Trajectories of Change in Child Protection Systems
Description
This book is about development, reform and sustainability in child protection systems. Tackling deep and enduring challenges that confront child protection and child welfare systems across international jurisdictions, the book addresses two critical questions - why is it so difficult to develop and sustain responsive systems of child protection? And what can be done to support effective system reform?
Informed by universally applied concepts of child protection typology-building within a systemic framework, this book brings together a team of international authors who take a fresh look at the concept and realities of change in country-specific child protection systems. Exploring these experiences, the editors identify three broad approaches to change: Development-Focused Change; Reform-Focused Change; and System-Improvement Change. Based on this analysis, they argue that stable and enduring solutions that are culturally responsive to the needs of diverse populations will not be found through repetitive processes of critique, review and reform. What is needed, whether the system is newly or well established, is an in-depth understanding of systemic change itself and the practical ways in which this influences a system trajectory in both positive and negative ways. This book addresses this need.
The challenging environment within which child protection exists and the significant costs of developing, reforming and maintaining child protection systems, creates a critical imperative in contemporary systems of child protection for an understanding of effective reform, and a need to learn from other systems about how effective reform can be sustained. Given the ubiquitous nature of welfare reform, there has never been a more important time to apply a systemic lens. Mapping trajectories of change, the authors of the 15 country-specific-chapters of this contributed volume provide a uniquely different approach to the task of developing, reforming and maintaining child protection systems.
Trajectories of Change in Child Protection Systems is relevant reading for child welfare policy and practice workers, managers and activists, as well as scholarly audiences and students interested in child and family welfare and children's rights.
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Persons
Marie Connolly, PhD has had professional, academic and consulting experience in child and family welfare, spanning over 40 years and extending across international jurisdictions. She has undertaken a number of strategic reviews of child welfare and child protection systems and has provided advice to governments with respect to the development and maintenance of sustainable systems of protection for women, children and vulnerable families. Beginning her career as a social worker in child welfare in 1978, she moved into academia at the University of Canterbury, Aotearoa New Zealand, in 1990 where she focused her research on child protection systems and family group conferencing in child protection. In 2005 she took up the role of Chief Social Worker within the New Zealand government, spearheading practice reforms and providing ministerial advice. Returning to academia in 2010, she was appointed to the Chair in Social Work at the University of Melbourne, Australia. She retired formally from this position in 2019, upon which she was awarded the Hyslop Medal for services to research and practice development. She continues to be affiliated with the University of Melbourne as professor.
Ilan Katz, PhD trained as a social worker in South Africa and has had many years of policy, practice and research experience in children and family services in the United Kingdom and Australia. He started his career as a social worker and manager, working in several local authorities and NGOs in London. He was head of Evaluation, Practice Development and Research at the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children in the UK. After spending some time as a civil servant in the Department for Education and Skills, he returned to research to become Deputy Director of the Policy Research Bureau. He joined the Social Policy Research Centre at UNSW Sydney, Australia, in January 2005 and directed the Centre from 2005-2011. He researches in a wide range of social policy areas including child protection, disability, age care, multiculturalism and First Nations policy, Chinese social policy and comparative social policy. His research focuses on understanding effective systems of human service policy and delivery.
Content
Chapter 1. Systems Change in Child Protection.- Chapter 2. Reimagining Child Protection in Kenya Through the Ubuntu Family Group Conference (UFGC) Model.- Chapter 3. The Evolution and Journey of India's Child Protection System.- Chapter 4. Child Protection and Welfare in Pakistan.- Chapter 5. From Basic Child Well-Being to Child Protection in China.- Chapter 6. Reflections on Development-Focused Change.- Chapter 7. Child Protection and Welfare Systems in the Japanese Cultural and Religious Contexts.- Chapter 8. The New Zealand Child Protection System - a Pacific Response .- Chapter 9. Child Protection Systems in Australia - The New South Wales Experience.- Chapter 10. The Child Protection System in Israel: Transformations, Tensions and Crisis Responses.- Chapter 11. The Child Protection System in the United Kingdom.- Chapter 12. Indigenous Child Welfare in Canada - The Reckoning.- Chapter 13. Child Welfare Reform in the USA - Evolution or Revolution? .- Chapter 14. Reflections on Reform-Focused Change.- Chapter 15. A Difficult Balance Between Public and Private Responsibilities: The Italian Experience .- Chapter 16. German Child Protection Throughout Time.- Chapter 17. Norwegian Child Protection Policies and Practices: Progressive Reforms, Persistent Socioeconomic Blind Spots.- Chapter 18. Child Welfare in Finland - Toward Sustainable Systems.- Chapter 19. Reflections on System-Improvement Change.- Chapter 20. Advancing Systemic Change.