‘From dangerousness to risk’: The growing importance of screening and surveillance systems for safeguarding and promoting the well-being of children in England

Abstract

England is in the process of introducing the most radical changes to children's services since the Second World War. The ‘Every Child Matters’ Change for Children programme aims to integrate services in order to enhance prevention and early intervention and thereby improve the outcomes for all children while paying particular attention to the most disadvantaged. It places a particular importance on professionals sharing information and has introduced a whole range of new Information Communication Technology (ICT) systems for the screening and surveillance of the child population to make this possible. This paper provides a critical analysis of the changes, and argues that we are witnessing a significant shift in the responsibilities of and relationships between children, parents, professionals and the state and that this poses significant challenges for all concerned.

Keywords:

• dangerousness
• risk
• child welfare
• screening
• surveillance
• policy

Notes