Protecting children: Messages from Europe

This text looks at the different systems of child welfare and child protection in six countries - Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Holland and the UK. The systems are compared and contrasted, outlining the problems of balancing family support and child protection. What do we really mean when we say "child centred"? What sort of support might a family find helpful? What is "working in partnership" and who are the partners? These are some of the questions raised by the comparison made with the systems in the countries mentioned. The book looks at the possibility of reinterpreting the dilemmas of English practice in the light of these comparisons, and considers how use might be made ot the messages from abroad to develop family support without losing child protection.