ABSTRACT
At a general level, every professional requires a ‘secure setting’ in order to undertake the demanding work of child protection. Anxieties about the child can be monitored more readily when stresses within agencies and organisations are minimised. Many factors contribute to a secure setting, including adequate training, regular supervision and support, clear procedural guidelines, adequate funding and staffing, low staff turnover, an optimal case load, continuity in management, a stable organisational structure, good secretarial back-up, requisite facilities and so on. All these elements combine to provide the mechanical means for effective communication and also a context within which the workers feel valued, respected and supported. As Dale et al. (1986) emphasise, professionals operating from a position of chronic stress are excessively prone to commit errors of judgement and action, even becoming ‘dangerous professionals’.
