Digitally Supported Trust in Social Work With Children of Incarcerated Parents
Published online on August 02, 2026
Abstract
["Child &Family Social Work, EarlyView. ", "\nABSTRACT\nChildren of incarcerated parents are frequently overlooked despite the effects of parental incarceration on their well‐being, relational security, social inclusion and participation. This article examines the conditions under which digital social work can support relational and institutional trust among these children. Trust is conceptualized as a child's expectation that significant adults, professionals and institutions can be relied upon in situations of uncertainty and vulnerability. Relational trust refers to children's experiences of significant adults as available, responsive and communicative, whereas institutional trust concerns expectations that services will handle information, communication and participation responsively. Drawing on the capability approach, attachment theory, and digital social work, the article presents a secondary thematic analysis of data from the Parenting Behind Bars study (2020–2023) and develops a framework of digitally supported trust. The findings suggest that digital support becomes trustworthy only when it is comprehensible, voluntary, relationally sensitive, ethically grounded and linked to clear professional responsibility.\n"]