Best Practice in Family Support and Child Protection: Promoting Child Safety and Democratic Families

The focus of this chapter is on best practice in child protection work combined with family support. Understandings of the complexities of practice with respect to interventions to protect children have increased significantly through studies which have represented the views of professionals and family members (Farmar and Owen, 1995; Thoburn et al., 1995; Buckley, 2003; Scourfield, 2003). Service provision in family support has also benefited from research and increasing theoretical sophistication (Gibbons et al., 1990; Dolan et al., 2000; Feather Stone, 2004). However, there is still little published work in this area which delineates best practice, where examples are provided of what is being done well and how such best practice can be learned from and developed. Turnell and Edwards’ (1999) solution and safety oriented approach is distinctive in its attempt to develop a focus on strengths-based practice in child protection work. In what follows a best practice example of child protection work combined with family support is outlined in depth, critically analysed and offered as a basis for such learning.