Examines effective permanence planning for children, focusing on the British Agencies for Adoption and Fostering (BAAF) strategy. Cites the importance of maintaining children with their birth families, while recognizing that some children remain too long in damaging family settings. Examines the issues of child attachment and contact. Calls for an…

Two case studies in which siblings are seen together and separately provide the basis for discussing the importance of evaluating the needs and circumstances of children placed in foster care. (SW)

Examined the intercountry adoption experiences of 100 French and 100 English families, comparing policy in each country. Found a lack of effective and sensitive management of the introductory meetings between prospective parents and adoptive children, and of adequate birth records information. (HTH)

Provides general outline of the provisions of Scotland's Children Act of 1995. Touches on three of the four parts of the Act: (1) parental responsibilities and rights; (2) promotion of children's welfare; and (3) adoption. (AJH)

Discusses British adolescents' rights to refuse certain medical treatments, and clarifies the complex legal issues that surround consent. (HTH)

Reviews 17 publications covering a variety of topics including abused disabled children; child placement; helping attachment disordered children; open adoption; family empowerment; teenage fostering; the Children Act of 1989 (Great Britain); family law; social services and child care law; and challenging racism in the early years. (TJQ)

Explores the Internet's actual and potential uses in relation to child care issues with specific reference to adoption and fostering. Examines both advantages and drawbacks for social workers of this particular development in technology. Cautions that while celebrating the enormous potential of the Internet we should never allow electronic…

Discusses Britain's Children Act, which requires child welfare authorities to give due consideration to a child's religious background when placing a child or planning for its future. Reviews some child welfare practice and policy implications of this regulation. (HTH)

Explores the child welfare placement needs of children of black mixed parentage, focusing on research evidence relating to the overrepresentation of children of mixed parentage in care, social workers' perceptions of ethnic differences relative to their own ethnic groups, and possible trends in placement of children of mixed parentage. (HTH)

Presents the text of a lecture that looks at the declaratory, procedural, and monitoring features of a Children Act that would encompass lessons from the past to enhance the future of Scottish children. Also discusses four major questions at the heart of child-centered legislation. (TJQ)

Examines maintenance of continuity in relationships between children and birth parents, arguing that contact is often used by social workers for assessment rather than to maintain emotional bonds between children and birth parents, and that behavior can be misinterpreted in contact settings. Suggests that special attention should be paid to the…

Argues that a British Social Services Inspectorate report, which was based on a study of four local authorities' arrangements for court-ordered contact, fails to take into account the views and experiences of the parents and children involved. (AJH)

Notes increasing demands that foster care be incorporated into the formal economy as a professional salaried service. Examines some of the developments that lie behind those demands and discusses their implications. (HTH)

Argues that an awareness of other countries' child protection systems can help in appraising child protection in Britain. Suggests that, by recognizing that there are different solutions, as well as different ways of defining and conceptualizing problems, policymakers can better identify the strengths and weaknesses of the British child protection…

Describes New Zealand's Family Group Conference as a model for quality relationship between families and social work professionals. Examines adaptation of the model in the United Kingdom, noting how the model reasserts kinship as a valuable resource in all matters of care and protection, and establishes a clearer role for professionals as skilled…