Journal profile · Multiple
Child & Family Social Work
ISSN 1356-7500 · eISSN 1365-2206 · Wiley-Blackwell
Child & Family Social Work: CAS Zone 3 · Sociology (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 1.51; hybrid open access; APC about USD 3,560; median 283 days to acceptance (107 articles, last 24 months); acceptance rate 29% (journal website); 191 articles in 2025; indexed in SSCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Child & Family Social Work is published by Wiley-Blackwell and is in Zone 3 of Sociology in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Child Welfare and Adoption, Child Abuse and Trauma and Social Work Education and Practice, together about 43.1% of its articles. Its main subfields are Clinical Psychology and Sociology and Political Science. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Child & Family Social Work provides a forum where researchers, practitioners, policy-makers and managers in the field exchange knowledge, increase understanding and develop notions of good practice. In its promotion of research and practice, which is both disciplined and articulate, the Journal is dedicated to advancing the wellbeing and welfare of children and their families throughout the world. Child & Family Social Work publishes original and distinguished contributions on matters of research, theory, policy and practice in the field of social work with children and their families. The Journal gives international definition to the discipline and practice of child and family social work.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Multiple
Editorial board by country: 7 in mainland China (about 18%); most named United Kingdom 11, Mainland China 7, Hong Kong, China 3, United States 3, Australia 3 (38 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Child Welfare and AdoptionSocial Sciences18.5%
- Child Abuse and TraumaPsychology15.5%
- Social Work Education and PracticeSocial Sciences9.2%
- Homelessness and Social IssuesHealth Professions7.3%
- Family and Disability Support ResearchPsychology5.8%
- Intergenerational Family Dynamics and CaregivingSocial Sciences5.6%
- Family Support in IllnessSocial Sciences4.7%
- Children's Rights and ParticipationSocial Sciences4.7%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Sociology Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Sociology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Family Studies | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Social Work | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Sociology Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Sociology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Family Studies | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Social Work | Zone 2 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Sociology Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Sociology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Family Studies | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Social Work | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
Database indexing
SSCIScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
PsycINFOCINAHLCurrent ContentsPublisher website
Other: EBSCO, ProQuest
As the journal's website lists them, not checked against each database; for Web of Science editions the records above apply.
Editions, and major and minor categories, are shown separately and never merged into one zone; check which edition your institution uses before you submit or report.
Metrics
Impact metrics and publication volume
Impact
- Impact factor
- 1.51LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 1.5Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 3.6LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher) 2025
- 3.6Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.66LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.21LetPub ·
- h-index
- 101OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 1,235OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 1.35OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 6.7%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 53.7%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 179LetPub ·
- Articles per year (publisher) 2025
- 180Publisher website ·
- Downloads per year (publisher) 2025
- 471,067Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 2,646 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 170 | 110 | 25 |
| 2025 | 191 | 124 | 233 |
| 2024 | 135 | 101 | 412 |
| 2023 | 135 | 101 | 730 |
| 2022 | 104 | 70 | 1,048 |
| 2021 | 87 | 39 | 913 |
Sources count differently and were observed at different times, so each source's own value is kept; "publisher" marks figures from the journal's website.
Review & acceptance
Review time and acceptance
Review time from article dates manuscript dates registered with Crossref · to
283 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 192 days – 372 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 19 days (107 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 306 days
- Sample
- 107 articles with submission and acceptance dates (373 in the window); the latest was accepted on
Only articles that were accepted and published are counted, not the time spent on rejected manuscripts, so this usually runs longer than a publisher's "time to first decision".
Other sources
- Acceptance rate (publisher) 2025
- 29%Publisher website ·
- Submission to first decision 2025
- 51 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to acceptance 2025
- 254 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication 2025
- 18 daysPublisher website ·
- Peer review
- Double anonymous peer reviewPublisher website
Community reports come from authors' own submissions (confidence 0.5) and are not a promise from the journal; for publisher figures, the journal's own definitions apply.
Fees & open access
APC and open-access policy
Hybrid open accessLetPub
A subscription journal in which authors can pay to publish their article open access.
| Source | APC | Fee waiver | License | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OpenAlex | USD 3,560 / EUR 2,970 / GBP 2,340 | — | — | |
| Publisher website | Yes, amount not published | — | — |
A hybrid journal charges the APC only when the author chooses open access; publishing under the subscription model is usually free.
The journal's website is authoritative for fees; sources were observed at different times and each keeps its own value, without averaging.
Submission
Article types and submission policies (journal website)
What to prepare1 items from the author guidelines
- First submission
- Free format: the journal's layout is not required
Article types accepted6, with length limits
- book reviewBook Review (i) Book reviews should be headed with the reviewer’s name, in capitals.Length not stated
- original articleMANUSCRIPT CATEGORIES AND REQUIREMENTS Original Articles should normally be a maximum of 7000 words, including the abstract and any appendices, although shortemain text ≤ 7,000 words
- original articlesOriginal Articles should normally be a maximum of 7000 words, including the abstract and any appendices, although shorter papers will be welcomed.Length not stated
- reviewThe Editors also welcome the following scholarly papers: Review These will be actively encouraged. Prospective authors should initially discuss their proposals …Length not stated
- special issuesSpecial Issues From time to time the Editor may commission a special issue of the Journal which will take the form of a number of papers devoted to a particular…Length not stated
- spotlightSpotlight This section publishes brief contributions (around 1000 words) on policy debates in different countries or short policy articles. Contributions are we…Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Authorship, Data availability, Publication ethics, Peer review, Preprints
- AI use Disclosing the use of artificial intelligence (AI)
AI use must be described transparently and in detail in the Methods section. Model summary
If you or your co-authors have used Artificial Intelligence Generated Content (AIGC) tools such as ChatGPT and others based on large language models (LLMs) to develop any portion of a manuscript, their use must be described transparently and in detail in the Methods section.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Authorship Authorship
The list of authors should accurately illustrate who contributed to the work and how. All those listed as authors should qualify for authorship according to the following criteria:
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Data availability Data Sharing and Data Accessibility
Data sharing: Wiley 'Expect' data sharing policy adopted; authors reporting original data expected to archive data in a public repository where appropriate. Model summary
Child & Family Social Work has adopted Wiley’s ‘Expect’ data sharing policy. Where appropriate and reasonable, authors who are reporting on original data (including code, models, algorithms, methods, etc.) are expected to archive the data underpinning their paper in a public repository. We understand that it may not be appropriate for all researchers to archive their data in a public repository du…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Publication ethics 6. EDITORIAL POLICIES AND ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS
Peer Review and AcceptanceAll manuscripts submitted to Child & Family Social Work will be reviewed by two experts in the field.Manuscripts are judged on the significance of the contribution to the literature, the quality of analysis and the clarity of presentation. Papers are expected to demonstrate originality and meaningful engagement with the global literature.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review
Peer review: all manuscripts reviewed by two experts in the field. Model summary
All manuscripts submitted to Child & Family Social Work will be reviewed by two experts in the field.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Preprints
Preprint policy: articles previously available as preprints are considered; submitted versions may be posted to a preprint server at any time. Model summary
Child & Family Social Work will consider for review articles previously available as preprints. Authors may also post the submitted version of a manuscript to a preprint server at any time.
Source ↗Publisher website ·
Excerpts are quoted from the journal's website; "model summary" lines are written by Workers AI and checked against the text. The journal's website is authoritative.
Profile
Publication details and official links
- Publisher
- Wiley-Blackwell
- ISSN
- 1356-7500
- Electronic ISSN
- 1365-2206
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Child & Family Social Work
What CAS zone is Child & Family Social Work in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Child & Family Social Work is in Zone 3 of Sociology, and in Zone 3 of the minor category Family Studies / Social Work. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 3 of Sociology. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Child & Family Social Work?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 1.51; CiteScore 3.6, h-index 101.
How long does peer review take at Child & Family Social Work?
Based on the dates recorded on 107 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 283 days (interquartile range 192–372 days); the journal's website gives an acceptance rate of 29% (2025). Article statistics cover accepted papers only, publisher figures follow the journal's own definitions, and community reports come from authors' own submissions; none is a promise from the journal.
Where are the editorial board members of Child & Family Social Work based?
Of the 38 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 7 (about 18%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United Kingdom (11), Mainland China (7) and Hong Kong, China (3). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Child & Family Social Work?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Child & Family Social Work is indexed in SSCI and Scopus. The journal's website also lists PsycINFO, CINAHL and Current Contents; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Child & Family Social Work open access, and what is the APC?
Child & Family Social Work is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 3,560.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, Publisher website, OpenAlex; every figure is tagged with its source and the date it was observed, and conflicting values are kept per source. LetPub source page: view ↗ (archived 2026-08-25). Last updated: .