Child Protection Practice

Introduction.- Knocking on the Door of History.- The Development of Child Protection Policy and Practice.- Streets, Housing Estates, Doorsteps: Getting to the Home.- The Home Visit: Crossing the Threshold.- Bedrooms, Kitchens and More intimate spaces.- Relating to Children.- The Importance of Touch in Protecting Children.- The Car as a Space for Therapeutic Practice.- Hospitals, Office Interviews and the Emotional Complexity of Practice.- Working with Mothers.- Working with Fathers.- Working with Resistance, Good Authority and Involuntary Clients.- Multi-Agency Working and Relationship-Based Practice.- Spaces for Reflection and Organisational support.- Intimate Child Protection Practice.- Conclusion.

Harry Ferguson

'Different, fresh and arresting. What Harry Ferguson does better than anyone else is capture the actualité of front-line child protection work. The book is so unlike any other in the busy market place of child protection books, it should have no difficulty sticking its head above the crowd. It is utterly distinct in terms of its willingness and ability to talk about the job in terms of how it looks, feels, smells and sounds as practitioners move between office, car and home.' - David Howe, Professor Emeritus, School of Social Work and Psychology, University of East Anglia, UK "I was very impressed by this book. In fact, I'd go as far as to say that it includes some of the most interesting and original writing about social work and child protection I have seen. It is a strength of the book that the author is prepared to set out his own position on the line. This makes it enjoyable, stimulating and challenging to read." - Chris Beckett, Senior Lecturer in Social Work, University of East Anglia, UK"Harry Ferguson brings to life the embodied experience of child protection work. Combining historical research with contemporary accounts of frontline practice, Ferguson urges us to understand child protection work as a highly skilled and embodied practice, and offers powerful insights into the complex nature of authority, relationship building and decision-making. This book should be essential reading for anyone seeking to understand the challenges facing child protection workers today, and what is needed to create the conditions for better child protection practice." - Karen Healy, Professor, School of Social Work and Human Services, The University of Queensland, Australia "a 'must read'... This book offers a unique perspective on child protection that engages the reader in an immediate, honest and compelling fashion."- Gillian Ruch, Division of Social Work Studies, University of Southampton'As might be expected from a leading social work academic and author, this book