ABSTRACT

We have described the context within which this project was conceived and developed. In this chapter we shall consider the phenomenon of ‘child abuse’ and professional responses to it in their social, political and historical contexts. We shall discuss how the very concept of ‘child abuse’ is an evolving one and that professional practices are part of a complex social scenario. It is our view that the behaviour of families and professionals in these tragedies must be considered in relation to the contexts within which they lived and worked.