In November 1999 the Sunday Mail ran a story Orkney in new kid-sex scandal. Within the article, the social workers at Orkney were accused of doing nothing because the mother thought that the Orkney inquiry in 1992 damaged them so much they were happier pretending this was not happening. Furthermore, an ‘unnamed insider’ stated “it’s true that sex abuse allegations are handled with kid gloves within the department. It’s only natural after what happened here before.” The purpose of this study is to explore the recent history of child protection in Scotland and the impact of intra-familiar child abuse inquiries on today’s child protection work. The main question hereby is: Are children more at risk? Crystallisation was used as a general research methodology to obtain a wide range of information and to increase the validity of results. The data was derived from social work sources – interviews with two senior social work managers of two local authorities in the West of Scotland as well as a child protection trainer and questionnaires presented to child protection trainers and 32 students of two West of Scotland cohorts currently undertaking a post-qualifying child protection programme. The study was carried out between February and April 2000 and examined the perceptions and attitudes of child protection workers and how recent inquiries into child abuse have influenced today’s protection work and policy. It was found that there has been both a positive and a negative impact on child protection work. All agreed that the partnership approach with parents and children and the inter-agency approach are important for good practice within child protection work. However, most of the respondents felt also a negative impact of the inquiries not necessarily on practice but on the social work profession itself. Furthermore, most agreed that children are not under greater risk owing to the reluctance of social workers to believe children’s...
Table of Contents
1. Review of Recent Literature and Research
The History of Child Protection Work
From child rescue to child protection
The rediscovering of child abuse
Child sexual abuse
Defining Child Abuse
The cultural context of child abuse definition
Definitions of child abuse
Summary
2. Research Design and Methodology
Specific Aims
Details of the Research Project
The Research Process
Presenting the Findings
3. The Research Findings
The Child Protection Students
Demographic profile of respondents
The Attitude Scales
Responses to Statements Relating to Child Protection Work and Child Sexual Abuse
Responses to Statements relating to Child Abuse in General
The Open-ended Questions
The Child Protection Trainers
The Attitude Scales
Responses to Statements Relating to Child Protection and Child Sexual Abuse
Responses to Statements Relating to Child Abuse in General
The Open-ended Questions
The Senior Social Work Managers and Child Protection Trainer
The social work role within child protection practice
The impact of child abuse inquiries such as the Orkney inquiry on today’s child protection practice
Specialised and improved training
Working in partnership
Guidelines and Procedures
Negative effects on the social work profession and their practice
Public information and education about child abuse and the social work role
Self-image and dilemmas of the social work profession
4. Conclusions
Research Objectives and Themes
The primary objective of this dissertation is to investigate the historical context of child protection in Scotland and assess how public inquiries into intra-familial child abuse have shaped contemporary protection policies and practices, specifically addressing the overarching question: Are children at greater risk?
- The role and statutory responsibilities of social workers in the child protection process.
- The impact of high-profile inquiries, such as the Orkney case, on professional practice and procedure.
- The influence of public and media perception on the social work profession and its self-image.
- The complexities and challenges inherent in defining child abuse across different cultural and political contexts.
- The necessity of inter-agency cooperation and specialized training for effective child protection.
Excerpt from the Book
The rediscovering of child abuse
In the USA child abuse was formally rediscovered in 1962 as Henry Kempe, a paediatrician, and his colleagues coined the term the ‘battered child syndrome', which described and explained the process that led to parents, but essentially mothers, physically assaulting their babies and young children. Corby (1993: 27) stated that "Kempe and his colleagues were the first confidently to attribute injuries seen on children to deliberate mistreatment rather than to the outcome of accident or disease". Kempe argued that child abuse was far more widespread than anyone had previously considered and that professionals (doctors in particular) had been turning a blind eye to it.
It is hard to pinpoint the reasons for the re-emergence of the phenomenon of child abuse at this time but two major reasons have been suggested: firstly technological development, such as the use of X-rays and secondly that Kempe saw child abuse as a result of a psychological syndrome. Corby (1993: 27) cited that "Kempe's ideas were in tune with the times in that the notion of parents abusing their children as a result of a psychological syndrome was more acceptable than attributing such cruelty to poverty or ignorance. By giving child abuse a medical label and seeing it as a treatable condition, the new forms of intervention into family life were not seen as a threat to the independence of families in general because they were aimed only at the families that had the illness".
In Britain, influenced by Kempe, during the late 1960s and the 1970s child protection work was brought into the public and professional spotlight by the RSSPCC and their English counterpart, the NSPCC, as well as by the two orthopaedic surgeons, Griffiths and Moynihan. They used the term 'battered baby syndrome' in an influential article in the British Medical Journal to indicate that an infant had been injured by their parents or by other adults. Corby (1993: 28) stated that "the NSPCC was prolific in its publications on the subject of child abuse and was highly influential in placing it firmly on the social problem agenda".
Summary of Chapters
1. Review of Recent Literature and Research: This chapter provides an historical overview of child protection, tracing the evolution from 'child rescue' to contemporary investigations, while highlighting the difficulties in defining child abuse.
2. Research Design and Methodology: This section details the emancipatory research approach and the use of 'crystallization' to analyze data gathered from questionnaires and semi-structured interviews with professionals.
3. The Research Findings: This chapter presents the empirical data gathered from students, trainers, and managers, exploring their attitudes toward child protection, the impact of inquiries, and the professional challenges faced.
4. Conclusions: This concluding chapter synthesizes the research findings, confirming that while inter-agency approaches are valued, social workers remain deeply affected by inquiries and seek greater professional leadership and public support.
Keywords
Child protection, social work, Orkney inquiry, child abuse, Scotland, investigative practice, inter-agency cooperation, professional status, public perception, family support, child sexual abuse, research methodology, crystallization, child protection register, legislative impact.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core subject of this dissertation?
The dissertation examines the recent history of child protection in Scotland and analyzes how high-profile inquiries into intra-familial child abuse, particularly the Orkney inquiry, have influenced modern child protection practices and the social work profession.
What are the central themes explored in the research?
Key themes include the statutory role of social workers, the impact of public inquiries on practice and policy, the influence of media and public opinion on the social work profession, and the difficulties in defining child abuse.
What is the primary research question?
The research is driven by the fundamental question: Are children more at risk, given the current landscape of child protection and the impact of these inquiries?
Which research methodology was employed?
The author used 'crystallization' as a general research methodology, utilizing both quantitative and qualitative methods, including self-completed questionnaires and semi-structured interviews with social work professionals.
What is covered in the main body of the work?
The main body reviews existing literature on child protection history, outlines the research design, presents findings from students, trainers, and senior managers, and analyzes the consequences of inquiries on professional practice and self-image.
Which keywords define this study?
Essential keywords include child protection, Orkney inquiry, Scotland, social work, intra-familial abuse, professional status, and inter-agency cooperation.
How did the Orkney inquiry specifically affect social work practice?
The study indicates that the Orkney inquiry led to significant criticism of social workers, fostering a 'cover-your-back' mentality, increased focus on procedural compliance, and a sense of professional demoralization among frontline workers.
How does the author view the public perception of social workers?
The author highlights that participants feel the public often views social workers negatively as "interfering busybodies" or "enemies," largely due to biased media coverage and the lack of visibility regarding the positive successes of the profession.
What does the author suggest for the future of the profession?
The author argues for the necessity of social work becoming an all-graduate profession with a professional, regulatory body to enhance its status and standing in the community, alongside more proactive education of the public.
- Quote paper
- Dr. rer. med. Sven Günther (Author), 2000, The recent history of child protection in Scotland and the impact of intra-familiar child abuse inquiries such as orkney on today's child protection work, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/169589
