Research
You will find a complete range of our monographs, muti-authored and edited works including peer-reviewed, original scholarly research across the social sciences and aligned disciplines. We publish long and short form research and you can browse the complete Bristol University Press and Policy Press archive.
Policy Press also publishes policy reviews and polemic work which aim to challenge policy and practice in certain fields. These books have a practitioner in mind and are practical, accessible in style, as well as being academically sound and referenced.
Books: Research
This chapter examines the current state and prospects of child protection systems in Bolivia, a low- to middle-income country with a 39 per cent child and adolescent population. Despite efforts to provide compulsory and free education, significant disparities persist, particularly in rural areas, compounded by high rates of infant mortality, malnutrition, child labour and violence. Legal frameworks, including the 2014 Child and Adolescent Code, and systems like SIPPROINA have been established to address these issues. However, implementation challenges such as central government dependency, unclear planning, high personnel turnover and conflicts in indigenous territories hinder progress. The response to violence often leads to family separation, with foster care being underdeveloped, resulting in extended residential care stays. This chapter underscores the need for Bolivia to enhance its child protection system through data-driven strategies, cultural sensitivity, child participation and multi-actor collaboration to ensure the safety and well-being of its children and adolescents.
This chapter describes the characteristics of child welfare and child protection systems in Argentina till December 2023, before the libertarian party administration took office. Argentina, the second largest country in South America, has a 28.8 per cent child and adolescent population. It has a universal and free health care system and 99 per cent general population literacy rate. Child welfare and child protection systems have been built following the Convention on the Rights of the Child recommendations. A unique trait of the child protection legal framework allows children to remain within their families, removing the offender/s from the household. The central government and the provincial and municipal administrations are actively involved in and bear the main responsibility for the protection of children’s rights and the provision of resources for the prevention and the intervention when those rights are violated. Relevant facts about the country’s socioeconomic, historical and political background are provided in the chapter.
This chapter studies the child protection system in Morocco. To this end, it examines the various stages in the implementation of this system, including the legislative and regulatory texts, the competent public and private bodies and the necessary means and procedures for its activation. The chapter presents official data on child maltreatment in the country, and insight into the practice of child protection in the country. Finally, a number of observations and proposals have been made for a possible future revision of this system in order to optimise it and adapt it to rapid developments in the field.
This chapter discusses the development of child protection systems within the context of Burundi, a small developing country in the heart of Africa. The country, as a result of war, civil unrest and poverty, has experienced turmoil which has extended into the lives of children with issues like violence and crime at the forefront. The government of Burundi through different relevant ministries acknowledges the plight of children and has put systems in place to protect children. However much more is needed to be done through working hand in hand with social work professionals to support families to take care of their children and through traditional welfare systems like ikibiri (mutual aid) within and outside of the family context.
This chapter elaborates on how social and child protection in Cuba has developed during the last few years. It addresses some aspects of legal frameworks that protect children and adolescents in the country, amid the most recent legal revisions undertaken by the government. It also presents available data about child maltreatment of which the main manifestations in Cuba are negligence, violence and maltreatment and sexual abuse. In this regard, it analyses the protection networks. A notable aspect is the coordination of work and alliances between different agents and institutions in responding to child maltreatment. Finally, there is a reflection on how within the Cuban protection system some practical issues are addressed.
This chapter outlines the development of Ethiopia’s child protection system. It identifies poverty, gaps in the legislative frameworks, insufficient resources and a lack of coordination and commitment among responsible actors as significant challenges impeding operationalisation of existing legislation. However, regardless of the challenges, this chapter also documents how traditional practices that are already in place to keep children safe are beginning to operate in harmony with child protection laws and policies. This chapter concludes by looking at the ability of Ethiopia’s child protection system to meet the challenges facing the country including more profound ethnic and regional rivalries, conflict and climate shocks.
This chapter offers a comprehensive overview of Lebanon’s child protection system. Starting with Lebanon’s social and political context, the chapter examines how child protection has evolved as a policy area and its current status in Lebanese society. Emphasising the significance of Lebanon’s 2002 child protection legislation Law 422, the chapter examines the mechanisms that have been developed for monitoring and responding to child maltreatment, assesses data reliability and explores the prevalence of child maltreatment alongside associated risk factors. Through the lens of two hypothetical scenarios involving reported maltreatment incidents, the chapter also examines how communities, and the formal child protection system might respond. Finally, it reflects on the remaining challenges Lebanon faces building a child protection system and explores the trajectories for advancing child protection in the country going forward.
Child Protection systems across the globe are developing at pace, each reflecting their unique economic, social and cultural contexts.
This book provides an overview of 11 child protection systems from low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) and discusses the formal and informal responses countries are making to the shared problem of child abuse and maltreatment. Within each chapter, vignettes give readers a window into how each country’s child protection system operates in practice.
This is essential reading for academics, social work professionals and anybody working within child and family welfare.
