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Children — Their Status in the Community and the Approach to Child Welfare . .

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 February 2024

Rodney B. Oxenburry
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Extract

Today, we live in a child-conscious society.

We have seen the evolution of numerous child welfare programmes by the traditional agencies and are currently observing a proliferation of new and varied plans through recently developed agencies such as the Children's Commission. Supported by the possessive liberal-individualism in social thought, these policies and programmes purport to secure each child's individual material and emotional well-being so that he or she can develop into a well-reared, industrious and respectable community member. The trouble is that very few people seem to have considered the effects that such individualistic programmes have on our community as a whole. What are the overall objectives of child welfare programmes today? What are the values that determine policies? Are these policies and programmes flexible enough in the light of changing social values and cultural conditions? It is the purpose of this paper to raise questions about the objectives of child-welfare policies and to suggest that they may need to change their disposition towards highly individualistic programmes to an approach that emphasizes clearly established community perspectives.

Type
Research Article
Information
Children Australia , Volume 1 , Issue 1 , February 1976 , pp. 10 - 13
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1976

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References

Footnotes

1. Aries, P. “Centuries of Childhood” 1973 Penguin Ed. p 123 Google Scholar.

2. Holt, John has written a number of books along this similar theme. Probably his most famous is “How Children Fail”, but I have mainly used his book “Freedom & Beyond” (Pelican 1973)Google Scholar.

3. See Nell, A. S. “Summerhill” 1974. Penguin Google Scholar.

4. See Goodman, P. “Growing up Absurd” 1961. Victor Gallancy. London Google Scholar.

5. See Goldstein, J., Freud, A., Solnit, A. J. “Beyond the Best Interests of the Child” 1973. Free Press. N.Y. Google Scholar

6. Stein, H. D. (ed.), “Planning for the Needs of Children in Developing Countries” 1965. UNCF p80 Google Scholar.

7. Adams, P., “The Infant, the Family & Society” p 79 in “Children's Rights” Adams, P. et al. 1972. Panther. London Google Scholar.

8. Berger, N., “The Child, the Law and the State” p 173 in “Children's Rights” ibidGoogle Scholar.

9. Here, I am accepting that this is essentially the thesis put forward by Toffler in his book “Future Shock” 1971. Pan. London Google Scholar.