The state is increasingly experienced as both intrusive and neglectful, particularly by those living in poverty, leading to loss of trust and widespread feelings of alienation and disconnection.


Against this tense background, this innovative book argues that child protection policies and practices have become part of the problem, rather than ensuring children’s well-being and safety.


Building on the ideas in the best-selling Re-imagining child protection and drawing together a wide range of social theorists and disciplines, the book:


• Challenges existing notions of child protection, revealing their limits;


• Ensures that the harms children and families experience are explored in a way that acknowledges the social and economic contexts in which they live;


• Explains how the protective capacities within families and communities can be mobilised and practices of co-production adopted;


• Places ethics and human rights at the centre of everyday conversations and practices.