Speaking in a debate at the Liberal Democrats' annual party conference, Kevin Williams told delegates that too much policy is developed in an attempt to counter bad practice.
He said: "Serious case reviews just happen when things go wrong. What we need to inform policy is serious case reviews of when things go right, so we can learn those lessons."
Williams argued there needs to be a "reasoned debate" about child protection, which helps the public to understand that "sometimes things will go wrong".
He said social workers would benefit from sharing best practice more frequently because they are required to make difficult decisions. "Sometimes social workers, the courts and others will get those issues wrong. We need to look at how things have gone wrong and learn lessons, but more importantly we need to learn lessons when things go well," he explained.
Register Now to Continue Reading
Thank you for visiting Children & Young People Now and making use of our archive of more than 60,000 expert features, topics hubs, case studies and policy updates. Why not register today and enjoy the following great benefits:
What's Included
-
Free access to 4 subscriber-only articles per month
-
Email newsletter providing advice and guidance across the sector
Already have an account? Sign in here
