Supportive Relationships with Trusted Adults for Children and Young People Who Have Experienced Adversities: Implications for Social Work Service Provision

Adverse childhood experiences encompass both direct harm, such as abuse and neglect, and indirect harm via family issues, including parental substance abuse and mental illness. They create significant risks for problems in later life, including mental health problems, substance abuse, interpersonal violence and self-harm. Due to these enduring and damaging consequences, interventions are essential to prevent or mitigate impact. One form of support is the role played by trusted adults in the lives of vulnerable children and young people. Employing a scoping study methodology, this article examines the role of the trusted adult and explores implications for social work agencies and practitioners. Whilst the idea of a supportive relationship may reflect the social work value base, there can be legal, procedural and bureaucratic barriers to directly providing such relationships in the child and family social work workforce. However, other adults associated with formal services such as teachers and youth workers, as well as extended family and community members may potentially be able to do so. Social workers can assist by becoming recruiters and facilitators of supportive adults for children and young people from their wider family or community and by partnering with organisations to stimulate provision of such services.