The turn of the 1990s saw a number of high profile public inquiries into the handling of child sexual abuse cases in Great Britain. In examines the implications of these inquiries on the regulation of relationships between families and the state, author Samantha Ashenden brings a number of contemporary debates in social and political theory to bear upon the governance of child sexual abuse.

In particular, drawing on the work of Foucault and Habermas, Ashenden looks at:

* how to analyze the boundary between public and private spheres

* the legal and scientific determination of legitimate intervention

* the relationship between democracy and expertise in the governance of social life.

Timely and topical, this book will be of particular interest to scholars and students of social and political theory, political sociology, the sociology of law, and social policy.