Publisher's Synopsis
The collaborative work of a group of social work practitioners and academics, this important new book explores the core issues and debates surrounding child abuse and child protection. Among these are the nature of abuse; violence; sexual violence; sexuality; the problematic relation between child sexual and other forms of abuse. These central issues are debated within a framework of broad social themes - the changing form of the state, state power, and state regulation - and with reference to the impact and role of gender, race, ethnicity, class, and age. Consideration is also given to the important contribution made by feminism and critical social theory, and to the demand for theory and practice that is sensitive to race and gender. Together these elements produce a book which, throughout, makes explicit the vital relationships between social theory, politics, and practice; which develops a range of important insights into the problems surrounding child abuse, and indicates the implications of current debates in every day professional practice.
