Citation

Masson J. J. Law Soc. 2006; 33(2): 221-243.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2006, John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1111/j.1467-6478.2006.00356.x

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

The inquiry into the death of Victoria Climbié was portrayed as the most wide-ranging inquiry into failure to protect a child. It was instrumental in the development of the new safeguarding agenda and joined-up children's services in the Children Act 2004. Both its process and outcome appear to fit with New Labour's agenda for joined-up government. A social constructionist analysis reveals it as a narrower project which ignored key issues and failed to make links between government policy, the law, and local authority action. Three issues -i) parental responsibility, ii) treating intra-family child abuse as a crime, and Hi) local authorities' responsibilities for family support -exemplify the inquiry's restrictive approach and the impossibility of joined-up services if central government seeks to retain authority without taking responsibility. Despite its success in changing policy, the Climbie Report shows again the inadequacy of such inquiries as a basis for reform.

Language: en