Safeguarding Babies and Very Young Children from Abuse and Neglect

Harriet Ward, Rebecca Brown and David Westlake

Part of the Safeguarding Children Across Services series

Paperback: £23.99 / $39.95

2012, 234mm x 156mm / 9.25in x 6in, 240pp
ISBN: 978-1-84905-237-5, BIC 2: JKSB1 JFFE1 JKSN

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Safeguarding babies and very young children is a highly complex process, involving difficult decisions surrounding their needs, care, and whether they need to be separated from their families.

This book, based on a research study which followed babies who were identified as likely to suffer significant harm before their first birthdays until they were three years old, explores key issues surrounding the safeguarding process. These include how the decision whether to remove children from their families are made, whether social work interventions work and the impact they have on children's life pathways. It also examines the role various participants, including parents, have in decision-making. The findings of the study show a close link between decisions, maltreatment and children's developmental problems, and provide key implications and recommendations for policy and practice.

This significant book will be essential reading for all those involved in safeguarding children, including practitioners and policymakers, academics and researchers.

Blog posts

Safeguarding babies and very young children from abuse and neglect – An Interview with Rebecca Brown

10 February 2012

"Much of the decision-making for these very young children was of high quality, showed evidence of extreme care and was based on hard evidence. However the study also raised a number of concerns...the findings revealed a number of gaps in social worker knowledge and understanding, especially in areas of attachment theory and child development [and] there was evidence that delayed decision-making had detrimental consequences for the outcomes of these children - practitioners need to be fully aware of these consequences and the importance of taking swift action when babies are suffering significant harm..."

By the same authors

Author information

• Harriet Ward
• Rebecca Brown
• David Westlake

Subject areas

• Health, Social Work and Social Care

Keywords

• child protection,
• children,
• Early Years Foundation Stage,
• health care,
• risk assessment,
• safeguarding children,
• social care,
• social policy,
• social work

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