Introduction

The main argument of this book has been that the cycle of crisis and reform in child protection is driven by collective emotions that do political work. I have shown how emotions are reflected and activated through political rhetoric, the media and official documents. Emotions in this sense are structured, embedded in institutions and stratified. These emotional structures are now so deeply rooted in our political and cultural life that it might be assumed that they are fixed and impervious to change. However, I argue that this is far from true. The aim of this final chapter is to show how the current form of emotional politics can be challenged and how a different emotional politics might take its place. The main focus of the chapter is the British context. However, many of the recommendations I make about the power of alliances and new forms of public and political engagement to create change will apply in other contexts too.

Social work has a vital role to play in producing the changes that are necessary and as a social work academic this is the main constituency I am addressing in this chapter. However, I also argue that change is only possible through alliances with others who have a stake in the child protection system. The most problematic of these constituencies, and the one I argue we should be less concerned about than we are at present, is the media. The most important constituency comprises the parents and children who come into contact with child welfare or protection services or who might do so in future. This is the broader ‘we’ addressed by this chapter. The most powerful of the constituencies includes the politicians whose rhetoric and actions I have shown to be of such profound importance in shaping emotional politics. I argue that closer engagement between social work and the political sphere is of vital importance. Finally, the chapter also engages with the wider political context to argue that the problem of social work and child protection is symptomatic of a bigger crisis, which lies in the relationship between the state and society.