Synopses & Reviews
Child protection is one of the most high profile and challenging areas of social work, as well as one where children's lives and family life are seen to be at stake. Vital as child protection work is, this book argues that there is a pressing need for change in the understanding and consequent organization of child protection in many English speaking countries.
The authors present compelling evidence from around the globe demonstrating that systems across the Western world are failing children, families and social workers. They then set out a radical plan for reform:
- Providing an overview of contemporary child protection policies and practices across the English speaking world
- Presenting a clear and innovative theoretical framework for understanding the problems in the child protection system
- Developing an alternative, ethical framework which locates child protection in the broader context of effective and comprehensive support for children, young people and families at the neighbourhood and community levels
Grounded in the recent and contemporary literature, research and scholarly inquiry, this book capitalises on the experiences and voices of children, young people, families and workers who are the most significant stakeholders in child protection. It will be an essential read for those who work, research, teach or study in the area.
Synopsis
Raising a number of critical questions, Brid Featherstone, Susan White and Kate Morris challenge a child protection culture that they see as becoming increasingly authoritarian. Calling for a family-minded practice of child protection, they argue that children should be understood as relational beings and that greater sensitivity should be paid to parents and the needs they have as a result of the burdens of childcare. They argue that current child protection services need to ameliorate, rather than reinforce, the many deprivations that parents engaged in their systems face. Bringing together authors who combine a wealth of experience in both scholarship and practice, this book provides a sensitive reassessment of a critical point of contact between governments and families.
About the Author
Brid Featherstone is professor of social care at the Open University.Kate Morris is associate professor of social work at the University of Nottingham.
Table of Contents
Introduction
Re-imagining child protection in the context of re-imagining welfare
We need to talk about ethics
Developing research mindedness in learning cultures
Towards a Just Culture: Designing Humane Social Work Organisations
Getting on and getting by: living with poverty
Thinking afresh about relationships: Men, women, parents and services
Tainted love: how dangerous families became troubled
Conclusion
References