Source: (2002) Child Care in Practice. 8(2):127-132.
Revised guidance on child protection will shortly be issued in Northern Ireland
by the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety (DHSSPS). Although
reference is made in that document to the needs of both victims and those who abuse other
children, it also points to the requirement for separate inter-agency guidance. This paper,
which was delivered to a conference at Newcastle, Co Down on 27 February 2002, sets the
policy context whereby leadership from the department, clear guidance and a range of practice
intervention ranging from prosecution to restorative and family group conferencing should
result in: victims feeling that their needs have been considered; those children who abuse and
their families experiencing fairness and facing appropriate accountability; and professionals
understanding and fulfilling their role in the adjudication, assessment and programme
delivery which deals with the abusive behaviour and also in meeting the child’s other needs. (author’s abstract).
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