The provisions of the Children Act have brought about profound changes in the way child care issues are viewed and handled. Substantially reorganized and updated, this new edition of the bestselling authority on the Children Act provides an accessible and critical account of the numerous developments that have occurred in the Act since 1992.

What rights do unmarried fathers have? What is the legal position of social workers conducting a child protection investigation? This practical text means deals with such questions and includes information on commentary on

· parental responsibility for children

· children?s orders in divorce and other family proceedings

· emergency protection of children

· care orders and supervision orders

· fostering and adoption

Full consideration is given to the importance of court rulings and amending legislation (including the new divorce law contained in the Family Law Act 1996), as well as to the problematic issues of practice, such as confidentiality and the interface between civil and criminal proceedings.

This jargon-free text has been specifically designed for practitioners in the social and welfare services. Making Sense of the Children Act is an essential guide to working with children to implement the complex range of organizational and practice changes that are now required.