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Parents' experiences of child welfare interventions: an Anglo‐French comparison
Author(s) -
Baistow Karen,
Hetherington Rachael
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
children and society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.538
H-Index - 58
eISSN - 1099-0860
pISSN - 0951-0605
DOI - 10.1111/j.1099-0860.1998.tb00051.x
Subject(s) - psychological intervention , welfare , social welfare , welfare system , order (exchange) , child protection , social policy , social work , sociology , public relations , psychology , political science , medicine , economics , nursing , law , finance
This paper reports on an Anglo‐French project comparing parental experiences of child welfare interventions in both countries; it does not aim to discuss policy implications but to raise questions about the basis on which policies are decided. We explored differences and similarities in the two countries' systems and practices by asking what it is like to be on the receiving end of professional decisions and actions in order to highlight those aspects of our own system that might otherwise be taken for granted. Considerable overlap was found in English and French parental concerns and in the type of professional assistance offered. However, differences in access to this assistance suggest that parents in England are often thrown into relations with social services that may be counterproductive to child and family welfare.