Lauren Devine Lauren.Devine@uwe.ac.uk
Professor
Rethinking child protection strategy: Progress and next steps
Devine, Lauren
Authors
Abstract
This keynote paper presents a summary of the research underpinning the ESRC funded project 'Rethinking Child Protection Strategy', progress on the project and the proposed next steps. The paper focusses on the impact of s.11 Children Act 2004 and related statutory guidance. Taken together these measures introduced a form of mandatory reporting of any child exhibiting 'signs' in their behaviour, interpreted to mean that they may require state interventions. The paper critiques this approach and presents data to indicate that a consequence of this policy has been to increase the number of referrals to Children's Social Care Departments without a corresponding increase in the amount of child abuse detected. The concept of the 'ideal social work client' is introduced, with explanation of the outliers which exist at opposite ends of the social work spectrum. The outliers are the false positive referrals and the most extreme cases of concealed, but properly referred child abuse. The legal and social consequences of current policy are explored together with a brief explanation of the author's forthcoming book 'The Limits of State Powers and Private Rights: Exploring Child Protection & Safeguarding Referrals & Assessments' (Routledge, forthcoming 2016). The paper concludes by suggesting next steps in terms of (a) research; and (b) formation of a national network to advance ideas for change.
Citation
Devine, L. (2016, June). Rethinking child protection strategy: Progress and next steps. Presented at Transparency Project Conference: Where do we go from here?
Presentation Conference Type | Keynote |
---|---|
Conference Name | Transparency Project Conference: Where do we go from here? |
Start Date | Jun 3, 2016 |
End Date | Jun 3, 2016 |
Acceptance Date | Jun 3, 2016 |
Publication Date | Jan 1, 2016 |
Peer Reviewed | Not Peer Reviewed |
Keywords | rethinking child protection strategy, safeguarding, mandatory reporting |
Additional Information | Title of Conference or Conference Proceedings : Transparency Project Conference: Where do we go from here? |
Files
Transparency Project Conference 2 - 3rd June 2016 - Lauren Devine.pdf
(845 Kb)
PDF
You might also like
Dirty science and murky law
(2018)
Presentation / Conference
The politics of food in child removal cases
(2018)
Presentation / Conference
'Dirty science': Big data, algorithms & social work prediction systems
(2018)
Presentation / Conference
The ethics of state child removal for risk
(2018)
Presentation / Conference
Rethinking the welfare/policing dichotomy: Reflections from England
(2017)
Presentation / Conference