Quote of the Day

	There are dangers associated with a preoccupation with risk in informing child protection decision making. Risk is frequently defined not only negatively, but also narrowly. This may, in part, stem from tight eligibility criteria for services (Calder, 2002). Approaches to risk tend to pathologise individuals and locate risk factors intrinsic to them or their immediate environment. It often avoids considering risks arising from wider social, economic or political factors, or indeed the risks from the protective intervention itself (such as stigmatisation). Given the tight resource situation facing local government at present, many services are now allocated according to their perceived risk, thus requiring workers to emphasise risks rather than strengths in arguing for resources for their clients. In the climate of eligibility criteria, it is a restricted range of factors that define high risk, notably those associated with protection rather than the safeguarding or promoting of a child’s needs. Directing services only at those identified as high-risk also removes the potential benefit of preventative intervention. Social work becomes the last line of defence. The strategy is essentially reactive, allowing service reductions to create risk for some, with the deployment of resources only when a state of high risk is reached. The danger here is that ‘control’ replaces ‘welfare’ (Calder, 1995). Parton (1996) argues that intrinsic to this approach is a ‘blame’ culture. Greater preoccupation with risk leads to increased organisational defensiveness and reliance on procedures, diminishing the room for professional manoeuvre, and culminating in a reduced willingness and ability on the part of professionals to take risks. The fear of being held responsible if a negative outcome occurs acts as a disincentive to risk taking. There is an argument that we need to move towards a tolerance of risk and uncertainty within a risk-taking framework, to allow individual workers some latitude to decide on the levels of risk taking in individual cases. We need to move towards a position of viewing risk taking as a positive, creative and proactive process. This requires a cultural change.
	MARTIN CALDER Calder, M.C. (2002) A framework for conducting risk assessment. Child care in Practice, Vol.8 No.1 pp.7–18