ABSTRACT
Child abuse work is particularly likely to cause burnout. Abused children may instead be destructive, angry and difficult. Then workers see the child as having the problem, instead of being abused. Fostering can become a dominant idea. It has the added advantage of being cheaper than residential care. However, a fostering situation may be too emotive for an abused child. Child abuse is about making decisions. Gender issues have to be addressed in supervision - particularly if the case is one of child sexual abuse. If the supervisor is a man and the worker is a woman the power structure of the abuse is recreated. Child protection can be rewarding, interesting and even stimulating. 'The black family socialises children to be able to cope with the realities of the black community and at the same time, to deal with prejudice and discrimination from the larger culture which singularly affects them'.
