Schools, social services and safeguarding children: past practice and future challenges : NSPCC inform

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Schools, social services and safeguarding children

Past practice and future challenges

By Mary Baginsky (December 2007)

Schools, social services and safeguarding children: past practice and future challenges (PDF, 1.23MB) examines the relationship between schools and local authorities in protecting and safeguarding children. It investigates the role of schools in the child protection process and the decision making processes that come into play when a child welfare concern prompts the decision to contact social services.

The study reports on the results of research carried out between 2002 and 2005, during which time, in the wake of the Victoria Climbié Inquiry, the government's Every Child Matters (ECM) agenda and the Children Act 2004 were introduced. It makes a valuable contribution to understanding how schools are positioned to assume their role within the ECM programme, and identifies the support they need to carry out this role effectively.