Child Protection and Mental Health Services

Nicky Stanley is a Senior Lecturer in Social Work and Bridget Penhale is a Lecturer in Social Work, both at the University of Hull. Dr Denise Riordan is a Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist based at the Fleming Nuffield Unit, Newcastle upon Tyne. Professor Rosaline S. Barbour is Chair of Health and Social Care at the University of Dundee. Sue Holden is a Research Associate at the Institute of Learning, University of Hull.

The publication of the child care inquiry into the death of Victoria Climbi has again emphasized the need for health and social care professionals to work collaboratively. The structure of both mental health services for adults and child care social work is based on a preoccupation with risk. However, this is increasingly being challenged by the policy thrusts towards community care in mental health services and prevention rather than protection in child care services following The Children's Act 1989. This book reports on research that examines inter-professional work with families in which mothers have a mental health problem and where there are also concerns about child protection. The authors argue that mental health and child care services need to be sufficiently flexible to meet the needs of these families and they put forward practical and new policy recommendations to help achieve this.

Mental health needs and mothering; The service context; Interprofessional work; The research study; Identifying key research issues; Mothers' perspectives; The mothers' evaluations of professional support; The professionals and their practice; Conceptualising needs and evaluating risk; Interprofessional communication and co-ordination; Identifying appropriate resources; Conclusion.