Section 17 Child in Need: Contemporary practice in an area of deprivation

Cooper, Jennifer and Harwin, Judith and Broadhurst, Karen (2028) Section 17 Child in Need: Contemporary practice in an area of deprivation. PhD thesis, Lancaster University.

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Abstract

This PhD explores the under-researched area of contemporary section 17 Children Act 1989 practice. Whilst highly researched following implementation of the Children Act, section 17 provision has since been mostly overlooked, except in relation to where thresholds sit for child protection intervention under section 47, or by the recent review of children’s social care. This study provides a detailed exploration of contemporary section 17 child in need provision. Considered through a critical constructivist lens, a detailed review of the literature relating to section 17 and the challenges faced since its inception sets the scene. This is followed by a discussion of methods used, and a detailed contextual positioning of the study area. Findings commences with a documentary analysis of relevant local policy and procedure documentation. With context front and centre, the study explores the influence of national and organisational positionality, discourse and language on contemporary section 17 practice. The rich data obtained through qualitative research methods (focus groups and interviews with 12 social work professionals, four allied professionals and eight families), brings to the surface the multiple, complex, and competing influences on social work professionals’ formulations of need and the way in which formal and informal logics and reasoning interweave. It further considers the way in which social work professionals perceive and relate to the people they work with and how section 17 thresholds are negotiated in practice. Consideration of allied professional and family experiences of section 17 complete the data analysis, spotlighting voices rarely seen in this practice area, with some findings echoing the experiences of social work participants. The study concludes highlighting the ongoing challenges of section 17 practice, and offers suggestions for training, practice, legislative and policy change.