Editors’ summary

This new introduction makes the connections between the Cleveland crisis as a lost opportunity for the protection of abused children and current unresolved practice issues, along with increasingly recognized issues such as historical abuse. Drawing on a wide range of research, we challenge the ethos of the last three decades that leaves sexually abused children vulnerable in the face of investigative and evidential hurdles. By detoxifying the myths surrounding Cleveland and shedding light on what actually took place, we create a changed narrative and a context for continuing debate about the dilemmas facing professionals in the field and the communities in which they work.

We are re-issuing this book, first published in 1991, as we have now passed the 30th anniversary of the 1987 Cleveland child abuse crisis. Cleveland's lasting legacy for child protection is widely acknowledged across professional disciplines. ‘The Cleveland Crisis’ has become a shorthand for difficult issues in child protection, with widely differing meanings, often informed by media rather than professional debate. The original text, Chapters 1–8, is a significant historical document, containing data about the children and the medical diagnosis on which the Butler-Sloss Inquiry (1988) based its conclusions but did not include in its report. This book is the only published source of this data, which is given in Chapters 3, 4 and 6. Our revised edition retains the original material, with the addition of this introduction that provides an update on research and practice, and a new conclusion that outlines our proposals for future directions. We make connections between Cleveland and current unresolved issues in child protection, including the increasingly recognized issue of historical abuse.

Cleveland was a pivotal point, which influenced attitudes, policies and politics over the subsequent decades. By linking what took place in Cleveland in 1987 with current practice, a context is created for the continuing debate about the dilemmas facing professionals in the field and the communities in which they work.