Child Social Well-Being in the U.S. : Unequal Opportunities and the Role of the State (Children of Poverty)

First published in 2000. Part of the Children of Poverty series that offers studies on the effects of the single parenthood, the feminization of poverty and homelessness, this volume looks at the unequal opportunities and role of the State when looking at the complex issue of child well-being in the United States. This book will offer an approach to explaining child social well-being which forces us to examine the environmental constraints of child social well-being outcomes for children, and consequently re-examine how we develop policies and programs which are designed to help children. This study supports the need to develop child welfare policies and programs which address the needs of particular localities rather than just the needs of individual families. Using data from the US census and various child welfare and social welfare organizations, the author demonstrates how economic, population, and child welfare policy vary from state to state and influence child social well-being outcomes. The United States is rapidly becoming a nation of severe inequality (Massey and Denton 1993; Hacker 1992). Ingrid Phillips Whitaker. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 247-255) And Index.