Contemporary Risk Assessment in Safeguarding Children

by Calder, Martin C.; Thakker, Jo; Ward, Tony; Vess, James; Longo, Robert E.; Kennington, Roger; weld, Nicki; Kemshall, Hazel; Graybeal, Clay; Clarke, Jo; Heasman, Phillip; Hollows, Anne; Konrad, Shelley C; Beckett, Chris; Davies, Liz; Devaney, John; Smith,

• ISBN13: 9781905541201
• ISBN10: 1905541201
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2008-03-03
• Publisher: Russell House Publishing

Summary

This book is for anyone involved in the protection and safeguarding of children and young people. At all levels, risk and risk assessment are key concerns and preoccupations. Yet, across and within the various concerned professional groups, there is an inadequate knowledge base to inform practice. There is no official guidance, not even a shared agreement on what 'risk' means. The book's varied and illuminating perspectives help refine the exercise of professional judgement in estimating and managing uncertainties prospectively, rather than being judged retrospectively. It will direct professional progress towards risk assessments that are evidence-based, comprehensive, and equitable; risk management strategies with levels of intrusion commensurate to levels of risk; and greater shared understanding of terminology. Contemporary Risk Assessment in Safeguarding Children also examines dilemmas in daily decision-making, considering how lack of guidance leads to inconsistency and how differences in approach cause tension and confusion. It examines emerging dilemmas around rights, protection, and responsibilities; and offers some contemporary risk assessment frameworks.

Table of Contents

Preface	p. vii
About the Contributors	p. xi
Acknowledgements	p. xv
Introduction	p. xvii
Contextual Considerations
From Child Protection to Child Safety: Locating Risk Assessment in the Changing Landscape	p. 3
Challenging Output Based Performance Management in Child Protection	p. 15
Reclaiming the Language of Child Protection: Mind the Gap Family Support Versus Child Protection: Exposing the Myth	p. 25
Risk, Uncertainty and Thresholds	p. 40
Professional Judgement and the Risk Assessment Process	p. 52
Professional Dangerousness: Causes and Contemporary Features	p. 61
Dimensions of Risk: Professionals Tipping the Balance?	p. 97
Organisational Dangerousness: Causes, Consequences and Correctives	p. 119
Promoting Professional Resilience	p. 166
Operational Considerations
Strengths-based Child Assessment: Locating Possibility and Transforming the Paradigm	p. 185
Actuarial and Clinical Risk Assessment: Contrasts, Comparisons and Collective Usages	p. 198
Risk and Child Protection	p. 206
The Three Houses Tool: Building Safety and Positive Change	p. 224
Risk Assessment in Adult Sex Offenders	p. 232
Young People Who Sexually Abuse: Risk Refinement and Conceptual Developments	p. 240
Risk in Treatment: From Relapse Prevention to Wellness	p. 254
Cultural Considerations Within Risk Assessments	p. 266
Involuntary Clients and Risk Assessment: Contextual Mapping to Inform Practice Responses	p. 279
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