Safeguarding Young People

Focusing on young people and adolescence, this book explores the complexity of contemporary adolescent safeguarding. It highlights evidence-informed practice and innovation in this area at the work, serving as an accessible and invaluable resource for all working with and supporting young people facing risk and harm.

Core themes covered by the book are the nature of harms facing some young people, the potential pitfalls of some professional responses, and the current legal framework for safeguarding young people where harm occurs outside the family home. It includes an overview of adolescent development, and argues for a holistic, systemic response that addresses the structural disadvantage facing many young people at risk and incorporates participatory and trauma-informed practice designed to promote resilience. It draws on innovative approaches in local areas, such as Transitional Safeguarding, to make the case for a person-centred, evidence-informed and rights-based approach to safeguarding young people.
As well as being invaluable to practitioners, managers and strategic leaders working in this field, this is also ideally suited to be a text for any social work course or professional development programme on adolescent safeguarding practice.

Pages: 240

Testimonials

Professor Claudia Bernard, Goldsmiths, University of London, author of Intersectionality for Social Work: Introduction for Theory and Practice
“Safeguarding Young People: Risk, Rights, Resilience and Relationships provides some critical tools to challenge practitioners and policy makers to be curious about the lived experiences of young people exposed to intra-familial and extra-familial risks and harm. It brings together leading scholars, researchers and experts by experience, to interrogate the impact of structural inequalities for understanding young people’s experiences of harm. Comprehensive and insistent, this collection is essential reading for all those working in child welfare and safeguarding.“

Chris McLoughlin OBE, Director of Children’s Services, Stockport MBC
“Safeguarding Young People: Risk, Rights, Resilience and Relationships is insightful and profound. It presents important perspectives on some of the risks and opportunities surrounding adolescence and puberty. In particular, centrality of trusting relationships in a changing world shines through. The contribution of two young adults who have themselves experienced professional support services makes this an essential read. Truly understanding and absorbing the negative impact for young people that emanates from stereotyping, discrimination and poverty remains a relevant and important message that is considered in this book. It brings essential learning and research findings to the table, assisting our quest to better understand safeguarding in a complex environment.“