Publisher's Synopsis
This book traces the history of child protection conferences from the 1940s to the present day and examines some of the dilemmas likely to affect the people who chair conferences. It considers the impact of the Department of Health guidelines 'Working Together' on the conferences, and the task of chairing in the light of the literature of group-work, decision-making and leadership skills. - - The data from interviews with the chairs is examined and the overview contains the chairsÆ reports of what they aimed to do, what they said they did and whether the two were similar. - - The book provides a detailed picture of what chairing child protection conferences is like in the 1990s. It reveals the wide diversity of problems and difficulties faced by the chairs, as well as their solutions for dealing with them. Process and outcome are commented upon and suggestions are made for good practice in chairing.
