the near future. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
Description | Safe Space for Deaf Women in South Africa Webinar Series |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | I was invited to give a presentation about my PhD and what it involves with regards to safeguarding as there is a very high number of safeguarding cases amongst deaf women living in South Africa, mainly due to gender-based violence. There has been a lot of discussion around what services the group can develop drawing on ideas from the UK. Reporting remains an issue for the community because of communication barriers within society. From their comments, some participants have been inspired to continue with educating and campaigning for better access, particularly in higher education e.g. training to be a social worker. I learned so much from the audience about their resilience and how united they are in their work within the community. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
Description | Social Workers with Deaf Children and Professionals Group meeting |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | I was invited by the group to give a presentation on strategies of my PhD for recruitment purposes. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |