From Child Welfare to Child Protection/Safeguarding: A Critical Practitioner’s View of Changing Conceptions, Policies and Practice

Abstract

Since the 1970s, dealing with child abuse has been an increasing feature of social work with children and families in the UK. Terms such as ‘battered child syndrome’, non-accidental injury and now child protection and safeguarding have increasingly dominated practice, rather than child welfare. In turn, practitioners have become increasingly embroiled in bureaucracy and subjected to managerial constraints aimed at rationing resources and assessing/managing risk, rather than meeting need. Rather than support being offered to children and families, the emphasis has become one of changing their behaviours and life styles so they become ‘responsible’ citizens. These developments have coincided with a move for the social democratic consensus of the initial post-war decades to the neoliberal consensus of the present, this involving the dismantling of the welfare state and a more authoritarian role for social work. This article looks at such changes in what is now child protection/safeguarding, arguing that, despite challenges, some opportunities for critical practice remain.

Keywords:

• neoliberalism
• child welfare
• child protection/safeguarding
• managerialism
• critical practice

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Steve Rogowski

Steve Rogowski is a qualified and registered social worker and has practiced, mainly with children and families, across five decades. He has published widely about his experiences in various social work and social policy journals and has written two books: Social Work: the rise and fall of a profession? (2010) and Social Work with Children and Families: theory context and practice (2013) both published by the Policy Press. He is currently working on Social Work with Children and Families: reflections of a critical practitioner. Correspondence to: Steve Rogowski, 21 Co-Operative St., Springhead, Oldham, UK. Email: [email protected]