Interpersonal Justice: The importance of relationships for child and family social workers

Citation

Engstrom S (2019) Interpersonal Justice: The importance of relationships for child and family social workers. Journal of Social Work Practice, 33 (1), pp. 41-53. https://doi.org/10.1080/02650533.2017.1400957

Abstract
There is still much to learn about what it means to be a child and family social worker. Child and family social workers have a job that often entails making difficult decisions regarding vulnerable children and families in collaboration with other professionals, under stressful conditions in an increasing cost-restrictive climate with diminishing resources. The organisational justice framework has primarily been used to ascertain employee’s perceptions of fairness and can be used to explain a variety of organisational behaviours. Here, it was used qualitatively as a framework to structure the research aims of exploring the lived experience of child and family social workers. The results suggest that the relationships social workers have with their peers and managers are significant components to how they manageemotions involved with practice.

Keywords
Child Protection; Interpersonal justice; Relationships; Emotions

Journal
Journal of Social Work Practice: Volume 33, Issue 1

People

Dr Sandra Engstrom

Lecturer, Social Work