Martin C. Calder

Out of the Frying Pan into the Fire? A Critical Analysis of the Integrated Children's System.

Much has been promised from the government about providing a more contemporary and streamlined system for child care at the beginning of the 21st century. In this article Calder critically evaluates the origins of the incoming Integrated Childrens System and questions how welding two faulty and discredited systems from the 1990s together can possibly achieve this aspiration. Calder then raises some implementation issues before going on to offer some suggested remedial solutions to assist local implementation.

Child prostitution: Developing effective protocols

Abstract There was no formal structure for the management of young people involved in prostitution until December 1998 when draft guidance was issued jointly by the Home Office and the Department of Health. This guidance was a central response to a considerable amount of work undertaken by voluntary agencies such as Barnardos (1998, 2000), and the Childrens Society (Barrett, 1997; Melrose et al, 1999), and there was a requirement that each Area Child Protection Committee (ACPC) develop some procedures locally, regardless of how much of a problem they perceived there to be at that time. The guidance recognised that there are many children and young people involved in prostitution in many parts of Britain and they wanted to raise the public and professional awareness of the problem, ensuring that the key response agencies adopted consistent policies to treat children and young people (under 18 years) primarily as victims. This stance is built on the premise that all children and young people have the right to be safe and protected from harm. Agencies must thus work together to safeguard these vulnerable children and young people from continuing harm, aiming to provide exit strategies, whilst investigating and prosecuting adults involved in such exploitation. Children and young people involved in prostitution should be regarded as children in need who may be suffering or likely to suffer significant harm. The guidance does not decriminalise child prostitution, and the police do retain the right to use the criminal law against children and young people in certain exceptional circumstances, such as persistent return to prostitution. This guidance remained in draft form for two years when the final guidance (DOH, Home Office, Department for Education and Employment, National Assembly for Wales, 2000) was issued as a supplement to ‘Working Together to Safeguard Children’ (DOH et al, 1999). The purpose of this paper is to explore the content of the guidance and locate it in a much broader framework developed by Calder (1999) for guiding local responses. I also attempt to explore some of the lessons learned in recent times about introducing ‘new’ types of abuse into the child protection system at a time when there is a central expectation of refocusing wherever possible cases away from the formal child protection system, based both on the clients experience of the service (see Calder et al, 2001) and the significant resource constraints facing mainstream social services (see Calder, 2000 and forthcoming).

Towards a framework for conducting pre-birth risk assessments

Abstract The existing framework for conducting comprehensive assessments (DoH, 1988) does not address in sufficient detail the intricacies required for certain individual assessments. This is not acceptable when we consider the emotional as well as practical considerations surrounding decisions affecting unborn children. Whilst the revision of the comprehensive assessment document will allow analysis, experience, discretion and reflection to inform professional decision-making, rather than a blanket bureaucratic approach, a framework which explores the specific areas of consideration for the unborn baby will remain absent. This paper will describe a holistic framework which was devised by an interagency working group in Salford: exploring the identified process for the assessment, the components which may be central to the assessments, and a matrix to determine the level of projected risk once the baby has been born.

Core groups: A review of the literature

Abstract The concept of the core group was introduced into the child protection system in 1986 with little central guidance, leaving individual ACPCs to forage their own evolutionary paths. This has been largely driven and guided by practitioners. The review of child protection practice commissioned centrally (DoH, 1995) did not evaluate the core group in detail, despite overwhelming evidence that post-registration practice was poorly planned and discharged. Instead, it alluded to its potential. This has thus far been left unharnassed. This paper seeks to review the emerging literature base in relation to core groups. The lack of literature over the last 12 years is curious, and may well reflect the lack of priority given to the area of post-registration practice. Even in recent work relating to outcomes (see Parker, et al., 1991), there is hardly a mention of core groups. The principal informational base is being generated by individual practitioners conducting local research. It is now time to take stock and promote best practice in an effort to not unnecessarily re-invent the same wheel.

Young people who sexually abuse: A framework for initial assessment

Abstract The issue of young people who sexually abuse is on the political and practice agenda, although this profile lacks any coherent policy, procedures or practice guidance to make it effective. Many competent, experienced practitioners remain anxious and dis-abled when faced with this area of work. Conceptual frameworks to guide the evolutionary path of this work are emerging (see Calder, 1997, 1999), although operational frameworks to translate aspiration to service delivery are frequently absent. This paper focuses on an operational framework for the initial assessment of young people who sexually abuse.