Panorama

Child Abuse: Battering the System (1988x15)

: 18, 1988

Clare is 4, and her mother fears she has been sexually abused by her father. She's just one of 30,000 children on the local authority 'at risk' register - an increase of 22 per cent in a year. Robin Denselow reports from Greenwich and from Newcastle on the effects of this increase on social workers, a group who have often been criticised for their handling of cases, but who face considerable personal risk as they try to protect children. Have they the right training for the job, and can they cope with the rise in child abuse alongside all their other responsibilities?