Navigating High-Conflict Relationships in Child Protection: Balancing Empathy and Authority

to 12:30pm
About this event

Social Work in Child Protection: Professional Practice Programme

Prepare to be inspired with highly practical, research-based training that will equip you with ideas to implement in your social work practice.

Following each session, participants will be provided with a summary information booklet and resources to assist application of learning from the topic.

This session will delve deep into managing resistance, denial, and confrontation in child protection. Conflict is unavoidable when parents are afraid or resistant, yet building relationships is essential.

Rich Devine will explore advanced relational skills for navigating these high-stakes interactions, moving beyond basic conflict resolution. Participants will engage in case studies, role-playing, and analysis of different social work approaches to balancing empathy and authority.

Learning Outcomes: • Understand the deeper psychological and emotional triggers behind parental resistance. • Learn advanced conflict management techniques tailored to the child protection context. • Explore strategies to de-escalate high-conflict situations while maintaining professional boundaries. • Build confidence in shifting resistant or defensive parents toward constructive engagement. • Understand when and how to assert authority while maintaining empathy and building collaborative relationships.

The Trainer

Rich Devine is a Consultant Social Worker, with over 14 years’ experience working with children and families in a child protection context.

He holds a Masters in Attachment Studies from Roehampton University, London (2018) and is trained in several attachment procedures. He is a Visiting Researcher at Cambridge University. A writer of one of the UK’s most popular social work blogs, exploring topics such as direct work with children, assessment and relationship-based practice. He co-hosts the Relational Activism in Social Work Podcast with Tim Fisher.

Rich is the author of ‘Messy Social Work: Lessons from the Frontline’, a book published by Jessica Kingsley Publishers, aimed at helping frontline practitioners with the nuts and bolts of their job.

View the full programme here - https://basw.co.uk/social-work-child-protection-professional-practice-p…. You can pick and choose topics as desired, no need to attend all.