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The importance of safeguarding children from violence is internationally recognised. However, detecting, intervening and protecting children from abuse both within the family and in institutions is complex. This paper specifically focuses on safeguarding in England and how workforce reform in the early years offers the opportunity to forge new partnerships with families and professionals. These relationships have the potential to support more positive outcomes for babies, young children and families who are ‘in need’ or where the children are at risk of significant harm or abuse has occurred. The paper draws on the findings from research exploring the impact of workforce reform in the early years and how the changes impact upon the wider safeguarding agenda. It will argue that the introduction of an inter-disciplinary graduate professional in the early years has afforded an opportunity to forge new partnerships that have the potential to significantly impact on child maltreatment. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This section discusses the papers featured in volume 8 of "Child Abuse Review" in 2001 and the Guidance "Working Together to Safeguard Children," published in 1999, which seeks to reinforce the principles that the responsibility for promoting the well-being of children and protecting them from harm must be shared across all agencies and professional groups in Great Britain. The aim of the guidance is to provide a national framework upon which local child protection procedures should be built. It stresses the links with social exclusion, domestic violence, parental mental illness and substance abuse. This document also takes into account measures to prevent unsuitable people from working with children which are to be introduced in the Protection of Children Act 1999. Guidance is provided on investigating allegations of abuse by professionals, carers and volunteers, in children's homes for example, and considers perpetrators who act alone or in organized groups. The paper by Egan-Sage and Carpenter looks at a large number of referrals to a Social Service Department in the early 1990s. The second paper looks at the differences in Multidisciplinary working in Great Britain and New Jersey.

This paper reports on a UK study which examined the identification of, and support for young people with learning disabilities who experience, or are at risk of, child sexual exploitation (CSE). CSE has received considerable attention in the UK, with evidence suggesting an increased risk for young people with learning disabilities. However, no study has specifically focused on this group, and their voices remain largely unheard. In‐depth interviews with 27 young people with learning disabilities were undertaken to explore how to meet their needs. This paper presents the young people's voices and identifies areas for improvements in policy and practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In England and Wales, local authorities have a duty under the 1989 Children Act to protect children from significant harm. This study builds on a previous paper that considered patterns of re-referral in cases that were not allocated; it considers re-referrals involving serious concerns about a child. File studies were carried out on 400 consecutive referrals to three local authorities in London that were closed rather than being allocated for long-term work in early 2000. Information on the presence and nature of re-referrals involving concerns about actual or potential ‘significant harm’ in the 27 months after closure (i.e. up to 2002) was noted. Such re-referrals were rare (2.75%). The factors that were statistically associated with them were: previous involvement with Social Services, physical abuse and parental alcohol misuse in the closed referral. These factors were also identified in a descriptive analysis of the re-referrals, though in addition issues not present in the original referral were identified as important, namely parental mental illness and sexual abuse. The findings were encouraging about the effectiveness of initial child protection assessment processes at the time of referral closure. The potential for the factors identified in the analyses to be used in initial risk assessment and their applicability to current policy and practice is considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although our society has put in place various forms of legislation to protect children's rights, many children are still subject to various forms of maltreatment such as sexual, physical or emotional abuse and/or physical or emotional neglect. All of these can have serious detrimental effects on the victims. Previous literature in this area has tended to focus on sexual abuse. In contrast, this paper provides an overview of all the different types of maltreatment in terms of characteristics of victims, the range of consequences, mediating factors and types of interventions that may be offered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective To identify the training in, experience of and barriers to reporting child abuse among dental therapists in the UK.Design Postal survey.Subjects and methods A postal questionnaire was sent to all practising dental therapists (DTs) in the UK registered with the GDC (n= 851) in October-December 2007.Results A response rate of 49% (n= 420) was achieved; 24 (5.7%) questionnaires were incomplete and excluded. One hundred and ninety-three respondents (48.7%) had qualified in the last 10 years. One hundred and forty-seven (37.1%) recalled undergraduate training; 248 (62.6%) had received training since qualifying; 66 (16.6%) recalled no child protection training. Overall child abuse had been suspected by 135 (34%) DTs, while 72 (18%) had suspected but not referred the case.Conclusions The majority of dental therapists (83%, n= 330) have received training in child protection. Overall, 34% (n = 135) have suspected child abuse and 83% (n = 112) of these DTs recorded their suspicions in the patient record. In line with current guidance, most DTs would discuss a case with another dentist. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores the ways in which social workers can develop effective methods of working with the media to protect children and is based on the author's experience, as a social worker, of exposing abuse of children in the Islington care system during the 90s. Without investigative journalism and persistent media coverage, the perpetrators would not have been exposed or reported to police and children would have continued to be unsafe. The extent of organised crime networks involved in this, and other child abuse cases, such as that of Elm Guest House, Richmond, has continued to gain coverage particularly through the commitment of a few specialist journalists. It is possible for those working in the media to protect sources when stories need to be exposed in the interests of children. Across the range of television, radio and print media the rights of children, adult survivors and those professionals representing their interests can be well represented particularly through single issue campaigns. Through working with the media it is possible to have a strong and influential voice in seeking justice for abused children and to counter the view that most media coverage of child protection issues is negative towards the social work profession. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the way in which child care social work with deprived families has changed and developed since the inception of Children's Departments in 1948. It is argued that between 1948 and 1970 child care social workers enjoyed a fair measure of social support. A variety of reasons are considered for explaining this—specialization, smallness of size, privacy and a consensus about the needs of children. From the early 1970s it is argued that broader societal changes, including a shift away from social solidarity towards individualism, organizational changes and the advent of child abuse as a public concern, resulted in conflicting demands on child care social workers and a subsequent loss of credibility and confidence. The 1990s have seen a return to emphasis on family support policies which has been further accelerated in the new millennium by New Labour's stated commitment to eliminating child poverty and creating better life opportunities for all children. The implications of these new developments for child care social workers engaged in meeting the needs of children living in highly disadvantaged families are considered. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the new guidelines for suspecting child maltreatment as issued by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) to healthcare professionals in Great Britain. It notes the failure of NICE in recognizing the cost of health visitations and nursing services. Furthermore, Elizabeth Hughes, consultant nurse of Sheffield Primary Care Trust (PCT), remarks on the ability of health practitioners in the identification of maltreatment signs.