Protecting Powers s provides a critical account of  current practice in emergency child protection, identifying good practice and including proposals for reform. Using data from two major empirical studies, funded jointly by the NSPCC and the Nuffield Foundation, the book explores the operation of emergency child protection provisions. These studies provide a rich account of practice from the perspectives of a wide range of professionals working to protect children, including police offers, social workers, child care lawyers, magistrates' legal advisers and magistrates. The broader questions of professionals accountability and the limited ability of the courts to safeguard rights are also discussed.