Effective child protection practice in England: legislation, barriers and strategies

Since 1973, a series of cases of children known to health and social care services who died of abuse and neglect have highlighted repeated failures of public agencies to work together to protect children exposed to intrafamilial harm. Despite child protection systems and procedures designed to facilitate interagency working and the sharing of information, professionals working with children may still not have an adequate understanding of their role in the child protection process. This article explores lessons that can be learned from the past 50 years. It reminds nurses of their child protection responsibilities and provides an overview of key sections of the legislation pertaining to safeguarding and child protection. The article also discusses the barriers nurses typically face when trying to identify and protect children exposed to, or at risk of, neglect and abuse, and strategies they can employ to maintain child-centred practice.