Part one outlines the context and history of child protection work. Practical suggestions for ongoing problems are offered, for example the need for agencies in child protection conferences to spend longer on planning and the therapeutic needs of children.
The second section gives an accessible description of each agency's role.
Different theoretical approaches to child protection are debated: the "child's right not to be abused" versus the "parents right not to be interfered with".
The third part reflects on political and personal issues, such as the reasons for denial among staff, and emphasises the importance of good training, supervision and management.
Murphy warns against the dangers of colonisation in interagency work, the abuse of power by any agency, and advises that social services' lead responsibility in child protection should not mean control over the child protection process. It is clear now with the Children Act 2004 and Education Act 2002, Section 175, that all agencies have a role to play and that their differing disciplines and perspectives must be understood and respected by all, to enable safeguarding to work.
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