Abstract
Is there a need for another book about safeguarding and if so, what might we want from it? In some ways this book would not seem to offer anything new in terms of what we do but what it does, and does very well, is to provoke thinking about the way we think about safeguarding and reflect on the meaning of the process. The structure of the individual chapters is helpful. Each begins by setting out the aims simply and clearly, using short points for reflection at the end of each section and then offering a summary before giving a shortlist of recommended further reading these never include more than three books. The book is divided into 10 chapters with a glossary of terms before the index and the reference list.
The first chapter sets the overall tone by looking at the concept of abuse as one that is socially constructed. There is a historical overview that sets this out clearly and then a consideration of how legislation also reflects the attitudes of the time. There is also some consideration given to changes in practice which have sometimes been scandal led and thus a reaction to prevailing attitudes and which, as a consequence, have tended to be poorly thought through and of the ‘something must be done’ variety.
This rehearsal of the notion of the socially constructed nature of abuse is then continued through the next three chapters covering issues such as communities of practice and shared understandings, and theoretical perspectives impacting on our understanding of abuse.
Chapter four takes two case studies offering a view of the impact of both celebrity and institutional power and seriously interrogates the issues surrounding the influence of high-status reputations in masking our ability to see what ought to be in front of our eyes. These cases are thought provoking. They challenge us to see these issues not as something consigned to the past, but as warnings to always question everything.
Other chapters consider assessment, child sexual exploitation, contextual safeguarding, and skills for safeguarding.
Chapter nine is one that might be of particular interest to the beginning social worker as it looks at essential safeguarding skills. This chapter takes us through the key steps in a clear and straightforward manner but always referring us to the centrality of the person in the process and warning that we need to avoid over bureaucratisation. It might seem that this is something that has been said before but here we are asked to seriously look afresh at the meaning of each interaction and to maintain an awareness that the work of safeguarding is always socially constructed and thus we too are part of the construction in the way we carry out our work. The need for critical reflection and critical application of the law is highlighted throughout. The book demands a thoughtful understanding of safeguarding not led by procedure but carried out with a clear understanding of the context of the work and its meaning.
This is an interesting book. It is not a book for beginners. My overarching sense at the end of it was that it felt like having been to a really good series of lectures, been challenged to be critical about some of the taken for granted issues in safeguarding and then finally, pointed towards some really useful and thought-provoking resources. If there is a central message in this book it is that the way we talk and think about something impacts on how we deal with it.