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A Study of Non-Government Child Welfare Services in Taiwan Focused on Children in Need of Child Welfare Service Intervention

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A Study of Non-Government Child Welfare Services in Taiwan Focused on Children in Need of Child Welfare Service Intervention A study of non-government child welfare services in Taiwan focused on children in need of child welfare service intervention Chien-Chung Hsu BS, MS A thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at The University of Queensland in 2016 School of Nursing, Midwifery and Social Work i ii Abstract.. The aim of this study is to explore the characteristics of children in need of child welfare service intervention in Taiwan from the perspective of child welfare non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and to seek pathways to enhance such children‘s rights and well-being. Over the last two decades, Taiwanese society has experienced rapid changes in its economic development as well as population. Along with these changes, child welfare services in Taiwan have emerged and undergone a series of institutional and legislative reforms. More recently, there have been an increasing number of children using a range of child welfare services in Taiwanese society. Taiwan has specific child welfare services for children in need. The issue of children in need has received a lot of discussion in child welfare literature mainly in the Western contexts; however, the child welfare literature is under-developed in children in need in the Taiwanese context, particularly from the perspective of child welfare NGOs. The present study deals with this gap through examining the characteristics of children in need and responses of child welfare NGOs to children in need in a specific cultural and social context. This qualitative study was underpinned by a social constructionist epistemology and incorporated an ecological approach. Two data sources, documents and in-depth, semi-structured interviews, were used in this study. Twenty-six legal and policy documents, including legislation, annual reports and web pages, were purposively sampled from three child welfare NGOs in Taiwan. Thirteen participants, including seven senior executive officers and six frontline workers, were recruited from the same three NGOs to participate in individual, in-depth, semi-structured interviews. The documents that were written in Chinese were translated and the interviews were transcribed and translated into English before data analysis. All analysed data were managed with a qualitative data software (NVivo) to handle the analysis tasks. i The results of the study pointed out three key dimensions of care-giving arrangements— physical, educational and emotional care-giving arrangements—for children in need. The diversity of family background, economic disadvantages, and vulnerable primary caregivers are the three main issues identified in this study that result in the challenges of the family to respond to children‘s needs. Child welfare NGOs in Taiwan recognised that, along with child protection services, such as placement arrangements, it is also important to offer services and resources, such as short-term financial assistance, to support children in need and their families. The study traced the emergence of non-government child welfare services in Taiwanese society and their importance of child welfare NGOs in the delivery of child welfare services on the ground. The study also argues that the differences of viewpoints, in particular with regard to resource distribution and expected responsibility between the state, child welfare NGOs and the family, create specific tensions in responding to children‘s need. This study contributes to the body of knowledge about the conceptualisation of needy children in Taiwan from the perspective of child welfare NGOs. This knowledge may be useful for the development of policies and the practical service intervention to better respond to needy children and their families in the future. The study concludes that Taiwanese society has a strong emphasis that the family is primarily responsible for meeting children‘s requirements. Taiwanese child welfare services demonstrate a hybrid model with elements of a child protection approach and a family support approach, and are inclusive of a broad range of health and welfare needs including education. Three recommendations with regard to further examination of East-Asian child welfare service system, the need to involve the viewpoint of policy makers and other stakeholders (such as children, young people and primary caregivers) and the examination of the child welfare transition arise out of the study. ii Declaration by author This thesis is composed of my original work, and contains no material previously published or written by another person except where due reference has been made in the text. I have clearly stated the contribution by others to jointly-authored works that I have included in my thesis. I have clearly stated the contribution of others to my thesis as a whole, including statistical assistance, survey design, data analysis, significant technical procedures, professional editorial advice, and any other original research work used or reported in my thesis. The content of my thesis is the result of work I have carried out since the commencement of my research higher degree candidature and does not include a substantial part of work that has been submitted to qualify for the award of any other degree or diploma in any university or other tertiary institution. I have clearly stated which parts of my thesis, if any, have been submitted to qualify for another award. I acknowledge that an electronic copy of my thesis must be lodged with the University Library and, subject to the policy and procedures of The University of Queensland, the thesis be made available for research and study in accordance with the Copyright Act 1968 unless a period of embargo has been approved by the Dean of the Graduate School. I acknowledge that copyright of all material contained in my thesis resides with the copyright holder(s) of that material. Where appropriate I have obtained copyright permission from the copyright holder to reproduce material in this thesis. iii Publications during candidature Conference abstracts Hsu, C.-C. (2012). A study of non-government child welfare services in Taiwan focused on adolescent children in need of child welfare service intervention. Paper presented at the Youth cultures, belongings, transitions: Bridging the gap in youth research, Brisbane, Australia. Hsu, C.-C. (2012). Understanding children in need of additional education interventions in Taiwanese non-government child welfare services: From NGO's perspectives. Paper presented at the 42nd annual conference of the philosophy of education society of Australasia 2012 PESA conference Chiayi, Taiwan. Publications included in this thesis No publications included iv Contributions by others to the thesis No contributions by others Statement of parts of the thesis submitted to qualify for the award of another degree None v Acknowledgements It is with a deep sense of gratitude that I would like to thank my principal supervisor, Professor Karen Healy, and associate supervisor, Dr Rose Melville, who accompanied me in my PhD journey. I am genuinely thankful for their strong support, kindness, and patience at every difficult moment. They always provided encouragement during the ups and downs of the process of writing the thesis. Heartfelt thanks goes also to The University of Queensland for awarding me scholarships, the University of Queensland Research Scholarship (UQRS) and the University of Queensland International Research Tuition Award (UQIRTA). I also wish to express my sincere thanks to Professor Sean Smith and Professor Debra Bernhardt from The University of Queensland who kindly gave me warm support, as well as offered me equipment and facilities to complete my thesis. I do appreciate the efforts of Ms Karen Bland who provided her suggestions on my thesis writing. In addition, I would like to thank my dear friends who helped me all the way during my residence in Australia. Many thanks also go to all my interview participants who gave generously of their time and shared with me their professional experiences. My special thanks go to my beloved wife, Yi-Ping Lo. Without her love, patience and support, I would have been unable to achieve this goal. I am grateful to my aunts and uncles who gave me their support during my study. I do thank my younger brother, sister-in-law and brother-in-law for being with and taking care of our parents during the years Yi-Ping and I resided in Australia. I wish to express my gratitude to my mother and parents-in-law who gave me their unconditional support to achieve my dream. Finally, I would like to dedicate this thesis to my father. May he rest in peace. vi Keywords child welfare, child protection, family support, non-governmental organisation, Taiwan, Asian welfare states Australian and New Zealand Standard Research Classifications (ANZSRC) ANZSRC code: 160702 Counselling, Welfare and Community Services, 70% ANZSRC code: 160512 Social Policy, 30% Fields of Research (FoR) Classification FoR code: 1607 Social Work, 70% FoR code: 1605 Policy and Administration, 20% FoR code: 1608 Sociology, 10% vii Table of Contents Abstract.. .................................................................................................................................... i Declaration by author ............................................................................................................. iii Publications during candidature ............................................................................................ iv Acknowledgements .................................................................................................................
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