The book is based on two research projects on emergency intervention, which were carried out by the author and her colleagues. The studies provide the basis for the three themes in the book: Inter-agency Working; Perceptions of Safety; and Placement and Resource Issues. The combination of quantitative and qualitative research allows a detailed picture of practice that goes beyond an account of what happens, to explore the perceptions, understandings and experiences of the practitioners who make these decisions, as social workers, police officers magistrates' legal advisers or magistrates, and of the lawyers who advise social workers and parents.

The book provides a critical account of current practice in emergency child protection, it identifies good practice and make proposals for reform.