The division of child protection from child welfare. Problems in applying the concept of ‘significant harm’

Abstract

The 1970s, 1980s and early 1990s saw an ever widening gap between child protection and more general child welfare services in England and Wales. Correctly allocating cases to one category or the other became a critical task for professionals working in the field. Judgements about the likelihood of a child suffering 'significant harm' are central to this task, yet little guidance is available about what the phrase means in its entirety or how it should be applied in practice. This study set out to clarify the position by examining how the phrase was used in practice by a selected sample of experienced health and social work staff. The evidence collected suggests flaws in the general approach adopted by professionals to identification and assessment in child protection cases. The data indicate a heavy concentration of attention on the weaknesses of families being assessed rather than their strengths and on parents rather than children. Problems are identified in responding effectively to long-term, chronic abuse such as emotional abuse and neglect. Changes in practice based on these findings have been implemented by a wide range of practice agencies in the study area.