Safeguarding Babies and Very Young Children from Abuse and Neglect (Safeguarding Children Across Services)

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. "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"--Back cover Points for Chapter 56. How Far Were the Children Safeguarded?; Introduction; Risks of harm and how they changed over time; Parents who overcame difficulties (sufficient change group); Parents with continuing problems; Factors indicative of parental change; Experience of maltreatment; Emotional and behavioural difficulties and delayed development: the children at age three and over; Conclusion; Summary points for Chapter 6; 7. Professional Perspectives; Introduction; Why were parents continually given another chance?; Why was there sometimes a premature withdrawal of services? This book examines child protection issues in relation to babies and young children at risk of abuse. Based on a study which followed babies until they were 3 years old, it examines how safeguarding decisions are made and how they impact upon the lives of the children, including their development. It provides key messages for policy and practice