Safeguarding our future: The aftermath of Baby P
Safeguarding the most vulnerable in our society is undoubtedly one of the most important roles that those in public office can perform. It is also a hugely complex area and one where the pendulum can swing from a focus on keeping all children safe to a focus on protecting children from abuse. At times it feels as though the pendulum swings too far and we can lose sight of who is responsible for what and where accountabilities lie in safeguarding and protecting children.
The last five years have seen a massive change in children's services in the UK. The death of Victoria Climbie resulted in the Children Act 2004 and led to a large scale transformation of children's services. The shock wave following the high profile reporting of the death of Baby P means that children's services are again in the spotlight and under pressure to 'do things differently'.
