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What Parents Say About their Experience of Family Preservation Programmes

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 May 2014

Maureen Long  and
Margarita Frederico
Maureen Long*
Affiliation:
Department of Social Work and Social Policy, La Trobe University, 3086 Victoria, Australia
Margarita Frederico
Affiliation:
Department of Social Work and Social Policy, La Trobe University, 3086 Victoria, Australia
*
address for correspondence: Dr Maureen Long, Department of Social Work and Social Policy, La Trobe University, 3086 Victoria, Australia. E-mail: [email protected]
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Abstract

This paper outlines the findings of a study which asked parents how they experienced participating in family preservation programs (FP) in Melbourne, Australia. The study explored whether participation was influential in changing their perceptions of themselves as parents. It was expected that participation would lead to a stronger sense of self-worth and that this could be harnessed to facilitate change. The study found that parents’ sense of self as a parent was enhanced by participation in FP programs and this led to an increased sense of hopefulness in their capacity to care safely for their children.

Keywords

family preservationconsumer experiencehopefulness
Type
Special Section: Moving beyond protection: Inclusiveness and families
Information
Children Australia , Volume 39 , Issue 2 , June 2014 , pp. 74 - 80
Copyright
Copyright © The Authors 2014 

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