Protecting Powers: Emergency Intervention for Children's Protection

Protecting powers provides a critical account of the development and current practice in emergency child protection, identifying good practice and proposals for reform. It is based on two major empirical studies, which combined quantitative and qualitative methods, conducted, between 1998 and 2004 and funded by NSPCC and Nuffield Foundation and explores the operation of the Children Act 1989, ss 44-46 in courts, local authorities and police services in England. These studies provide a rich account of practice from the perspectives of a wide range of professionals. The broader questions of professional accountability, and the limited ability of the courts to safeguard rights are also discussed.