Good Practice in Safeguarding Children considers how front-line professionals can keep the best interests of the child at the heart of their work when statutory guidance, the way agencies are integrated and the delivery of services are changing.

Liz Hughes and Hilary Owen have drawn together contributors’ experiences of working with safeguarding children on a broad range of issues, including neglect, trafficked children, parents with learning difficulties and child protection supervision. The contributors discuss current dilemmas in safeguarding children work and provide models of good practice, including case scenarios and exercises. This book explores how changes in the system offer an opportunity to enhance the quality of service provision, to achieve better outcomes for children and their families.

This book is a must-read book for all front-line practitioners involved in safeguarding children, including social workers, child and adolescent mental health practitioners, police officers, healthcare professionals, probation workers and teachers. It is also suitable for undergraduate, post-graduate and post-qualifying students.

Contents:

• Introduction: Hilary Owen, Assistant Executive Director of Safeguarding and Welfare, Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council and Liz Hughes, Consultant Nurse, Integrated Safeguarding Children Service, Sheffield.
• Chapter 1. From Protection to Safeguarding: Bringing You Up to Date on Statutory Responsibilities. Hilary Owen. Chapter 2. The Contribution of Schools to Safeguarding Children. Flora Bandele, Education Safeguarding Children Co-ordinator, Sheffield City Council.
• Chapter 3. Making the Most of a Home Visit. Liz Hughes.
• Chapter 4. Safeguarding Infant Mental Health. Dipti Aistrop, Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service, Sheffield Children’s NHS Trust.
• Chapter 5. Working with Uncooperative or Hostile Families. Ruth Pearson, Senior Lecturer in Social Work, Sheffield Hallam University.
• Chapter 6. Neglect and Parental Learning Disability. Rosie Jakob, Family Court Advisor, Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service CAFCASS and Gail Gumbrell, Adult Social Worker, Community Learning Disability Team, Bradford.
• Chapter 7. Safeguarding Children Who Live with Parental Substance Misuse. Mandy Craig, Substance Misuse Development Project Co-ordinator, Sheffield Safeguarding Children Board. Chapter 8. Domestic Abuse and Safeguarding Children. Sue Peckover, Senior Research Fellow, University of Huddersfield.
• Chapter 9. Mental Health Problems, Personality Disorder and Parenting: A Professionals’ Guide to Assessment and Support. Karen Johnson, Named Nurse, Derbyshire Mental Health Trust.
• Chapter 10. Safeguarding Trafficked Children. Emma Kelly, Programme Co-ordinator, ECPAT UK (End Child Prostitution, Child Pornography and the Trafficking of Children).
• Chapter 11. Criminal Investigation and Safeguarding; Dilemmas for Policing. Jeff Boxer, National Investigative Training Co-ordinator, National Policing Improvement Agency (NPIA).
• Chapter 12. Good Practice in Undertaking Social Work Assessments. Rosie Jakob. 
• Chapter 13. The Most Professional Relationship. Liz Hughes.
• Chapter 14. Doing Serious Case Reviews Well: Politics, Agency Risk Management and Staff Care. Hilary Owen and Liz Hughes. References. Index.