In this module, you will have the opportunity to explore children’s needs and rights, conflicting rights, as well as changing definitions and social constructions of childhood and child abuse. Also included in the module are a review of an ecological understanding of child development and attachment theory and both a theoretical and empirical understanding of the impact of abuse and neglect, which includes taking a critical approach to the concepts of resilience, adversity, and vulnerability. The importance of changing societies, international perspectives, and issues of equality and diversity will be highlighted. You will be introduced to how we can learn from public inquiries and serious and significant case reviews, contextualising their impact upon legislation, policy, and practice, including multi-agency working, professional roles and responsibilities, and information sharing.Working and making decisions with parents and families will be considered alongside exploring the factors which can promote and undermine positive parenting and the capacity for parenting, including in particular the role of environmental factors and the impact of poverty upon both parenting and child development. Both structural and individualist explanations of poverty are considered, as are some theories as to why abuse occurs. All of this sets the context for understanding primary, secondary and tertiary intervention and different paradigmatic approaches to child protection.