Bridging the Gap: Thinking Beyond the State in Child Protection

Abstract

This Comment discusses the limitations of state agencies such as child protection in managing long-term risk issues in isolated families in need of strong support systems. It concludes with a suggestion that is in line with the national framework on child protection: namely, that community members and community level support services working in tandem with child protection might be better positioned to effectively assist with the onerous task of child protection — especially where the state and parent(s) are unable to do so.