Towards Positive Systems of Child and Family Welfare : International Comparisons of Child Protection, Family Service, and Community Caring Systems

The need for services that respond to the ‘maltreatment’ of children and to the struggles of families is at the core of social service systems in all developed nations. While these child and family welfare systems confront similar problems and incorporate common elements, there are substantial differences in philosophy, organization, and operation across international settings and models. In this new collection of essays, Nancy Freymond and Gary Cameron have brought together some of the finest international minds to provide an original and integrated discussion of child protection, family service, and community caring models of child and family welfare. The volume not only examines child protection and family service approaches within Western nations – including Canada, the United States, England, the Netherlands, France, and Sweden – it is also the first comparative study to give equal attention to Aboriginal community caring models in Canada and New Zealand. The comparisons made by the essays in this volume allow for a consideration of constructive and feasible innovations in child and family welfare and contribute to an enriched debate around each system. This book will be of great benefit to the field for many years to come. Contents 5 Part One. Overview 9 1. Understanding International Comparisons of Child Protection, Family Service, and Community Caring Systems of Child and Family Welfare 9 2. Learning from Difference: Comparing Child Welfare Systems 33 Part Two. Child Protection Systems 57 3. Promoting Change from 'Child Protection' to 'Child and Family Welfare': The Problems of the English System 57 4. Forming and Sustaining Partnerships in Child and Family Welfare: The American Experience 90 5. Problems and Potential of Canadian Child Welfare 124 Part Three. Family Service Systems 155 6. The Plight of Paternalism in French Child Welfare and Protective Policies and Practices 155 7. Child and Family Welfare in Sweden 177 8. When One Door Shuts, Another Opens: Turning Disadvantages into Opportunities in Child and Family Welfare in the Netherlands 197 Part Four. Community Caring Systems 215 9. From Child Welfare to Child, Family, and Community Welfare: The Agenda of Canada's Aboriginal Peoples 215 10. Maori Perspectives on Collaboration and Colonization in Contemporary Aotearoa / New Zealand Child and Family Welfare Policies and Practices 241 11. First Nations Child and Family Services and Indigenous Knowledge as a Framework for Research, Policy, and Practice 275 Part Five. Conclusion 295 12. Learning from International Comparisons of Child Protection, Family Service, and Community Caring Systems of Child and Family Welfare 295 Appendix A: Partners in Child Protection and Well-Being 325 Appendix B: Guiding Principles for Building Partnerships 327 Appendix C: Timeline of the Evolution of the French Child Protection System 329 Glossary 333 References 337 Contributors 363 The need for services that respond to the 'maltreatment' of children and to the struggles of families is at the core of social service systems in all developed nations. While these child and family welfare systems confront similar problems and incorporate common elements, there are substantial differences in philosophy, organization, and operation across international settings and models. In this new collection of essays, Nancy Freymond and Gary Cameron have brought together some of the finest international minds to provide an original and integrated discussion of child protection, family service, and community caring models of child and family welfare. The volume not only examines child protection and family service approaches within Western nations - including Canada, the United States, England, the Netherlands, France, and Sweden - it is also the first comparative study to give equal attention to Aboriginal community caring models in Canada and New Zealand. The comparisons made by the essays in this volume allow for a consideration of constructive and feasible innovations in child and family welfare and contribute to an enriched debate around each system. This book will be of great benefit to the field for many years to come Child and family welfare systems confront the problems of families throughout the world on a daily basis. Whilst there may be differences between nations and organisations, there are also similarities. This book presents a comparative study of child and family welfare models in the developed nations