Childcare with gloves on: Protecting children and young people in residential care

Abuse of young people in out-of-home care has caused international public a nd professional concern over the last fifteen years. Although research has been undertaken to identify factors that are likely to contribute to a safe r environment for young people, little consideration has been given to the impact of abuse scandals on workers' perceptions of what constitutes abusiv e behaviour. This paper presents the findings of a study undertaken in thre e residential children's units in one local authority which sought to explo re this area and considers two key findings which raise issues for the soci al work profession. These are, first, that the perception of abusive behavi our was in the main determined in terms of the workforce's own vulnerabilit y to allegations. Secondly, staff found it difficult to conceive of a colle ague as a potential perpetrator of abuse. The paper concludes by evaluating recent government policy documents in the light of the study findings.