st severe cases, taken into care, this is no guarantee of the safety of the child.
             Abuse and neglect are rife throughout the care system. The child is also more likely to come into contact with young people/children or members of their families with drug/alcohol problems, emotional and behavioral problems, criminal records/habits, or links with prostitution, etc.
             This is why the procedure for assessment and intervention, and the legislation connected to it is so complex, as shown in "Individual cases flowchart" included in the appendix.
             However this is not the only reason for cases being wrongly assessed or children being failed. This document intends to explore the factors that contribute to the numbers of cases that are not dealt with satisfactorily.
             When cases of children that have died from the effects of abuse or neglect reach the media, the general tendency is to place the blame squarely on the shoulders of the social workers involved. There is even speculation that legislation to make social workers accountable should be introduced, such as in the Victoria Climbie case, where the social worker now faces criminal charges. Included in the appendix of this document is a clipping of another more recent case where the media blame the social workers involved.
             It is true that social workers are supposed to be the impl
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