the book will be based on two research projects on emergency intervention, which were carried out by the author and her colleagues. the studies provide the basis for the three themes in the book: inter-agency working; perceptions of safety; and placement and resource issues. there are no other books that have explored this subject. the combination of quantitative and qualitative research allows a detailed picture of practice that goes beyond an account of what happens to explore the perceptions, understandings and experiences of the practitioners who make these decisions, as social workers, police officers magistrates legal advisers or magistrates, and of the lawyers who advise social workers and parents. the book intends to provide a critical account of current practice emergency child protection, identify good practice and to make proposals for reform. it will sit within the nspcc series protecting children.