Welfare Reform on the Web (January 2003): Child Welfare - Overseas
THE 1998 CHILDREN'S ACT: PROBLEMS OF ENFORCEMENT IN GHANA
S Laird
British Journal of Social Work, vol. 32, 2002, p.893-905
The 1998 Children's Act was imitative of Britain's 1989 Children's Act, to which it bears a close resemblance. However, due to the very different social and cultural conditions in Ghana, its implementation is problematic. Paper explores the social, economic and cultural factors most immediately impacting on child welfare in Ghana and considers criticisms of rights based approaches to intervention. Finally, proposes alternative approaches to child protection more suitable to the specific socio-cultural and economic situation in Ghana.
ACHIEVING PERMANENCY THROUGH ADOPTION: FOLLOWING IN US FOOTSTEPS?
J Selwyn and W Sturgess
Adoption and Fostering, vol. 26, no.3, 2002, p.40-49
Providing a comparison of the problems identified in England and the US, this article examines the looked after children's systems and the early impact of US legislation.
CHILDREN IN THE CITY: HOME, NEIGHBOURHOOD AND COMMUNITY
P Christensen and M O'Brien (eds)
London: Routledge Falmer, 2003
Examining children's lives and well being in contemporary cities, this book looks at the debate on the quality of life in cities and explores how they can be good places for children to live. It is based on contributions from childhood researchers in Europe, Australia and America and it shows the importance of studying children's lives in cities from a comparative and generational perspective. It "considers the importance of the city as a social, cultural and material place for children, and explores the connections and boundaries between home, neighbourhood, community and city"
CLASS ACTION LITIGATION: JUDICIAL REFORM OF CHILD WELFARE SYSTEMS IN THE UNITED STATES
M Robinson Lowry, M Freundlich and S Gerstenzang
Adoption and Fostering, vol. 26, no.3, 2002, p.50-57
Examining the use of class action litigation as a strategy to reform child welfare, this article describes its historical roots and development. It provides a brief guide to the typical phases of class action lawsuits against child welfare systems and looks at some of the outcomes of this type of litigation.
IMPACT EVALUATION OF A NATIONAL COMMUNITY BASED PROGRAM FOR AT-RISK CHILDREN IN CANADA
M H Boyle and J D Willms
Canadian Public Policy, vol. 28, 2002, p.461-481
The Community Action Program for Children (CAPC) funds agencies across Canada to develop early intervention initiatives to promote the health and development of children at risk. Findings from a national evaluation of the CAPC suggest that:
- there have been selective improvements in the health and functioning of families participating in the CAPC;
- there is significant variation in the beneficial effects achieved by different programmes;
- there is no statistically significant improvement in the health and functioning of CAPC participants above those found in control groups.