Learning from Research: Parent's Experiences of Contact in SGOs
This webinar presents findings from Michelle's doctoral research at the University of Leeds, a qualitative study exploring parental contact in special guardianship families. Using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA), the PhD examined the lived experiences of special guardians and parents, and this presentation focuses on the second study and the accounts of two mothers - Nicola, whose son is being raised by her own mother, and Rachael, whose son is being raised by his paternal grandmother.
The two mothers' contact experiences were strikingly dichotomous. One described contact as a constant struggle, feeling excluded from her son's life, battling with social services to follow up on missed letterbox contact, and believing that only the father's side of the family mattered. The other enjoyed regular, quality time with her son, felt involved in decisions alongside her own mother, and appreciated the safety and stability the arrangement gave him. Although parents retain parental responsibility under a Special Guardianship Order, the special guardian can exercise theirs to the exclusion of all others, and the findings demonstrate how differently this power can be experienced. Where it was held within a trusting relationship, one mother remained included; where it was held across a family divide, the other described feeling powerless, with no meaningful say in her son's life.
The findings raise important questions for practice: why does contact flourish in some special guardianship families and break down in others and what support do parents receive before and after the order is granted?
WHAT YOU'LL LEARN
- How professionals can better support parents to understand what special guardianship means for them and their children
- How professionals support contact after an SGO
- Why understanding parents' experiences matters for children's identity, life story, and meaningful, stable relationships
PRESENTER
Michelle Hall, Kinship Carer, Special Guardian, Trainer, and Researcher
Michelle Hall is a kinship carer, special guardian, trainer and researcher, whose lived experience of raising a grandchild under a Special Guardianship Order sits at the heart of her professional work. She has recently completed her doctoral research at the University of Leeds, a qualitative study exploring parental contact in special guardianship families, which she will be presenting in this webinar. Michelle runs Michelle Hall Consultancy, delivering practitioner training nationally on parental connections and life story work in kinship care, and is an accredited trainee Therapeutic Life Story Work practitioner. She is a Visiting Lecturer at Leeds Trinity University, where she will be lecturing in childhood and mental health, and a consultant trainer for the national charity Kinship. She sits on the advisory group for Foundations, the national What Works Centre for children and families, and writes the Substack Kinship Care – Living the Story
WHO'S IT FOR?
This session is relevant to practitioners and carers working with children and young people.
FEES
Members: FREE (don't forget to log in to your account to receive your discount)
Non-members: £20+VAT.
CONTACT
Telephone: 0207 520 7520 / 0310
Email: events@corambaaf.org.uk
£20.00