To deliver improved children’s social care, we need to focus on people’s strengths, and not just their difficulties, says Ewan King

If we think about anyone we know – in work, friendship circles or family life – they can all be described as having strengths, such as skills, qualities and networks. It is this philosophy, as opposed to a common approach to care-giving, which sees people ‘as having problems we need to fix’, which has given rise to a strengths-based approach in social care.