THE CHILDREN ACT DEFINITION OF SIGNIFICANT HARM - INTERPRETATIONS IN PRACTICE

Findings from a research study commissioned by the Department of Healt h into children in need of protection are used as a basis for the expl oration of interpretations of the Children Act 1989 definition of 'sig nificant harm'. Particular attention is paid to thresholds for interve ntion introduced by the England and Wales Children Act 1989 and its ac companying guidance and to decisions made at child protection conferen ces. The findings are linked to those from studies which preceded the Act and to more recent discussions about the relationship between serv ices to children 'in need' and those to children 'in need of protectio n'. A cohort of 105 cases was identified and an examination made of th e different ways in which they were processed through the system and d ecisions made that the children were suffering or likely to suffer sig nificant harm. Conclusions are drawn about the adequacy of the Childre n Act definitions and post-Children Act practice for protecting childr en and for the allocation of resources to those most in need of them. The authors note variations in the extent to which individual social w orkers and social work teams in the areas studied have incorporated th e new concepts of the Children Act into their practice. This applies p articularly to the extent to which they plan their work around previou s abusive actions of parents or their assessment of likely future harm to the child.