Fostering family engagement: Perspectives from families and their social workers in Danish child and family welfare services

This article presents perspectives from both families and social workers on factors that foster family engagement in Denmark's child and family welfare system. Engagement is defined as both the quality of the collaborative relationship and the extent of family involvement in their cases. Using a multiple-case study design, the research includes eight dyads of parents and social workers based on sixteen qualitative interviews, analysed through reflexive thematic analysis. Our results indicate that families value their own honesty and being heard, while social workers emphasize role clarity and alignment of interventions with family needs. A key difference emerges in how families and social workers prioritize and conceptualize their relationship when fostering engagement. This highlights variations in their relational focus, the engagement elements they deem most central, and the emotional dimensions at play. The differing positions and levels of emotional investment create challenges in building relationships, as this emotional asymmetry limits the potential for mutual understanding and meaningful engagement. The study underscores the importance of understanding not only engagement but also what fosters engagement in Child and Family Welfare. Finally, this study also questions whether emotional investment and significance are sufficiently reflected in engagement as a concept.

This article explores how families and social workers in Denmark's child and family welfare system view the factors that promote meaningful engagement. Engagement is defined as the quality of their collaborative relationship and the family's involvement in decision-making about their cases. Based on sixteen interviews with eight parent-social worker pairs, the study highlights key elements for successful engagement. Families value being heard and included, while social workers prioritize clarity in their roles and tailoring support to family needs. However, the study reveals a critical difference: families and social workers prioritize and experience their relationships differently. Families often bring more emotional investment than social workers. This imbalance can create trust issues and limit deeper mutual understanding. The findings provide essential insights into how child and family welfare systems can better support collaboration, emphasizing the need to bridge the relational and emotional gap between families and social workers.