Discusses child-care legislative reforms in Northern Ireland during economic and political uncertainty and organizational upheaval in the delivery of services to children and families. Explores the impact of new legislation and the implications of the contract culture, and considers ways in which future child-care provision can create…

Gives an overview of recent changes in legislation and social policy with respect to child welfare in England and Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. Discusses the effect of the Children Act 1989 on children's services in England and contrasts England's services with the organization of child welfare services in Scotland and Northern Ireland.…

Describes and assesses the impact of the 1989 Children Act on the family support aspects of statutory child-care social work. Outlines ideological challenges to family support work and traces the main themes in relevant professional and research literature. Presents the family support clauses of the act and an account of the dominant concerns that…

Identifies and analyzes central tensions and themes that characterize child protection policy in England and Wales. Outlines conflicting messages that have been prevalent in debates about child abuse since the early 1980s. Analyzes in detail the 1989 Children Act, the 1991 Criminal Justice Act, Working Together (1991), and the Memorandum of Good…

Examines the development of integrated child-care services in Scotland with a particular focus on the role of residential child-care provision. Describes three particular examples of service integration--residential outreach work, a center for young people under an integrated management, and multiagency youth strategies. Discusses the impact of…

Notes that the challenge for state child welfare services when young people leave care is to prepare them to cope with pressures surrounding this transition. Reviews existing research to explore current practice in England and Northern Ireland, and considers whether recent legislative reform in the two jurisdictions will help develop policy and…

Discusses changes in leaving care in England and Wales, based on a survey of young people leaving the care of social service departments that examined diversity of care leavers; care careers; age at independence; living out of care; and after-care support. Summarizes key policy and practice issues, and outlines new directions for practice and…

Introduces articles presenting a cross section of current research activity on preparing foster youth for adulthood. Suggests it is vital to develop a knowledge-building agenda; that research efforts be prospective and programmatic rather than ex post facto, occasional, or sporadic; and that attention be directed toward testing and evaluating…

Summarizes findings from the National Evaluation of Title IV-E Independent Living Programs for Youth in Foster Care. With respect to education completion, young parenthood, and use of public assistance, discharged foster care youth more closely resemble 18- to 24-year-olds living below the poverty level than 18- to 24-year-olds in the general…

Outlines the social and practical problems faced by foster care graduates and discusses these issues in the light of recent research in England and Wales. Offers ideas on how these problems may be ameliorated in general and outlines the way the new British child care law has provided a framework for action by practitioners. (AA)