Policymakers on social cohesion. Contradictory expectations for child and family social work.

Autor/inn/en	Dierckx, Melissa; Vandenbroeck, Michel; Devlieghere, Jochen
Titel	Policymakers on social cohesion. Contradictory expectations for child and family social work.
Quelle	In: European journal of social work, 26 (2023) 2, S. 258-271 PDF als Volltext Link als defekt meldenVerfügbarkeit
Beigaben	Abbildungen; Tabellen; Literaturangaben
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	online; gedruckt; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	1369-1457; 1468-2664
DOI	10.1080/13691457.2022.2040434
Schlagwörter	Empirische Untersuchung; Familie; Jugendpolitik; Eltern; Soziale Dienste; Soziales Netzwerk; Soziale Unterstützung; Vielfalt; Belgien
Abstract	Promoting social cohesion through early childhood services has become a priority on the political agenda as a result of societal developments. Despite joint academic and political attention, there nevertheless remains no agreement on what social cohesion is. This leads to the paradoxical situation in which early childhood services are characterised as ideal to foster social cohesion, while there is little research on what this may mean. The aim of the current study is to analyse a diversity of interpretations of social cohesion by policy-makers in Flanders (Belgium), and to reflect on the role of early childhood services. The study was led by the following research questions: How is social cohesion interpreted by policy-makers? What do they consider as challenges to and opportunities for social cohesion? What role do they assign to early childhood services in contributing to social cohesion? The study uses a multi-method design, combining a thematic analysis of policy documents (N = 44) and semi-structured interviews with policy-makers (N = 14). The results suggest that political interpretations of social cohesion can be placed on a continuum from a minimal to a maximal interpretation, in which historical continuity becomes visible. Reflecting on the possible role of early childhood services leads to contradictory expectations from policy-makers for child and family social work.
Erfasst von	Deutsches Zentralinstitut für soziale Fragen, Berlin
Update	2024/1