Independent non-legal advocacy in the child protection context: A descriptive review of the literature

Objective: To review the current literature on the use and value of independent non-legal advocacy for parents in the context of child protection. Method: A descriptive literature review was undertaken to identify, review, synthesize and unify the available literature on independent non-legal advoca...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Fitt, Kate (author)
Other Authors: Maylea, Christopher (author), Costello, Susie (author), Kuyini, Bawa (author), Thomas, Sherie (author)
Published: 2023
Online Access:https://bspace.buid.ac.ae/handle/1234/3463
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Summary:Objective: To review the current literature on the use and value of independent non-legal advocacy for parents in the context of child protection. Method: A descriptive literature review was undertaken to identify, review, synthesize and unify the available literature on independent non-legal advocacy for parents in a child protection context. A systematic search resulted in 45 publications published between 2008 and 2021 being included in the review. Each publication was then thematically analyzed. Outcome: The role and context of different forms of independent non-legal advocacy are described. This is followed by an overview of the three overarching themes identified through thematic analysis - human rights, improving parenting and child protection practice and eco nomic benefits. Conclusions: The topic of independent non-legal advocacy in child protection settings is an important, under-researched topic. The increasing number of positive outcomes noted in small scale program evaluations suggests the role of independent non-legal advocate may hold signif icant benefits for families, service systems and governments. Implications for service delivery include enhanced social justice and human rights for parents and children.