Child Protection: A Critical Literature Review

This paper presents a critical literature review in the field of child protection, analyzing the role of social workers and different approaches for child protection.

Running head: CHILD PROTECTION
Child Protection
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author note:

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Table of Contents
Introduction................................................................................................................................3
Literature Review.......................................................................................................................3
Child Protection.....................................................................................................................3
The Challenge........................................................................................................................4
The role of social workers in Child protection.......................................................................6
Several different approaches for Child protection.................................................................8
Conclusion..................................................................................................................................9
References:...............................................................................................................................11

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Introduction
The Children’s Bureau of Australia has understood and supported the crucial role of
the child welfare workforce for helping the several vulnerable families ever since the
inception. The early focus of the social work practises was the safety of the children and their
protection and this has evolved gradually into child protection and child welfare practise that
valued the vitality of the various different professional skills required for changing the lives
of the dependent and vulnerable children. The Children’s Bureau supports the professional
social work in child development and welfare along with the early and the ongoing
commitment of the social work to child welfare that led to a very close alignment of the child
welfare and social work practises. The social work professionals have formed a professional
bases of children welfare workforce and has consistently worked towards demonstrating
active commitment for the well-being of families and children.
This paper shall elaborate on presenting a critical literature review in the field of child
protection and would outline the critiques of the conventional social work practice. It would
compare and contrast critical social work practice theories, approaches and models analysing
their application in organisational, social and cultural contexts.
Literature Review
Child Protection
As claimed by Allan, Briskman and Pease (2009), child protection refers to the
protection of the children from exploitation, violence, neglect and abuse that they face from
their families and societies. UNICEF (United Nations International Children's Emergency
Fund) has used the term “child protection” for referring to the response and prevention of
children from violence and abuse that include their commercial sexual exploitation, child
labour practices, harmful traditional practices like child marriage and child trafficking. It

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defines child protection as “the set of laws, policies, regulations and services needed across
all social sectors – especially social welfare, education, health, security and justice – to
support prevention and response to protection-related risks” (Gilbert, Parton and Skivenes
2011). In Article 19 of the UN Convention on Rights of the Child, the protection of the
children world-wide, both in and out of their home is provided (Beigbeder 2017). It is to
mention that are several child protection systems world-wide that contains the set of
government run services, especially designed for protecting the youngsters and children who
are underage (below the age of 18 years) in order to encourage and promote family stability.
Children in near about each and every country and every culture and at every
economic and social level are at the risk of facing violence that included both emotional and
physical abuse, exploitation, trafficking, negligence and deliberate deprivation. The children
who are living in the communities and in households are impacted by the natural disasters,
conflicts, global pandemics such as HIV and AIDS are often at the high risk of violence and
abuse from their surroundings (Fook 2016). This negatively influence their potential of
thriving as an adult member of the society that they live in. In the year 1908 in Australia, the
Children Act 1908 was introduced followed by the Children and Young Person Act 1920.
They provided some sets of laws for protecting the young people and children during the
early twentieth century. Again in 1933, the Children and Young Person Act 1933,
consolidated all the laws into a single one. They were later consolidated into the education,
welfare, employment and health of the state by the Children Act 1989. However,
internationally, all the principles were then embodies in the United Nations Conventions on
the Children Rights.
The Challenge
As per Bissell (2016), more than half of the children in the world have experienced
severe violence in the year 2017. It has been found that about 64% of the Children facing

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violence belong to South Asian part. It is to state that violence on children comprise of all
types of violence including sexual, emotional and physical violence and at the same time,
Banks et al. (2017) exemplify this violence as negligence as well. It can either take place in
home or on street or even in any of their care facility. According to Ife (2012), it might also
take place as a result of the presumed protective mechanism. It may even be interpersonal and
may result in structures which promote and allow violence. In South Asian countries, more
than 50% of women belonging from the age range of 20 to 24 years are married as a child.
Married as child have a long term impact on the social, health, well-being and the educational
level of these children. They face high risks of fulfilment of the human rights and the
sustainable development. According to the recent survey by Bissell (2016), only 62% of the
South Asian children belonging from the age of five years are registered or have their birth
certificates. According to Bigby and Frawley (2010), being registered is the first recognition
of a person before the law. In absence of this, it might restrict the access of protection of a
child to the various different services and participation in the society.
It can happen that children are separated from their own families during the times of
any crisis. They may also be places and separated inappropriately in the foster care or any
other child care institution because of the perception of the family needs and sometimes, for
more illicit reasons. However, it is to note that in any child care institution, the well-being of
the children is the most at the risk with the wide range of institutional care that lack in the
required stimulus for a child for thriving and if separated for the different range of illicit
reason could be subjected to abuse and exploitation. With the same, Ferguson, Loakimidis
and Lavalette (2018) in this context have also claimed that children could be in contact with
the different justice system as a witness, offender or as a victim. Still, it should be noted that
the justice system is more often structured for dealing with the adults and not allowing the
required space for the children to participate. Bissell (2016) have opined that a child,

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especially when he or she is a victim, needs some additional safeguards for understanding the
proceedings. Violence against the children is highly wide spread. It is pervasive and it still
remains as a hard reality in the contemporary world of huge advancements and improvements
for billions and billions of Children world-wide. This further has a long term consequences
on the lives of these children. It is to note that in Asian countries, about 12% of the children
belonging from the age range of 5 to 14 years are involved in Child labour and this is equals
to more than 41 millions of children. These children are used in certain severe types of child
labour like the child soldiers and bonder labour. With the same, many of them are also
involved in the works like carpet weaving, domestic service, brick kilns, garment making,
mining and fishery activities. As per Allan, Briskman and Pease (2009), the repercussions to
their education and health are permanent.
The role of social workers in Child protection
According to Macfarlane, Morley and Ablett (2014), the child welfare social workers
investigate the allegations of neglect, abuse and the maltreatments done against the children
to locate them with the poor living conditions. They are highly responsible for a wide number
of different types of services that are especially designed for helping the families and the
children to cope up with the many hardships and difficulties that they face. They are often
been employed by the State governments. As claimed by Fook (2016), the social workers
provide some direct services to these children and families and develop programs for
influencing the social policies that are basically aimed towards protecting the children,
preserving the vulnerable families and strengthening the nets of the social safety. Bigby and
Frawley (2010) in this context have stated that the child welfare work revolves around
safeguarding the most vulnerable members of the country. The children whose own families
fail to protect them, provide essentials and care for them, face a huge range of risks and
challenges that could range right from neglect to death. They face high risks of fulfilment of

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the human rights and the sustainable development and are separated from their own families
during the times of any crisis. They may also be places and separated inappropriately in the
foster care or any other child care institution because of the perception of the family needs
and sometimes, for more illicit reasons. Most of them are used in certain severe types of child
labour like the child soldiers and bonder labour (Bissell 2016). It is also to note that the
children who come to the light or attention of the children welfare system often have their
childhoods affected by negligence, poverty, parental substance, physical or psychological
abuse and violence. In order to ensure children safety, working with the broken families and
identifying the alternative permanent and temporary families is important to take into
consideration.
The shortage of the explicit reference to the requirement for the social workers or the
role of social workers in the international and domestic laws, the policies or the conventions
on the issue of child protection in not significant in that (Morley 2016). It is to note that the
effective implementation of the domestic public policies and the international treaties on
children on the move would be met the best by means of using the expertise of the social
workers. According to Allan, Briskman and Pease (2009), the use of the social workers in this
context is paramount. They play a great role to ensure that the children are protected and safe
as they return or leave their country of origin. Ferguson, Loakimidis and Lavalette (2018) in
this context have claimed that it is important to be noted that the concept of “best interest” of
the children is viewed differently by all the legal professionals as compared to the social
work professionals. However, it does not mean that along with transparent communication in
place and cooperation decisions regarding the best and proper final results for each and every
child cannot be reached. It is very important to ensure that every stakeholder in the whole
process do understand completely the various different implications of their work and the
best ways of retaining the children centred focus in case of every individual.

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Several different approaches for Child protection
Violence against the children or the under aged people is a critical concern for most of
the vulnerable boys and girls present in each and every community. One of the approaches of
fighting this issue is that of the World Vision’s Child Protection Approach. It strengthens the
potential and the multi-sectorial collaboration in between the informal and the formal actors
for addressing the root causes for strengthening the protection of the boys and girls from the
violence. UNICEF has also initiated a process for moving to a more systemic approach in its
child protection programming (Beigbeder 2017). It is to note that one cannot decrease the
total number of children who are living on the streets of the countries without engaging with
the problems that they face at their home or in their respective schools as the could explain
their true situation. The children who face the challenge of being tortured, trafficked, might
also be disables in the conflict with the laws and at the same time, experience violence at
their homes. It is very important to understanding the underlying reasons behind these
situations or theirs and addressing the interconnectedness. It is also to mention in this context
that the child protection system seeks for addressing the full spectrum of the risk factors in
the lives of every children and their families. With the partners, comprising of the
government and the non-government organisations, the actors of the civil society as well as
the private sector, UNICEF helps in promoting the strengthening all the components of the
systems of child protection- the laws, finance, monitoring and services, human resources,
governance etc. (Gilbert, Parton and Skivenes 2011) These systems cut the across one of the
part of the education, security, social welfare and the health sectors.
Also, the first ever global strategy of the Plan International on the child protection
programming gives a clear direction and at the same time, mandate for the companies for
actualising the right to protection from the violence for all the children, in the process of

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development and the emergency setting. This strategy has set out a robust agenda for the
global organisations for aiding towards strengthening the national child protection system in
its programme nations, by recognising that the communities, families, civil society,
government and the children are an integral or the key part of these type of system. Although
every Australian territory and state has its own system of child protection, the main
components of these system are greatly similar (Banks et al. 2017). The statutory child
protection services are all operated by the government departments that are purpose specific
and they are staffed by the professionals with the social work and the other comparable
levels. They comprise of three components and they are- case management, intake and
investigation. The Children’s Bureau of Australia has understood and supported the crucial
role of the child welfare workforce for helping the several vulnerable families ever since the
inception (Bissell 2016). The early focus of the social work practises was the safety of the
children and their protection and this has evolved gradually into child protection and child
welfare practise that valued the vitality of the various different professional skills required for
changing the lives of the dependent and vulnerable children.
Conclusion
From the above analysis it is to conclude that as the energies and resources are
invested in the vital task of maintaining and building the child welfare workforce, more
attention and focus is required to be paid to the various different factors which support the
professional foundation for the work. Children in near about each and every country and
every culture and at every economic and social level are at the risk of facing violence that
included both emotional and physical abuse, exploitation, trafficking, negligence and
deliberate deprivation. They face high risks of fulfilment of the human rights and the
sustainable development and are separated from their own families during the times of any
crisis. They may also be places and separated inappropriately in the foster care or any other

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child care institution because of the perception of the family needs and sometimes, for more
illicit reasons. Most of them are used in certain severe types of child labour like the child
soldiers and bonder labour. With the same, many of them are also involved in the works like
carpet weaving, domestic service, brick kilns, garment making, mining and fishery activities.
Hence, it is high time to take the necessary actions. Although there are several approaches
taken on a global basis in order to cope up with the issue as soon as possible, still, a more
sustained and strong approach is very necessary to take into consideration in a n international
level. Social workers have a great role to play in this context.

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References:
Allan, J., Briskman, L. and Pease, B., 2009. Critical social work: Theories and practices for a
socially just world.
Banks, L.M., Kelly, S.A., Kyegombe, N., Kuper, H. and Devries, K., 2017. “If he could
speak, he would be able to point out who does those things to him”: Experiences of violence
and access to child protection among children with disabilities in Uganda and Malawi. PloS
one, 12(9), p.e0183736.
Beigbeder, Y., 2017. International Public Health: Patients' Rights Vs. the Protection of
Patents. Routledge.
Bigby, C. and Frawley, P., 2010. Social work practice and intellectual disability.
Bissell, S.L., 2016. Mental health and psychosocial support for children in the Ebola
epidemic: UNICEF Child Protection. The Psychosocial Aspects of a Deadly Epidemic: What
Ebola Has Taught Us about Holistic Healing: What Ebola Has Taught Us about Holistic
Healing, p.51.
Cournoyer, B.R., 2016. The social work skills workbook. Cengage Learning.
Ferguson, I., Ioakimidis, V. and Lavalette, M., 2018. Global social work in a political
context: Radical perspectives. Policy Press.
Fook, J., 2016. Social work: A critical approach to practice. Sage.
Gilbert, N., Parton, N. and Skivenes, M. eds., 2011. Child protection systems: International
trends and orientations. OUP USA.

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Ife, J., 2012. Human rights and social work: Towards rights-based practice. Cambridge
University Press.
Macfarlane, S.I., Morley, C. and Ablett, P., 2014. Engaging with Social Work: A critical
introduction.
Morley, C., 2016. Engaging with social work: a critical introduction.