Child protection in Islamic contexts: identifying cultural and religious appropriate mechanisms and processes using a roundtable methodology

This paper reports on a piece of research which brought together eight Islamic scholars, four child protection academics and two international development agencies to identify mechanisms and processes which safeguard children from harm that are congruent with Islamic scholarship and practices. Roundtable methodology was used to share knowledge, build networks and increase engagement with child protection by bringing together different stakeholders to share experiences and encourage collaboration in a relatively cost-effective manner. Four key themes were identified following initial qualitative data analysis of the roundtable discussion: (1) The convergence and divergence in Islamic thought on issues of child protection; (2) knowledge sharing and partnership working; (3) individual and collective wellbeing; and (4) mechanisms and tools for intervention. Findings from the roundtable indicate that a reliance on solely Western-based models does not allow for the trust and credibility that enable intervention at a deeper level in Islamic communities. Critically, the roundtable highlighted a significant gap in how Islamic knowledge and principles are practically applied to child protection policy and practice in international development contexts. Next steps are identified for building a knowledge base that can be practised in Islamic communities

Issues in safeguarding refugee and asylum-seeking children and young people: research and practice

In this paper, the author describes and analyses undertaking a pilot study in which refugee or asylum-seeking parents who have been drawn into social work safeguarding children procedures reflect upon their experiences. This study is located within the context of political, policy and social work safeguarding practice developments in the UK which are relevant to refugee and asylum-seeking families. Interviews were undertaken with five refugee and asylum-seeking parents and one carer, three support workers and one social worker, and three conference chairs. Although the sample is small, the findings from the pilot study reveal some significant commonalities between comments from all three groupings, as well as significant differences. These findings will be of interest to refugee and asylum-seeking peoples, support workers, social workers, managers and policymakers and all who are concerned for the wellbeing of refugee and asylum-seeking parents, children and young people