The police role in the management of child protection services

The involvement of police in child protection services has undergone substantial changes since the mid 1970s when there was a dramatic increase in emphasis placed on interagency coordination and cooperation. However, the literature on child protection, whilst addressing issues of how agencies work together in individual cases of abuse, says very little about how the services available for abused children and their families are jointly managed. This article first explores the historical development of police involvement in child protection and goes on to examine the findings of relevance to the police role of a Review of Area Child Protection Committees in Wales. Area Child Protection Committees are interagency bodies carrying the responsibility to coordinate child protection services at local level. The findings suggest that the very strong relationship between police forces and social services may be a powerful influence driving the policy emphasis in child protection to focus on investigation to the exc...