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Regulating child care: from the Children Act 1948 to the present day
Author(s) -
Ball Caroline
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
child and family social work
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.912
H-Index - 57
eISSN - 1365-2206
pISSN - 1356-7500
DOI - 10.1046/j.1365-2206.1998.00091.x
Subject(s) - statutory law , context (archaeology) , political science , child protection , treaty , good practice , child custody , law , medicine , nursing , engineering ethics , geography , archaeology , engineering
This article reflects selectively on the development of the legal regulation of child care practice in England and Wales since the Children Act 1948. Two main themes are identified: the burgeoning burden of the statutory responsibilities of local authorities throughout the period, and the controls more recently imposed on the discretionary exercise of statutory powers. The impact of the latter on particular areas of practice is discussed within the context of the growing influence of international treaty obligations, the concept of children's rights, and the outcomes of research on the legal framework of child care practice.