Resistant Parents and Child Protection: Knowledge Base, Pointers for Practice and Implications for Policy

Work with resistant, hostile, non-compliant (including disguised non-compliant) parents and dealing with manipulation and deception is a significant feature of everyday child protection practice. The phenomenon has long been acknowledged in key publications on child protection and its manifestations have been clearly described. Yet, it hardly features in government guidance in England, contributing to a major reality gap with practice. This is despite the fact that revisions to guidance have been undertaken in response to child abuse tragedies where resistance to professional intervention has been a major feature, a recent example being the well-publicised case of Peter Connelly in London. In reviewing UK sources on this subject, the available knowledge is considered and strategies identified of value to practitioners working to promote the health and safety of highly vulnerable children, and maintain their own wellbeing in challenging and sometimes dangerous circumstances. Possible explanations as to why this important issue has been sidelined are advanced, based on perspectives derived from critical social theory. A firm basis for rectifying current deficits in policy and practice will be seen to exist, rooted in an engagement with the lived experience of the child and authoritative child protection practice. Copyright (c) 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. It hardly features in government guidance in England' Engagement with the lived experience of the child and authoritative child protection practice' Key Practitioner Messages Working with resistant, hostile and non-compliant parents is a key feature of every-day child protection work. There are a range of sources which draw attention to the issue and point the way for practitioners in identifying and assessing the phenomenon. There are a range of strategies and tactics which can be utilised to manage the problem. These need to be grounded in authoritative child protection practice and an appreciation of the lived experience of the child.