ABSTRACT
The move towards the concept of ‘safeguarding’ in social policy – signalling a wider agenda than just the protection of children from harm – has reflected core concerns that have been raised through many public inquiries, official reports and guidance and published research, including inquiries led by Sir William Utting (1991, 1997); the Laming Report into the death of Victoria Climbié (2003); both joint chief inspectors’ reports entitled Safeguarding Children (2002, 2005); the Department of Health publications entitled Working Together to Safeguard Children (1991, 1999, 2006); and the Department of Health guidance entitled Framework for the Assessment of Children and their Families (2000).
