Decisions, Tasks and Uncertainties in Child Protection Work

This paper explores the full character of the task of engaging in child protection work and emphasizes the pressures which even experienced social workers encounter when called upon to make decisions in the course of such work. What is said is based on what emerged from a series of workshops with experienced, competent, specialist child protection workers. We come to the view that a systematic approach involving asking onself questions and seeking to answer them helps to work effectively on the task and to counteract inherent stressors. Training, access to supervision and support, and structural solutions, all important, can be directed to establishing and maintaining such an approach