Practitioner accounts of responding to parent abuse – a case study in ad hoc delivery, perverse outcomes and a policy silence

The online version of this journal article in Child and Family Social Work is now available. Amanda Holt and Simon Retford examine and discuss the ad hoc responses of nine particular practitioners, in one large county in England, to instances of parent abuse in their caseloads. Without clear guidance or a national strategy there is a sense that people must “make do”.

“The study concludes with suggestions for change for the benefit of families who seek support but who currently find little effective response.”