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56 Prob. J. 5 (2009)

handle is hein.journals/probj56 and id is 1 raw text is: Probation Editorial The Journal of Community and Criminal Justice Copyright © 2009 NAPO Vol 56(1): 5-8 DOI: 10.1177/0264550509102269 www.napo.org.uk http://prb.sagepub.com A broken profession or a broken society? Only four nations have fewer child murders per head of the population than the UK and when averaged out over many years official statistics show no upward trend in the numbers of child murders (Eaton, 2008). Yet, a number of high profile child protection cases in recent months have once again placed the spotlight on those tasked with safeguarding the most vulnerable within society and has inevitably led to another cycle of tragedy, media outcry and knee-jerk policy reaction. Amidst the perceived failures and the resulting vilification of social workers, reports describe a profession under-resourced and demoralized, overwhelmed with desperate cases and relying heavily on agency staff to fulfil its duties. Faced with the possibility of hostile parents and fearful of undertaking home visits; 'apparent or disguised cooperation from parents often prevented or delayed understanding of the severity of harm to the child, and cases drifted' (Cooper, 2008). The central thrust of the government's 'Every Child Matters' agenda has been to attempt to improve the well-being of all children. The Children Act 2004 placed a 'duty to cooperate' on organizations working with children and young people. This led to the creation of children's trusts in every local authority, combining education and social services. In language that accords with the introduction of NOMS, the Children's Trust web site (www.everychildmatters.gov.uk) talks of 'the concept of the totality of change needed to deliver better and more responsive integrated services'. This builds on the findings of the Laming Report (Laming, 2003) into the circumstances surrounding the death of Victoria Climbi6 which highlighted the difficulties in communication between different departments, and focused on the need for better administration and information exchange. It recom- mended the establishment of a national child database, on the assumption that a comprehensive register would ensure greater coordination and thereby lead to fewer errors. In practice it has increased the amount of paperwork social workers are required to complete (and for managers to monitor); 'giving them even less time to spend with families - the only means by which they can really detect abuse' (Batty, 2008). Similar processes in contemporary probation practice have been described by previous contributors to this journal in that 'The target-driven politi- cal climate and the continued and increasing emphasis on monitoring, form-filling and paperwork, whilst recognized as a crucial and integral part of work in a statu- tory criminal justice sector, is for some resulting in a high level of frustration and 5

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