The Challenge of Child Welfare

Barry J. Martin taught in the Anthropology Department at the University of Toronto.

This volume contains 18 articles by social work professionals from western Canada and a foreword by the Hon. Thomas Bergen. The five themes are: the lack of standardization of child welfare policy and practice; the availability of social services; child welfare services to Native communities; children in the care of child welfare agencies; and prevention and early identification of families whose children may be at risk without certain services. The shared perception of the contributors is that the institutional approach, where a range of services is made available so the family can choose the one that best meets its need, is preferable to the residual approach, which sees the family as self-sufficient and turning to government agencies only when its resources are depleted. The residual approach dominates most provincial government policies in Canada presently.

Although all articles are well researched and highly instructive, this reader found the following to be exceptionally informative: Martin on “Poverty and Child Welfare”; McKenzie and Hudson on “Native Children, Child Welfare, and the Colonization of Native People”;Wharf on “Preventive Approaches to Child Welfare”; and Whittington on “Approaches to Family Treatment.” A systemic approach in most researches enlarges the focus beyond simply child welfare to include the power of the state versus the family or the individual, socioeconomic class structure, poverty, sexual abuse, minorities, and colonization — but most importantly, the changing nature of and services to families.

A conclusion is that we should not continue to think in the limiting terms of child welfare services; instead we should focus on more comprehensive and preventive human service systems which deal with families and communities. “The challenge of child welfare” is to enact social and self-help services that encompass the larger network of related systems in growing up in different types of families in different types of communities within our provinces. This book is essential reading for social workers, child care workers, therapists, lawyers, and legislators concerned with the issues and people involved.