Reflections and implications for practice

This chapter looks back on the stories that are recounted in this book and poses some questions to inform future social work practice in the context of childcare. We reiterate the importance of mutual respect, arguing that storytelling and the potentially democratising interplay of non-hierarchical digital and in-person communications may help children, care staff and other interested parties to share, make sense of, and improve their understanding of their contexts and experiences. We highlight the good intentions as well as unintended consequences of some of the care decisions and practices and point to the importance of a relationship-based engagement between social workers and users of services – significantly through storytelling – that enables everyone concerned to share their experiences and have their voices heard and (potentially) acted upon.