England: attempting to learn from mistakes in an increasingly 'risk-averse' professional context

A discussion of the response to errors and mistakes in child protection from Maria Colwell to the recent cases of Baby P (Peter Connelly) and Ellie Butler. The chapter contrasts the response to errors associated with court decisions and those by local authority social workers, noting that courts have remained aloof from any of the processes introduced to learn from and avoid errors. The chapter considers how politicians and the media have harnessed scandals to blame social workers, and how this has contributed negatively to improving responses to children needing protection and their families.