Blame, Culture and Child Protection

Jadwiga Leigh is a Lecturer in the Sociological Studies Department at the University of Sheffield, UK. She qualified as a social worker in 2005 and has worked in both statutory and voluntary child protection settings. Teaching on the social work and sociology programmes, Leigh is interested in professional identity and affect/emotion in organisational culture.

• Introduction.- 1. The Process of Professionalisation.- 2. Life in the Dimes Ashe Department.- 3. How Others Affect Child Protection Social Work.- 4. Interactions and Affected Atmospheres.- 5. Life in the VK Agencies.- 6. The Effect of Others on Flemish Practice.- 7. Life in the VK Agencies.- 8. Blame, Culture and Child Protection.

“This book offers a refreshingly candid account of both social work practice and research. Drawing upon the work of Irving Goffman, the author sets out to understand how UK child protection practice has been impacted and shaped cultures of blame, which have enveloped the profession in recent years. … the fact this book is written in such an accessible way makes it appropriate for those who wish to better understand child protection or to think about their own practice.” (Helen Woods, Journal of Social Work Practice, July, 2018)​