Safeguarding and Protecting Children and Young People

Anne Stafford and Sharon Vincent survey key developments and shifts in child protection policy and systems in Scotland from 1968 until the present day. Focusing mainly on the recent period of rapid reform since 2003 these changes are examined in the context of earlier developments in systems to protect children. This wider historical perspective enables the authors to produce a clear understanding of the content and direction of developments in child protection. Where relevant, comparison is made with changes in child protection policy and practice in England and elsewhere. The authors discuss the impact of the major Scottish legislation including the introduction of the Children's Hearing System. They assess the role major inquiries into child deaths have played in shaping policy and examine the effectiveness of recent arrangements designed to keep children safe from adults who may pose a danger to them in the community. Current policy in this area focuses on meeting the needs of all children as a way of also addressing the needs of those deemed to be at most risk. The book concludes by considering what these developments might mean for the protection of children and young people who have been abused or are at risk of abuse in future. In common with other titles in this series the book is written at a level that will stimulate those wrestling with these themes from a professional perspective as well as providing essential reading for those studying in the areas of health, child welfare and childhood studies, education and social policy.