Beyond Blame

Whenever there is news of another child abuse death, the public asks why?' And despite the time, expense and heartache expended on child abuse inquiries, little of practical value seems to emerge. Beyond Blame is the first book to summarise all major inquiries since 1973, and to set them in their social context. The authors, a psychiatrist, a psychologist and a social worker, draw on their experience in child protection work to make sense of the bewildering, inconsistent and tragic behaviour which these inquiries so graphically illustrate. They stress the need for those who work day to day in child protection to develop and apply a more sophisticated level of analysis to assessment and intervention. They identify common themes within abusing families, in the relationships between members of the professional networks, and in the interactions between the families and the professionals. In particular, they show that the psychological aspects of professional collaboration are as vital to working well together as the need for sound organisational structures. Beyond Blame offers a way of looking at fatal child abuse cases from which it is possible to draw important lessons.
The authors' insights will be of direct practical value to all professionals involved in child protection, including social workers, psychologists, and child psychiatrists as well as to policy makers such as managers and politicians.