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Getting there and being there Visits to prisons in Victoria: the experiences of women prisoners and their children
- Author:
- FLYNN Catherine
- Journal article citation:
- Probation Journal, 61(2), 2014, pp.176-191.
- Publisher:
- Sage
Maintaining mother−child contact when a parent is imprisoned is accepted as important; the benefits of visiting are seen to extend beyond that relationship, to other members of the family and to the prison itself. This article discusses research findings about the extent and nature of visiting engaged in by adolescent children while their mothers were in prison, in Victoria, Australia, from the perspectives of the children and their mothers. In the current study, while findings confirm much of what is already known about barriers to prison visiting, the study extends this knowledge. Findings support the need to engage children’s views on this topic; to examine the current methodologies used to measure prison visitation; and to more fully understand the impact of arrest and imprisonment circumstances on arranging children’s care, including plans for visitation. (Publisher abstract)
Understanding the risk of offending for the children of imprisoned parents: a review of the evidence
- Author:
- FLYNN Catherine
- Journal article citation:
- Children and Youth Services Review, 35(2), 2013, pp.213-217.
- Publisher:
- Elsevier
It is now widely accepted that children of imprisoned parents are more likely to end up as offenders or in prison themselves. This article presents a critical review of the studies of parental and maternal imprisonments conducted since the 1960s. The review examines how patterns of family offending have been measured and portrayed, explores to what extent claims of an intergenerational association are well-founded, and questions the real risks posed to the children of prisoners. However, findings indicate that the majority of prisoners have not had a parent imprisoned, and that risk of intergenerational offending to children of prisoners is poorly established. The paper concludes that attention would be better placed on the immediate problems of these children.
Caring for the children of imprisoned mothers: exploring the role of fathers
- Author:
- FLYNN Catherine
- Journal article citation:
- Child Abuse Review, 21(4), July 2012, pp.285-298.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
In the context of a significant increase in the women's prison population in countries such as Australia, the United States and the UK over the past decade, this paper discusses research findings about the role of fathers in providing care to children while their mothers are in prison. It is based on part of a wider study which examined the impact of maternal incarceration on 20 young people (aged between 10 and 18 years) in Victoria, Australia. Information was gathered through interviews with young people, their mothers and key professionals. The article describes the results, covering young people's care arrangements and participant perceptions of quality of care and father-provided care, and includes examples from the interviews. The findings indicated that although in this study the fathers were the largest group providing care for the young people, participants were mostly unsatisfied with the arrangements. The article discusses children's and mothers' perceptions of the quality of care, the impact of fathers' care on young people, and implications for mother-child relationships.
Contact experiences and needs of children of prisoners before and during COVID-19: findings from an Australian survey
- Authors:
- FLYNN Catherine, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Child and Family Social Work, 27(1), 2022, pp.67-78.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
Most of the research examining children visiting a parent in prison indicates that visits have a positive impact on children's well-being, their connection to the imprisoned parent and the parent themselves. However, the COVID-19 pandemic brought about a significant change to prison visits worldwide, with limits or bans on face-to-face contact. Understanding the experiences and needs of children during this period remains limited. This paper presents the findings of a survey of 84 carers of 184 children across Australia, investigating children's experiences of contact with their imprisoned parent both before and during COVID-19 restrictions. Although most carers reported maintaining contact during restrictions, a range of difficulties were noted: reduced availability; the effect of prison-based issues, including lockdowns; and the suitability of video/telephone visits for young children. Some described the benefits of videoconferencing, including reduced travel time and cost, and not needing to take children into a prison environment. Despite this, respondents typically described the negative impact of restrictions, and lack of physical contact, on children's emotional well-being. Our findings suggest that, for video visiting to be successful, it should be complementary to in-person visits, tailored to the needs of children, with support offered to families. (Edited publisher abstract)
Collaboration for improving social work practice: the promise of feminist participatory action research
- Authors:
- JOHNSON Holly, FLYNN Catherine
- Journal article citation:
- Affilia: Journal of Women and Social Work, 36(3), 2021, pp.441-459.
- Publisher:
- Sage
Feminist research and participatory action research (PAR) share the belief that research should directly serve social justice aims and work to alleviate suffering of marginalized and oppressed people. This article presents the results of a unique feminist PAR (FPAR) approach to designing and implementing an evaluation of an intervention with women who have used violence. The site of our analysis is the steering committee that oversaw this work and the extent to which members adhered to FPAR principles. Over the two decades since feminist critiques of PAR began to emerge, new discourses of collaboration have appeared. As researchers, we must be alert to FPAR discourses that mask ongoing hierarchies. Our findings suggest that, while reflexivity and genuine commitment to collaboration are fundamental to enacting FPAR principles, social workers nevertheless face real challenges confronting structural barriers that impede anti-oppression goals. This study highlights the challenges of adhering faithfully to feminist participatory principles in real-life settings and the need for future research to examine the effectiveness of FPAR processes in achieving authentic collaboration among committee members who are chosen to represent disparate perspectives and are backed by vastly different levels of social and institutional power. (Edited publisher abstract)
Expert companions? Constructing a pedagogy for supervising honours students
- Authors:
- BRYDON Kerry, FLYNN Catherine
- Journal article citation:
- Social Work Education (The International Journal), 33(3), 2014, pp.365-380.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
- Place of publication:
- Philadelphia, USA
Using a sample of social work students who completed their studies during the period 2005–2010, the authors set out to gain some preliminary knowledge of the appropriate pedagogy for the supervision of honours students. The findings reveal that most honours students constructed their supervisors as being expert companions, and provide some support for a social work model of academic supervision. (Edited publisher abstract)
User consultation and research in health and social care in Westminster: first stage report
- Authors:
- FLYNN Catherine, comp
- Publisher:
- Voluntary Action Westminster
- Publication year:
- 1996
- Pagination:
- 50p.
- Place of publication:
- London
The aim of this report is to provide a picture of user consultation and research in health and social care in Westminster. The main focus is on consultation with service users in the joint planning of services and the report centres on services that are provided in the community.
A review of research about the transition from student social worker to practitioner: exploring diversity
- Authors:
- BATTAGLIA Lana M., FLYNN Catherine A.
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Social Work, 20(6), 2020, p.834–857.
- Publisher:
- Sage
With increasing student mobility to and from western host-universities, newly qualified social workers are more likely to enter the field in an unfamiliar context. To examine whether current knowledge appropriately informs education and support for a diversifying cohort of newly qualified social workers in the Australian context, a scoping review was conducted on 53 articles investigating the transition to social work practice. Research conducted over a 45-year period from a broad range of international contexts was included in the review. Findings: Findings suggest that current understandings do not reflect the needs or experiences of the present cohort of newly qualified social workers as they transition to social work practice. Rather, study samples, mostly derived from western contexts, are notably homogenous, with most participants described by researchers, as ‘white’. Additionally, there is an assumption that students transition to practice within the same context as their education. Current knowledge therefore does not capture the various ways internationally mobile, newly graduated social workers may transition to practice, or how it is experienced. Applications: Findings suggest that further examination is urgently needed on the pathways navigated to practice by diverse and mobile early career social workers. Further consideration of the influences of diversity and mobility on experience is needed, using more inclusive research methods, to capture the variability and complexity of the transition to practice as the profession diversifies and mobilises. (Edited publisher abstract)
Stability in residential care in NSW, Australia: the role of the workforce
- Authors:
- BOLINGER Jenna, MENDES Philip, FLYNN Catherine
- Journal article citation:
- Scottish Journal of Residential Child Care, 20(2), 2021, p.13. Online only
- Publisher:
- Department of Social Work. University of Strathclyde.
Stability in residential care has, to date, been operationalised by fundamentally counting placements and equating these with varying levels of stability. In so doing, it has been found that having many placements (i.e., indicative of instability) is associated with diverse problematic outcomes including increased criminalisation, increased mental health difficulties and ongoing placement instability. On the other hand, however, stability has not been found to provide repair. This paper examines staff’s roles and needs required for providing stability. Thirteen staff who worked in residential care in New South Wales participated in semi-structured interviews regarding their thoughts on what brings stability to a residential care placement and the impact of stability on a young person’s outcomes. Analysis was conducted using thematic analysis and QSR NVivo. Findings suggested that staff were required to provide consistency and work within a therapeutic lens when delivering residential care to young people. To do so, they required support from the organisation in terms of training and supervision. The findings suggest that stability can be achieved in residential care largely via consistent relationships with staff who are well supported by their organisations (Edited publisher abstract)
Criminal exploitation of child protection-involved youth
- Authors:
- BAIDAWI Susan, SHEEHAN Rosemary, FLYNN Catherine
- Journal article citation:
- Children and Youth Services Review, 118, 2020, p.105396.
- Publisher:
- Elsevier
Background: While at higher risk, child protection-involved youth are the subject of negligible research focusing on the criminal exploitation of children by adults. Purpose: This exploratory study examines criminal exploitation of ‘crossover’ children, those traversing the child protection and youth justice systems, in Victoria Australia. It examines the relationships, processes, and criminal activity related to child criminal exploitation amongst crossover children, and canvasses current legal and welfare responses to this phenomenon. Methods: Twenty-five interview and focus group consultations were undertaken with 87 child welfare, legal, justice, and education key stakeholders. Examples of child criminal exploitation were also identified from a case file audit crossover children (n = 300) appearing before three children’s courts. Results: Child criminal exploitation emerged as an issue in fifty percent (n = 12/25) of interview and focus group consultations. Participants regularly described this exploitation of crossover children by strangers, ‘romantic’ partners, and family members. Children in residential care and those with neurodisability were identified as vulnerable subgroups, with sexual exploitation and substance abuse operating as key facilitators of criminal exploitation. Legal and welfare responses included the use of intervention orders against exploiters, alongside child protection and secure welfare interventions with children. Conclusions: Child criminal exploitation is an identified concern for child protection-involved youth and other children who appear before criminal courts in the study jurisdiction. Findings demonstrate a need for a clear conceptualisation of child criminal exploitation, both locally and globally, that captures the scope of this phenomenon. Evidence-supported frameworks for identifying, preventing, and responding to child criminal exploitation are required to minimise detrimental legal and developmental impacts on children. (Edited publisher abstract)