ABSTRACT

This book offers a complete account of Contextual Safeguarding theory, policy, and practice frameworks for the first time. It highlights the particular challenge of extra-familial routes through which young people experience significant harm, such as child sexual exploitation, criminal exploitation, serious youth violence, domestic abuse in teenage relationships, bullying, gang-association, and radicalisation.

Through analysing case reviews, observing professionals, and co-creating practices with them, Firmin provides a personal, philosophical, strategic, and practical account of the design, implementation and future of Contextual Safeguarding. Drawing together a wealth of practice examples, case studies, policy references, and practitioner insights for the first time, this book articulates a new safeguarding framework and provides a detailed account of its translation across an entire child protection system and its relevant component parts.

It will be of interest to all scholars, students, and professionals working within social work, youth justice and youth work, policing and law enforcement, community safety, council services, forensic and clinical psychology, counselling, health, and education.

part 1|62 pages

The challenge we face and the lens through which we view it

chapter 1|8 pages

Opening

chapter 2|16 pages

Extra-familial abuse in context

chapter 3|20 pages

A flawed equation

A systemic gap

chapter 4|16 pages

A contextual lens

part 2|47 pages

Establishing the building blocks for change

chapter 5|17 pages

Crystallising ideas

When tweaking is insufficient

chapter 6|14 pages

Articulating an ambition

A Contextual Safeguarding Framework

chapter 7|14 pages

Creating an authorising environment

Contextualising national policy frameworks

part 3|86 pages

Mapping and test running Contextual Safeguarding systems

chapter 9|16 pages

Bringing context into work with children and families

Level 1 Contextual Safeguarding

chapter 10|18 pages

Believing that change can happen

Level 2 Contextual Safeguarding

chapter 11|13 pages

Policy frameworks and strategic partnerships

chapter 12|17 pages

Values and impact

Deepening the Contextual Safeguarding Framework

part 4|61 pages

Looking back and planning forward

chapter 13|13 pages

Reaching my threshold

The grounds for state, and social work, intervention

chapter 15|10 pages

The techniques and pitfalls of change

Mirroring, co-creation, and case studies

chapter 17|8 pages

On the side of hope

Next steps on the road to Contextual Safeguarding