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Concepts of Adversity, Risk, Vulnerability and Resilience: A Discussion in the Context of the ‘Child Protection System’

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 March 2010

Brigid Daniel
Brigid Daniel*
Affiliation:
Department of Applied Social Science, University of Stirling E-mail: b.m.daniel@stir.ac.uk
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Abstract

This paper explores the concepts of adversity, risk, vulnerability and resilience in the context of child protection systems with the aim of contributing to the debate about the ways in which risk of ‘harm’ and ‘abuse’ are conceptualised at different stages of the lifespan and in relation to different groups of people. The recent developments in the policy and legislative framework for state intervention on behalf of children in the UK are described and linked with an exploration of the underlying assumptions about abuse and neglect. Concepts of adversity, risk, vulnerability and resilience and the ways in which the complexity of the routes and pathways to ‘harm’ pose a challenge to the current UK state protective system are discussed.

Type
Themed Section on ‘Harm’, ‘Abuse’, Agency and Resilience Across the Lifespan
Information
Social Policy and Society , Volume 9 , Issue 2 , April 2010 , pp. 231 - 241
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2010

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