Although Child Protection approaches are not limited to the family setting, the focus of much of the assessment and intervention is with the children and families. These largely focus on the threat of, or actual harm, that children experience from family members or from others within the home or family environment. However, as children develop and mature towards adolescence they start to spend more time socialising independently and spend more time in environments and contexts outwith the family home. The relationships that are formed within these environments can determine the extent of safety and protection they experience, or indeed the extent of abuse and exploitation they experience outwith the home.
This Info Sheet by Carole Murphy looks work undertaken to implement Contextual Safeguarding in England and Wales, and what we are doing here in Scotland.