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The University of Southampton
Institute of Criminal Justice Research

David Carson to present at third DARE international symposium

Published: 1 July 2014

Institute of Criminal Justice Research member David Carson shares latest news regarding his research.

David Carson will be giving a plenary presentation at the third DARE international symposium, organised by the University of Ulster, July 1-2, 2014. His topic is ‘Organisational Responsibility for Professional Risk-taking.' He plans to develop his previous work, which led to a statement of principles on risk-taking. These were adopted by ACPO and endorsed by the Munro Review on child protection. He will also develop other principles, published in the Journal of Social Welfare and Family Law, which he argued all inquiries, into suggestions that professionals may have been negligent in their risk taking (e.g. in child or public protection work), should be required to adopt. He will develop the distinction between individual and systemic causes of poor decision-making (noting a recent High Court decision where the Metropolitan Police were found liable for systemic failings in their investigation into a serial rapist). He will note research, in other areas of professional decision-making, which suggest that most causes of poor practice are poor systems, rather than inadequate individuals. He will seek to identify the implications, including the need for ‘leadership,' rather than ‘management.' 

He will also, at the conference, provide a short workshop entitled ‘Let's have a wee argument about risk.' Designed to be practical it seeks to empower professionals in arguments, about risk-taking with journalists, politicians, lawyers, etc. and he will provide a pre-conference, half-day, workshop on ‘Positive risk-taking for professionals,' designed to show how social workers and others can better explain and justify the individual decisions they take on behalf of the public. 

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