Drawing out the relationship: An art-informed study of collaboration between social workers and other professionals in the child protection multi-disciplinary process

This research investigates the use of art-informed methods in social work research to explore collaboration between child protection social workers and other multidisciplinary professionals in New Zealand. The study focuses on these professionals’ perceptions and experiences of multidisciplinary collaboration within a hospital setting. “Drawing and Talking” is employed as an art-based research method, with data comprising 26 drawings created by individual participants including Police, statutory social workers, health professionals, crisis support and cultural support. These drawings reflect professionals’ views on collaborative practices. Interpretative phenomenological analysis was applied to both the drawings and the participants’ verbal explanation of their own drawings, identifying five key themes concerning multidisciplinary collaboration among child protection professionals. This study contributes to the existing body of knowledge on interdisciplinary collaboration in child welfare and offers practical insights. Moreover, it introduces a novel approach to studying multidisciplinary cooperation in this field.