Promoting peer support and engagement in child welfare using communities of practice and virtual communities of practice: a review of the literature
Abstract
Peer support and engagement play critical roles in reducing adverse outcomes in the child welfare workforce, such as burnout and secondary trauma. Reducing such outcomes may have broader impacts on the child welfare workforce. Communities of practice (CoP) and virtual communities of practice (VCoP) are two types of peer communities that help promote peer support, engagement, and needed information, but there is limited literature on their use in child welfare. This article reviews key literature on CoP and VCoP to explore what these communities are, their potential benefits to child welfare systems, and key considerations for successfully implementing them.
Fields of Study & Subjects
Mental Health and Patient Involvement
Social Work Education and Practice
Child Abuse and Trauma
Publication details
- Journal / source
- Journal of Public Child Welfare
- Publisher
- Informa UK Limited
- Volume
- 20
- Issue
- 5
- Pages
- 1–19
- Publication date
- 8 July 2026
- Language
- EN