Terry McCarthy is a qualified social worker with over 30 years' experience in children's services. He has held senior management posts and has worked as an independent consultant for social work departments. He now runs Impact for Children Ltd, which provides consultancy and training for local authorities on developing effective safeguarding practice, www.impactforchildren.com.

The author provides a useful commentary on what professionals in children and families social work might expect to encounter in terms of contemporary practice issues. The book is grounded in practice, rather than theory, which is a huge advantage to the reader as it is authentic in terms of coming from the direct experience of a practitioner with a proven track record in the field. Readers will surely benefit from McCarthy's insights and tips when journeying into this territory.

• Introduction. Terminology. 1. Background and Current Environment. 1.1. The level of need and risk. 1.2. Lessons which have been identified. 1.3. Attempts to address these lessons. 1.4. The context of safeguarding. 1.5. The current environment. 1.6. Conclusion: Developing direct effective safeguarding. 2. Step One: Establish a Culture which Enables and Leads. 2.1. Ensuring that the best interests of children are met. 2.2. Developing learning and positive change. 2.3. Developing healthy and effective relationships. 2.4. Styles of authority. 2.5. Responsibility and accountability. 2.6. Clarity of purpose and performance management. 2.7. Summary of Step One. 3. Step Two: Develop a Stable, Skilled and Confident Workforce. 3.1. Emotional challenges, dilemmas and conflicts. 3.2. Supporting and developing practitioners. 3.3. Practitioner capabilities. 3.4. Manager capability. 3.5. Ensuring safety of practitioners. 3.6. Developing relationships with partner agencies. 3.7. Summary of Step Two. 4. Step Three: Enable Families to Change. 4.1. Continuous evaluation of risks and solutions. 4.2. Effective approaches with families. 4.3. Working with children. 4.4. Summary of Step Three. Appendix A: Checklist for social workers appraisal based on the PCF capabilities. Appendix B. Additional skill areas for managers. Appendix C. managing incidents of unacceptable behaviour. Appendix D. Contents of letters to families to clarify the nature and expectations of involvement. References.

Terry McCarthy is a qualified social worker with over 30 years' experience in children's services. He has held senior management posts and has worked as an independent consultant for social work departments. He now runs Impact for Children Ltd, which provides consultancy and training for local authorities on developing effective safeguarding practice, www.impactforchildren.com.

The author provides a useful commentary on what professionals in children and families social work might expect to encounter in terms of contemporary practice issues. The book is grounded in practice, rather than theory, which is a huge advantage to the reader as it is authentic in terms of coming from the direct experience of a practitioner with a proven track record in the field. Readers will surely benefit from McCarthy's insights and tips when journeying into this territory.

• Introduction. Terminology. 1. Background and Current Environment. 1.1. The level of need and risk. 1.2. Lessons which have been identified. 1.3. Attempts to address these lessons. 1.4. The context of safeguarding. 1.5. The current environment. 1.6. Conclusion: Developing direct effective safeguarding. 2. Step One: Establish a Culture which Enables and Leads. 2.1. Ensuring that the best interests of children are met. 2.2. Developing learning and positive change. 2.3. Developing healthy and effective relationships. 2.4. Styles of authority. 2.5. Responsibility and accountability. 2.6. Clarity of purpose and performance management. 2.7. Summary of Step One. 3. Step Two: Develop a Stable, Skilled and Confident Workforce. 3.1. Emotional challenges, dilemmas and conflicts. 3.2. Supporting and developing practitioners. 3.3. Practitioner capabilities. 3.4. Manager capability. 3.5. Ensuring safety of practitioners. 3.6. Developing relationships with partner agencies. 3.7. Summary of Step Two. 4. Step Three: Enable Families to Change. 4.1. Continuous evaluation of risks and solutions. 4.2. Effective approaches with families. 4.3. Working with children. 4.4. Summary of Step Three. Appendix A: Checklist for social workers appraisal based on the PCF capabilities. Appendix B. Additional skill areas for managers. Appendix C. managing incidents of unacceptable behaviour. Appendix D. Contents of letters to families to clarify the nature and expectations of involvement. References.