Introduction

This chapter examines the contemporary policy and practice of child protection social work in England. It explores the current context of child protection practice and the post-war development of child protection services, in relation both to political ideology and to the social construction of women, children and those living in poverty.

The chapter discusses the impact of poverty and inequality on child protection practice and explores Lapierre's (2007) theory of ‘mother blaming’ in domestic abuse cases and the low levels of engagement of fathers in child protection processes.

A discussion on the role of the media in shaping attitudes towards both social workers and families that are engaged in social work services is also presented. This discussion is followed by a case example from practice and some critical questions for students relating to the case study.

It is acknowledged that this chapter explores the above ideas and concepts only briefly and at a fundamental level. Therefore, some further reading is listed which should enable students to explore these ideas and concepts in greater depth.

Before the discussion commences, it is important to refer to the impact of devolution on social work practice. No longer is it pertinent to refer to social work in the UK as a single entity. There are now significant differences in child protection processes and practice among the devolved countries of the UK. For example, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have a greater focus on early intervention and family support. The focus in England, however, appears to be on responding to risk, with high thresholds for social work intervention and a scaling back of family support and early intervention services (Vincent et al, 2010; Parton, 2014; Devaney and McConville, 2016). However, that having been said, McGhee et al (2017) in their comparative research examining child protection systems in the four countries of the UK found that, despite the different legislative, policy and practice contexts, since 2005 all four countries have shown an increasing orientation towards child protection for younger children, particularly under the category of emotional abuse.