Why has the language of the child and of child protection become so hegemonic? What is lost and gained by such language? Who is being protected, and from what, in a risk society? Given that the focus is overwhelmingly on those families who are multiply deprived, do services reinforce or ameliorate such deprivations? And is it ethical to remove children from their parents in a society riven by inequalities?
This timely book challenges a child protection culture that has become mired in muscular authoritarianism towards multiply deprived families. It calls for family-minded humane practice where children are understood as relational beings, parents are recognized as people with needs and hopes and families as carrying extraordinary capacities for care and protection. The authors, who have over three decades of experience as social workers, managers, educators and researchers in England, also identify the key ingredients of just organizational cultures where learning is celebrated.
This important book will be required reading for students on qualifying and post-qualifying courses in child protection, social workers, managers, academics and policy makers.
. Central to constructing a new social settlement will be tackling inequalities and developing more solidaristic and sustainable ways of living together as human beings. What might this mean for the policy and practice of ‘child protection’, where a focus on individual families and individually generated risks has dominated, with a corresponding lack of attention to social harms? We consider this an opportune moment to suggest that ‘child protection’ should not survive in its current form. Its emphasis on individuals and individually generated risks is profoundly
Following high-profile Serious Case Reviews into the tragic deaths of children, including Victoria Climbie, Peter Connelly and Daniel Pelka, information sharing has now become a moral and political imperative for safeguarding the welfare of children.
What prompts information sharing and how do we get it right? This accessible book challenges widely held assumptions about information sharing in child welfare that facts about risks to children are clear and that sharing them with other professionals is a straightforward process. End-of-chapter questions prompt reflection and ensure direct practice relevance.
This is essential reading for academics and policy makers, students on post-qualifying child protection courses, social workers, managers and all other professionals tasked with safeguarding children.
73 SIX Child protection and moral panic Ian Butler Introduction A condition, episode, person or group of persons emerges to become defined as a threat to societal values and interests; its nature is presented in a stylised and stereotypical fashion by the mass media; the moral barricades are manned by editors, bishops, politicians and other right-thinking people; socially accredited experts pronounce their diagnoses and solutions; ways of coping are evolved or (more often) resorted to. (Cohen, 1972, p 9) As well as providing an enduring and invaluable
68 6 Child protection There is a general presumption, not only in Britain, that the best place for a child to grow up is in a family, and the family will be responsible for caring for that child until the child becomes an adult. The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child states that ‘the child, for the full and harmonious development of his or her personality, should grow up in a family environment, in an atmosphere of happiness, love and understanding’.1 As part of that, there are protections for family life. Raising children is a matter for parents to
In this uniquely vivid and compelling textbook, the authors reflect on eight challenging situations they have faced in the world of child protection social work. Their candid accounts provide in-depth case studies in how to work reflectively, using theory and research in situations of pressure and dilemma. They cover many common aspects of practice, including:
• assessing risk;
• managing different professional perspectives;
• working with uncooperative clients;
• dealing with organisational change.
Throughout the book, the authors pause at intervals to reveal their thoughts and feelings, either as reflections in the moment or afterwards, and they invite the reader to do the same. Their detailed analysis will allow you to understand why particular decisions might be made, and how you can overcome similar predicaments using the tools of reflective practice. Annotated further readings lists and a glossary of terms offer further resources for study.
The realities of child protection social work can be intimidating for even the most seasoned practitioners. This book is designed to empower both students and qualified professionals to practise safely, responsibly and confidently.
97 FIVE Child protection practice and complexity Peter Hassett and Irene Stevens Introduction This chapter looks at the relevance of complexity theory to understanding child protection. It is argued that over the past 50 years, approaches to the understanding of and practice of dealing with child protection issues have been guided by a largely linear approach, with an increasing emphasis on controls and proceduralised responses. Despite this, children continue to be abused and regularly die. The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children
Introduction The ‘Rethinking Fostering and Adoption: Achieving Social Justice in Practice’ plenary took place at the Social Work Action Network (SWAN) conference on 6 April 2019 at Liverpool Hope University, UK. The session explored the need for radical transformation of the child protection and adoption system in England. The plenary brought together speakers with a range of lived experience, including: an adoptee and childhood trauma specialist (Fran); a birth parent with experience of involvement in child protection proceedings and co-founder of the
This comprehensive international study provides a cross-national analysis of different understandings of errors and mistakes, as well as lessons to avoid and how to handle them in child protection practice, using research and knowledge from 11 countries in Europe and North America.
Divided into country-specific chapters, each examines the pathways that lead to mistakes happening, the scale of their impact, how responsibilities and responses are decided and how practice and policy subsequently change. Considering the complexities of evolving practice contexts, this authoritative, future-oriented study is an invaluable text for practitioners, researchers and policy makers wishing to understand why child protection fails – and offers a springboard for fresh thinking about strategies to reduce future risk.
Health and social care professionals are constantly exhorted to work collaboratively. This book reports on research which examines interprofessional work with families in which mothers have a mental health problem and where there are also concerns about child protection.
Breakdowns in interprofessional collaboration, issues of risk and relevant resources are all addressed. Mothers’ views and experiences are contrasted with professional perspectives.
Child protection and mental health services:
· reports on a survey of 500 practitioners working in health, social services and the voluntary sector;
· presents data from in-depth interviews with mothers with severe mental health problems;
· identifies weaknesses in interprofessional coordination in this area of work;
· suggests a new model for work with families where mental health problems and child protection concerns co-exist.
All those involved in child protection or mental health work with families will find this book a stimulating read. This book will be of interest to practitioners, managers and policy makers as well as students studying health and social care.
