ABSTRACT
This chapter outlines the ways in which child abuse concerns were continually kept at the forefront of public consciousness from 2006 onwards. It shows the various ways in which concern about abuse by people in authority was one of the key driving forces in the reform of the criminal law infrastructure governing child protection, while perceptions of the risk of abuse, and the risk of exploitation in particular, drove the reform of the law and policy framework governing child protection social work. The chapter analyzes the introduction of legal mechanisms providing for new mandatory reporting and vetting systems from a risk perspective. Finally, it addresses the role of children’s rights and highlights how children have finally come to be thought of as active agents, with greater control over their own biographies than ever before.
