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Shards of the old looking glass: restoring the significance of identity in promoting positive outcomes for looked‐after children
Author(s) -
McMurray Isabella,
Connolly Helen,
PrestonShoot Michael,
Wigley Veronica
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
child and family social work
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.912
H-Index - 57
eISSN - 1365-2206
pISSN - 1356-7500
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2206.2010.00733.x
Subject(s) - redress , identity (music) , psychosocial , social work , psychology , work (physics) , relevance (law) , statute , identity formation , public relations , social psychology , developmental psychology , sociology , political science , self concept , psychotherapist , engineering , law , mechanical engineering , physics , acoustics
There is a driving force within current UK child welfare policies which promotes a strengths led approach to both assessment and care planning for children in need. Social policy emphasizes the importance of tangible outcomes such as education achievement, which have been enshrined in statute. However, other developmental outcomes, such as identity, are subordinated. Notwithstanding the relevance of these more concrete indicators, this paper suggests that this focus has left a gap at theoretical, strategic and operational levels relating to more psychosocial aspects of human growth and development, such as identity. This paper seeks to redress that gap by considering identity as both a process and an outcome. Following a review of the literature on identity development, it presents an analysis of semi‐structured interviews with 13 young people and their social workers. The findings show how young people's identity is shaped by their relationships, can be a protective mechanism, and deferred or put on standby. In the concluding discussion the implications for social work practice are highlighted.