Fostering family engagement: Perspectives from families and their social workers in Danish child and family welfare services

Abstract This article presents perspectives from both families and social workers on factors that foster family engagement in Denmark’s child and family welfare system. Engagement is defined as both the quality of the collaborative relationship and the extent of family involvement in their cases. Using a multiple-case study design, the research includes eight dyads of parents and social workers based on sixteen qualitative interviews, analysed through reflexive thematic analysis. Our results indicate that families value their own honesty and being heard, while social workers emphasize role clarity and alignment of interventions with family needs. A key difference emerges in how families and social workers prioritize and conceptualize their relationship when fostering engagement. This highlights variations in their relational focus, the engagement elements they deem most central, and the emotional dimensions at play. The differing positions and levels of emotional investment create challenges in building relationships, as this emotional asymmetry limits the potential for mutual understanding and meaningful engagement. The study underscores the importance of understanding not only engagement but also what fosters engagement in Child and Family Welfare. Finally, this study also questions whether emotional investment and significance are sufficiently reflected in engagement as a concept.