ABSTRACT
Communication is critical to effective social work. Successful communication supports relationship-based practices and higher quality assessments of children’s needs and safety. The aim of this systematic review is to examine the existing evidence about the views and experiences of children and social workers about communication in social work exchanges. The search resulted in 20 eligible studies being identified as meeting the inclusion criteria. Of these, 4 included only children, 4 included children and social workers, and 12 included only social workers. The results identify themes around the use of verbal and non-verbal communication in these encounters. The importance of relationship-based practice for children is raised in the findings and that children find being listened to as critical. Social workers report their wish to practice in a child-centred manner; however, they raise barriers to this because of workload as well as access to resources and training. The findings demonstrate that more research and exploration are needed around communication between social workers and children, particularly research with children that can inform social work practice and influence service delivery.