Social Action With Children And Families

Recent historical work has done much to focus attention on changing conceptions of children's rights during the 19th and 20th centuries. These essays address a variety of themes including the abuse of children, and the role of the welfare state.

Argues that meeting the needs of children requires a rediscovery and modernization of the social action and community development traditions of social work and aims to help those working in this field find a new, more positive sense of direction.

Meeting the needs of children at the same time as promoting family life is more than a question of resources: it needs a culture change in social services: a rediscovery and a modernization of the social action and community development traditions in social work. In Social Action with Children and Families the authors argue that ways must be found to work together to promote environments in which children can flourish, and to develop forms of public life which are friendly to children and their parents. Recent changes in child care systems have put more pressures on those working in it. Social workers have become more open to public scrutiny and are expected to respond to problems rooted in social and economic aspects of their clients' or services users' lives. Legislation stresses working in partnership with parents, other professionals, and community groups. The central aim of Social Action with Children and Families is to help those working in this field to find a new, more positive sense of direction and purpose. It will be invaluable reading to those studying social work, social policy and public administration as well as to all professionals working in these areas.

This title was first published in 2001: Family centre practice is one of the success stories of the past twenty years. As well as contributing creative ideas to centre practice this important edited collection highlights the role of practitioners as developmental or informal educationalists. International contributors challenge care management in child protection as the dominant discourse in child care social work and instead advance integrated practice in the internationally developing role of family centres as a more authentic and hopeful practice for children and families. The contributors outline ways of avoiding reductionism - social work reduced to a protective and assessment role - and show how socially inclusive practice can be sustained with very marginalized families. The book argues that there is a need for the social work training curriculum to emphasize social work's debt to social and informal education, and concludes with a call for an international forum of family centre practice.

This book considers that contextual factors are important for the achievement of social justice and it recognizes that vulnerability to which children are exposed is a phenomenon throughout the planet, particularly in the South. It presents a theoretical review of social justice as well as different situations of vulnerability children experience in their daily lives in which they can be injured, affecting their well-being and the exercise of their rights. It examines the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on children, considered as a vulnerable group warranting special social policy considerations. It also presents the need to change power structures in knowledge production and decision-making processes to achieve social justice for children; the importance of investing in children; the exclusion of children from participation in certain activities and the shame of not being able to participate in equal conditions with others; the lives of migrant children belonging to ethnic minorities exposed to language barriers and access to technological devices; and the analysis of the process of social re-integration of children from conditions of armed conflict. The book concludes that governments need to assume social justice as part of universal human interests, providing security, conditions for well-being, and guaranteeing social justice for all children.

Museums, Children and Social Action examines the role that museums play in reaching, teaching and inspiring children as global citizens of the world and, looking to the future, argues that the sustainability of museums will come from strengthening relationships with young visitors. Presenting a diverse range of programs, exhibitions and outreach from museums across five continents, Shaffer highlights how museums are already serving children and making a difference in their lives. Arguing that museums have a unique responsibility to connect this audience with relevant social issues and challenges, such as social injustice, racism, climate change and poverty, Shaffer simultaneously acknowledges that a large number of children are still on the margins of the institution and its mission. Recognizing the ways in which museums are currently serving children, the book also considers what museums could and should be doing as they plan for the future, raising critical questions about core values, community partners and social agendas. Museums, Children and Social Action is essential reading for academics and students engaged in the study of museums, social justice and childhood. It encourages museums to make it their mission to educate and serve this audience and their families for the good of children, as well as museums, while also considering what their institutions can do to make a lasting impact on children and their families.

The first volume of its kind to take a comprehensive view of social justice issues and interventions for young people from a global perspective.