Child Protection

The aim of this text is to help the midwife to recognize and deal with child protection issues as they arise. It incorporates an interpretation of the Children Act 1989, regarding child protection. The topics covered include: how babies attach to their mother/parents and what characteristics develop if this is not adequate; what to look for in parents which may make you suspicious about their capabilities to parent their child adequately; how to trigger off child protection procedures; categories for inclusion in the Child Protection Register and how a child becomes deregistered; how to cope at a Child Protection case conference and how to cope in court; the roles and responsibilites of the differing agencies involved in child protection; the Children Act 1989 and its role in child protection; and some case histories and how they were resolved.