The Welfare of Children - Softcover

Lindsey, Duncan

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0195136713 ISBN 13: 9780195136715

Publisher: Oxford University Press, 2003

Synopsis

According to the United Nations' latest data, the United States has more children living in poverty than any other industrialized nation in the world. More than a fifth of all children grow up in poverty. The poverty rates for African-American and Latino children often exceeds 40 percent. Furthermore, the United States--a country that once pioneered strategies to prevent child abuse and that now spends more money fighting child abuse than any other industrialized country--also has the highest rate of child abuse in the industrialized world.

Against this background, Duncan Lindsey, a leading authority on child welfare, takes a critical look at the current welfare system. He traces the transformation of child welfare into child protective services, arguing that the current focus on abuse has produced a system that is designed to protect children from physical and sexual abuse and therefore functions as a last resort for only the worst and most dramatic cases in child welfare. In a close analysis of the process of investigating child abuse, Linsey finds that there is no evidence that the transformation into protective services has reduced child abuse fatalities or provided a safter environment for children. He makes a compelling argument for the criminal justice system to assume responsibility for the problem of child abuse in order for the child welfare system to be able to adequately address the well-being of a much larger number of children now growing up in poverty.

This new edition of The Welfare of Children takes into account a major legislative change since the publication of the first edition: the welfare reform legislation of 1996. This legislation has fundamentally altered the public child welfare system as broadly understood, and Lindsey thoroughly examines its implications on policy and practice, refuting the claim that welfare reform has actually reduced child poverty. The Welfare of Children, 2nd Edition is a compassionate blueprint for the comprehensive reform of the current child welfare system to one that administers to the economic security of the larger number of disadvantaged and impoverished children. Concrete policy proposals such as a Child's Future Security account, similar to the Social Security program for older citizens, will spark serious debate on a major public policy issue facing our society.

About this title

About the Author

Duncan Lindsey is a Professor in the UCLA School of Public Affairs. The recipient of the ProHumanitate medal, he also serves as Editor-in-Chief of the Children and Youth Services Review.

Review

"A major contribution to current discussions on child welfare. It not only provides a thorough survey of the field, but offers an incisive critique of the way the system currently fails to meet its declared objective of enhancing the welfare of children."--Journal of Sociology and Social Welfare

"In a challenging, clearly written work, Lindsey proposes specific programs that, he argues, would do much to ensure adequate support for the largest impoverished age group in the United States today: children in single-parent families....Like Marion Wright Edelman, Lindsey sees neglected children as potentially valuable human resources, if society will commit to investing in them. Strongly recommended for professionals, politicians, academics, and concerned lay readers."--Library Journal

"Proposes practical long-term measures to break the poverty cycle, such as modifying the federal income tax collection systems to ensure child-support payments, and the establishment of the child's future security account."--ALA Booklist

"An important book."--Children and Youth Services Review

"The Welfare of Children provides an engaging scholarly review of the public child welfare system, child welfare efforts, the changing nature of the child welfare system and families in North America. The title sets the stage for a comprehensive approach to nourishing the welfare of all children....This is an important book. It clearly describes the limitations of current child welfare programs and provides specific policy recommendations. Only through such a preventative-oriented focus can the welfare of all children be encouraged. Recommendations made are well-argued and suggest clear steps that can be taken."--Eileen Gambrill, University of California at Berkeley

Edition details

• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Publication date: 2003
• ISBN 10: 0195136713
• ISBN 13: 9780195136715
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Edition number: 2
• Number of pages: 472