ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the role of managers in protecting children and adults at risk from abuse or neglect and why this is such a complex area of their work. It focuses on the role of management and leadership in containing the anxiety that safeguarding cases arouse. The chapter explores the psychological mechanisms that support the ‘not seeing’ of abuse and the silencing of victims, as well as the professional and statutory frameworks that are put in place to help managers frame what is happening and respond appropriately. The term ‘safeguarding’ was introduced under the Labour administration of 1997–2010 as an attempt to broaden ‘child protection’ to include multi-agency support for families in need, rather than simply concentrating on investigating incidents of abuse once something bad had happened. Children in families experiencing multiple disadvantages such as poverty and mental health issues, where there is domestic violence and/or alcohol or substance misuse, are much more likely to be at risk than others.
