• protecting children from maltreatment; • preventing impairment of children's health or development; • ensuring that children grow up in circumstances consistent with the provision of safe and effective care; and • taking action to enable all children to have the best outcomes.
Child protection generally refers to the action taken when there is 'reasonable cause to suspect a child is suffering, or likely to suffer, significant harm' resulting in a need for the local authority social care services to make enquiries and decide if any action must be taken under section 47 of the Children Act 1989.
