Contemporary Debates in Safeguarding Children: National and International Implications

Abstract

There is a saying that if one wants to understand a people, it is best to visit first, their nurseries. How we bring up, nurture and keep safe children can reveal how a country is formed and works. The aim of this article is to review contemporary safeguarding of children in the United Kingdom. The Children Act 1989 brought together separate legislation into a single act. Since 1989 there have been numerous changes and developments, including subsequent legislation. However, the Children Act 1989 remains the main legislation for social work in England. The relationship between social work in England and the other nations (Scotland, Northern Ireland, and Wales) will be discussed later in the article.

Keywords:

• child
• child protection
• risk

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Martyn Higgins

Dr Martyn Higgins is Associate Professor in Social Work at London South Bank University and a Principal Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. His research interests include: working with families and hard to reach communities, direct work with children, and inter-professional working. He has managed a large national project to produce a national training manual for the Children's Workforce Development Council (£150,000). He previously undertook a major longitudinal study of social work education and practice, which involved the participation of service users and other professionals. Martyn has undertaken extensive research in children and families social work. His most recent work involved exploring gang culture (£50000) in a London municipality (2018).