ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the relationship between the social workers’ child protection practice and the practice of other professionals in terms of the social workers’ responses to referrals from other professionals. The child protection practice of social workers both shapes and is shaped to a degree by the practice of other professionals. This occurs within a complex of relationships at both a formal and a personal level, under a general rubric of interagency coordination. The key issue to confront is that of how the social workers perceived of the actions of other agencies and other professionals impacting upon their child protection work in respect of familialy sexually abused adolescent girls. The social workers’ practice was influenced by the actions of a number of different professionals within the child protection network. The operation of the child protection network is located firmly within the concept of inter-agency coordination, and the operation of mandated interagency procedures.
