Abstracts
Abstract
This article focuses on the compounding systemic issues that children and families face when involved with immigration and child welfare. Fourteen semi-structured interviews and one focus group (six participants) were conducted with service providers working in social service sectors related to immigration and child welfare who deliver services in Ontario, Canada. Front-line workers’ perspectives were analyzed through a descriptive phenomenological study, revealing how their perceptions of complex trauma histories, systemic oppression, and power dynamics influenced refugees’ experiences and fears regarding the child welfare system. The study emphasizes the need for an anti-oppressive, trauma-informed approach and specialized services for refugee children and families. Conceptualizations of structural social work and trauma-informed practice are drawn on to guide the analysis.
Keywords:
- Child welfare,
- refugees,
- phenomenology,
- structural social work,
- trauma-informed practice
Résumé
Cet article se concentre sur les problèmes systémiques aggravants auxquels les enfants et les familles sont confrontés lorsqu’ils sont impliqués dans l’immigration et la protection de l’enfance. Quatorze entretiens semi-structurés et un groupe de discussion (six participants) ont été menés avec des prestataires de services travaillant dans les secteurs des services sociaux liés à l’immigration et à la protection de l’enfance qui ont fourni des services en Ontario, au Canada. Les points de vue des travailleurs de première ligne ont été analysés dans le cadre d’une étude phénoménologique descriptive, révélant comment leurs perceptions des antécédents de traumatismes complexes, de l’oppression systémique et des dynamiques de pouvoir ont influencé les expériences et les craintes des réfugiés à l’égard du système de protection de l’enfance. L’étude souligne la nécessité d’une approche anti-oppressive et tenant compte des traumatismes et de services spécialisés pour les enfants et les familles réfugiés. Les conceptualisations du travail social structurel et la pratique tenant compte des traumatismes sont utilisées pour guider l’analyse.
Mots-clés :
- protection de l’enfance,
- réfugiés,
- phénoménologie,
- travail social structurel,
- pratique tenant compte des traumatismes
Appendices
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