The Protective Environment of Children: Towards a framework for anti-oppressive, cross-cultural and cross national understanding

Abstract

SUMMARY The article explores the strengths and limitations of existing cross-cultural, cross national and anti-discriminatory theory and research in the child protection field. The way in which structural, cultural, personal and inter-personal factors combine to create the child's protective environment is analysed and a framework for an integrated approach to anti-oppressive understanding and practice is suggested. The framework identifies four factors whose impact at national, community and family levels needs particular consideration. These factors are the value attached to children, the status of women and carers, the social interconnectedness of children and carers, and the extent and quality of the protective safety nets available. Examples are provided to illustrate the framework's usefulness in practice. It is argued that child protection theory and practice in Britain needs to take more account of collective and community based approaches if anti-oppressive and user-empowering practice is to be achieved. British social workers are now legally and professionally mandated to attend to discrimination and to racial and cultural diversity in undertak ing professional child-care tasks (the Children Act 1989 (England and Wales), Sec. 22(5); CCETSW, 1989). Over the past few years writings and research on child-care practice have begun to explore these areas (Parton, 1985; Ahmed et al., 1986; Macleod and Saraga, 1988; Violence Against Children Study Group, 1990). In the field of child