Risk is Risk in Child Protection!

I’ve been fortunate enough to work in the UK and here in Australia in frontline child protection, and I lead a team of incredible social workers delivering child protection services in New Zealand.

I’ve consulted with Japanese professors and lecturers in Social Work, teaching students from Japan about fostering and kinship care models, assessment, and training.

Recently, I was reflecting on how similar child protection is, regardless of the location, the legislation, or the landscape.

Risk is risk in child protection, no matter where you are.

The safety of children is paramount, no matter where you are.

Abuse, neglect and trauma have the same, lasting, life-long negative impacts if not met with robust support and resiliency-building factors such as positive relationships and healing opportunities.

And across all the places where I have worked or consulted, some of the same challenges ring true.

Challenges like a lack of lived experience voices, of resources and brokerage to make and bring about practical changes, of support and training for those engaged in the system – parents, carers and staff.

While the core principles of assessing risk in child protection—like ensuring a child's safety and well-being—are universally shared, the actual practices and frameworks used to implement these assessments can vary significantly across the globe.

Different countries have distinct laws, cultural norms, resources, and systemic approaches that influence how risk is evaluated and managed.

For example, the way professionals assess family dynamics, social pressures, or community support systems might differ based on local societal structures or cultural values.

In some countries, there might be a stronger emphasis on government intervention, while others focus more on community-based solutions.

I can appreciate that even definitions of "risk" and "neglect" can differ depending on local standards. There are, however, several consistent elements in risk assessment for child protection that transcend borders and cultural differences.