Safeguarding Children and Young People: A Guide to Integrated Practice

Review by Sue Kennedy, Senior Lecturer in Social Work

Safeguarding children and young people: A guide to integrated practice by Steven Walker and Christina Thurston brings together key concepts and issues in children’s services and provides the reader with an easy accessible read. It achieves what it sets out in that it offers a practice manual for use and users can dip in and out with activities and exercises designed to stimulate thinking and promote learning. In particular, Chapter 9 discusses Reviewing and Ending Safely an area that is so often forgotten in the busy lives of practitioners who in the current climate of practice find themselves overwhelmed with the emphasis on meeting targets.

Each chapter is set out clearly with a context that includes a legislative framework, policies, procedures and government initiatives and sets the scene for the reader to explore and discuss the issues. The language used is accessible and helps the reader examine the relationship between the institutions, state, service delivery and potential outcomes for service users.

I think this book would be a good investment for practitioners who, if they get the time to do such things as reflect, will find the contents thought-provoking as well as informative to practice. I think it would be a valuable resource that hopefully will not sit on the shelf in the office.

As well as being a resource for social workers this book would be a helpful resource in health and education establishments.

As an educator I will certainly use the book to support student social workers undertaking the BA (Hons) Social Work and welcome the activities and exercises as a useful tool for the classroom.

Walker, S. and Thurston, C. (2006) Safeguarding children and young people: A guide to integrated practice

Russell House Publishing, Lyme Regis

ISBN  978-1-903855-90-4; 1-903855-90-X.