British Academy UK. Latin America Link Programme Birmingham, UK. June 2013 Family and Social Policy: Towards Family Minded Policy and whole family practice (second seminar)

UNIVERSIDAD AUTÓNOMA DE NUEVO LEÓN FACULTAD DE TRABAJO SOCIAL Y DESARROLLO HUMANO Family and child protection system An approach to family definition of mexican and swedish social workers Sandra Elizabet Mancinas Espinoza Eunice Martínez

Objective To present a first approach on family definition of Mexican and Swedish social workers who work in the child welfare system in their respective countries

An overview of mexican and swedish child protection system

Children's entry into child welfare in Sweden Application from the family Report from others: school, a neighbor etc. Report from social services: someone working with parents addiction, etc. Application or Referral Social workers screen individuals/families to determine whether there is need for services Gatekeeping or needs assessment Social workers decide to open an investigation. Refers the family to family support that does not need a decision from social services Social workers decide to not open an investigation. Decision making Support No support Service By Viktoria Skoog

Child investigation and interventions in Sweden Social worker makes a plan for the investigation together with the family. The investigation has to be complete in four months. The social worker gathers information, assesses, makes a decision and shares the investigation and the decision with the family. Decision No intervention Support to the family in their home. Out-of-home care. Social worker make a plan for the purpose of the intervention Social workers make a plan for the purpose of the interventions The family and child over 15 consent The family and child over 15 do not consent Voluntary care Application for compulsory care Application approved Application is not approved No intervention Social worker make a plan for the interventions The child and the family get the intervention Every six months the social worker follows up the interventions By Viktoria Skoog

Children's entry into child welfare in Mexico (focus in children abuse) Reporting through the mass media Children without families Report from others: school, a neighbor Report from social services: someone working with parents addiction, health system, etc. Application from the family The social services lawyer prepares a special document for the social worker who initiate an investigation (asignación) Application or Referral Social workers interview/families, neighbor, teachers, to determine whether there is need for services Needs assessment and decision making Support No support Service By Sandra Mancinas

Child investigation and interventions in Mexico Social worker makes an investigation about the children family (Including the extended family). The social worker gathers information, and shares the investigation with special council. Decision is made for special team (social work, lawyer and psychologist External intervention Institutional care short time Institutional care long time Back to home (Social worker follow up the intervention once a week Adoption (An other Social worker follow up the intervention) The family can visit the children and participate in special sessions about positive parentality Social worker make a plan for the purpose of the intervention An other Social worker make a plan for the purpose of the intervention Social worker make a plan for the interventions The child and the family get the intervention, The focus is the children Periodically the social worker follows up the interventions and present inform to special team The especial team decides institutionalization end By Sandra Mancinas

Method Case studies Deep interviews Focus groups (vignette designed by Lennart Nygren and Siv Oltedal)

Method Participants Focus group Deep interview Mexican social workers in public institutions (one) Swedish social workers in public institutions (one) Mexican social workers in private institutions (two) Swedish social workers in private institutions (two)

Analysis categories preliminary Method The analysis of information will be made through the content analysis technique The software MAXQDA it will used Analysis categories preliminary Own family Ideal family Typical family on the protection child services

Preliminary approaches

Category Text Mexican Swedish Own family Major family diversity Single parent headed by women (3) Nuclear family (1) Extended family (1) Nuclear family remarried All of them included extended family in their definition Ideal/typical family They consider that there are differences between ideal and typical family Typical “está predominando la jefa de familia con hijos, yo siento que es la que predomina ahorita” “Ya es la típica [la jefa de familia]” Ideal “definitivamente es la nuclear” “Inclusive debería de ser la típica” …mother, father and they have children and then they are separated and they have their own families. This is more typical now that it was 20 years ago… It's probably true that children live together with two parents but they may not both be biological. And, the most probably don’t live with just one parent. Typical family on the protection child services [Una familia con necesidades económicas] “el apoyo en alimento, en cuestiones de becas, esa creo que la que predomina mucho” “Una sola [mujer sola] con sus hijos. [Jefa de familia es una mujer sola que vive con sus hijos, en México existe un programa para este tipo de familia que están en pobreza]” “I think in the two years that I have been working, I have only encountered parents that are divorced or separated. I cannot think of one where they were still together” “It might be that we meet mother and partner or father and partner. So, not just single parents. There are often two parents. Or even 4 parents though there are really just 2 who have actually custody of the child. Then these families are often in conflict. They are high conflict parents that we meet”

Thank you!