Welfare Reform on the Web (March 2003): Child Welfare - Overseas

THE LEGAL MANAGEMENT OF (SOCIAL) PARENTHOOD: ADOPTION AND DUTCH FAMILY POLICY

C.van Nijnatten and W. de Graaf

Journal of Social Welfare and Family Law, vol. 24, 2002, p. 263-277

The Dutch adoption law of 1956 enabled children to be relocated from an "immoral" life with their unmarried mother to a "normal" family life. However, since the social acceptance of "families with a difference" in the 1980s, the supply of Dutch children for adoption has fallen. This has led to a rise in international adoptions and an increased focus on the interests of adoptive parents. This is reflected in an increased acceptance of the right to parenthood and the growth of reproductive technology.

AN EVALUATION OF A TRIAL OF LOOKING AFTER CHILDREN IN THE STATE OF VICTORIA, AUSTRALIA

S. Wise

Children and Society, vol. 17, 2003, p.3-17

The Looking After Children (LAC) materials are a set of measures developed in England in the 1990s designed to produce a picture of the characteristics of children in public care, the services provided for them and the outcomes they experience. Article reports results of an evaluation of a trial implementation of LAC in Victoria, Australia. Findings suggest an improvement in the monitoring of children's developmental progress and developmental gains for some children after implementation. Perceptions of the materials were also generally positive.

PROTECTING CHILDREN FROM ABUSE AND NEGLECT IN PRIMARY CARE

M. J. Bannon and Y.H. Carter (eds)

Oxford: Oxford University Press. 2003

Examining child abuse and neglect as it presents itself in primary care, book looks at the role health professionals play in the child protection process. It covers issues such as child protection in our multi-cultural society and compares different systems across Europe.