Increase in public concern about the abuse of children in residential homes has led to a proliferation of inquiries and large-scale criminal investigations throughout the 1990s and into the new millennium. The authors examine the background and context to these developmentals in detail. A focal point of the book is an in-depth analysis of the North Wales Tribunal (to which the authors were given extended access) - the events that led up to it, the process it followed and the recommendations that it made.The authors set out their own recommendations for future public inquiries into residential abuse. Public Inquiries into Abuse of Children in Residential Care contains a wealth of material derived from public inquiries that provides a key knowledge base for practitioners and those responsible for the provision of residential care for children. It also highlights some major issues in relation to monitoring and inquiring into matters of national concern which are also of major importance to public policy students and practitioners.

The late Brian Corby was Professor of Social Work Studies at the University of Central Lancashire. His research interests lay in the field of child abuse and social work practice, and he was the author of several books and articles on this subject. Alan Doig is Professor of Public Services Management at the Business School of Liverpool John Moores University. He has published widely in the field of fraud and corruption in the public services and has a particular interest in public accountability. Vicki Roberts is a Research Assistant at the Liverpool John Moores University. She has research experience in a variety of health and social services settings in the voluntary sector and local government.

Introduction. Public Inquiries into Residential Abuse of Children. 1. Setting the Context -A Brief History of Residential Care for Children. 2. Children, Society and Child Abuse. 3. Public Policy, Public Inquiries and Public Concern. 4. Inquiries into the Abuse of Children in the Community. 5. Institutional Abuse and Public Inquiries in the late 1980s and 1990s. 6. The Events Leading up to the North Wales Tribunal of Inquiry into Child Abuse. 7. The North Wales Tribunal of Inquiry - Issues of Process. 8. The North Wales Tribunal - Outcomes. 9. The Impact of Public Inquiries on Residential Care Now. 10. The Future of Inquiries into Residential Abuse. Appendix 1. A Table of Public Inquiries into Child Abuse from 1945 to present day. Appendix 2. Chronolgy of Events Leading up to Announcement of Tribunal of Inquiry. References. Index.