Child protection and anti-oppressive practice: The dynamics of partnership with parents explored

The paper begins by outlining briefly the impact of legislative changes in England and Wales following the implementation of the Children Act 1989 on the 14th October 1991. The Act was described by our Lord Chancellor, Lord Mackay as “the most comprehensive and far reaching reform of child law which has come before Parliament in living memory.” (Hansard, H.L. Vol. 502, col 488) The notion of parttnership is central to the Act; it is the intention that it should permeate all aspects of practice. This paper focuses on preventive practice and partnership with parents in cases involving child protection, issues of anti-oppresive practice are applied to the notion of partnership, and the balance between partnership on the one hand and collusive or oppresive practice on the other is explored. The implications of such an analysis for child prevention is then discussed with reference to a case example, and conclusions drawn.