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Social sciences
- Child welfare
- Family support
- Parenting problems
- Parenting support
In Flanders, Signs of Safety (SofS) occupies an increasingly important place in youth care. A process evaluation of the implementation of SofS within youth care services (De Clercq et al., 2022) showed that strong partnerships with external professional partners (e.g., foster care, OOOCs, CKGs, VK, outpatient youth support providers, etc.) can contribute to strong SofS pathways. However, the research shows that there are still challenges in current practice to establish and maintain solid partnerships, including in the area of social network support.
The aim of the context support SofS module is to create safety within the child and young person's own context through assertive outreach. Together with the minor, the family, the network and in partnership with mandated services, a child-centred safety plan is drawn up, making it possible for the minor to grow up safely and surrounded, where the network can take up responsibility.
The aim of the present study is threefold and will focus on (1) broad monitoring of the context support SofS module and preconditions in practice (how is the context guidance SofS module implemented?), (2) in-depth monitoring of the trajectories of context guidance SofS (to what extent is the support qualitative?) and (3) focus on outcomes by listening to the voices of minors, their network and actors involved (context supervisor, counsellor, ...). To understand these objectives, the SofS implementation cycle will be used as a guiding framework.