Main description:

The book examines where, why and to what extent immigrant children are represented in the child welfare system in different countries. These countries include Australia/New Zealand, Belgium/the Netherlands, England, Estonia, Canada, Finland, Italy, Germany, Spain, Norway, and the United States-all of them having different child welfare philosophies and systems as well as histories and practices in immigration. By comparing policies and practices in child welfare
systems (and welfare states), especially in terms of how they conceptualize and deal with immigrant children and their families, we address an immensely important and pressing issue in modern societies. Immigrants in the child welfare system are a critical issue and they seem to face serious
challenges that are evident across countries. These are challenges related to lack of language proficiency, lack of knowledge about cultural and social aspects and about the public systems of the destination country. Perhaps most relevantly, the challenges may include collisions of ideas and beliefs about how to raise children, about children's place in the family and society, and about children's rights.

Contents:

Contents ; Chapter 1 ; Child Welfare Systems and Migrant Families: An Introduction ; Part I. Family service oriented child welfare systems within social democratic welfare states ; Chapter 2 ; How the Finnish child protection system meets migrant families and children ; Chapter 3 ; How the Norwegian child welfare system approaches migrant children ; Chapter 4 ; Immigrant Children and Families in the Child Welfare System: The Netherlands ; Chapter 5 ; Immigrant Children and Families in the Child Welfare System in Austria ; Part II. Family service oriented child welfare systems within conservative (and Latin) welfare states ; Chapter 6 ; Child Welfare Systems and Immigrant Families: The Case of Spain ; Chapter 7 ; Public services and migrant minors in Italy: A new path for social work ; Part III. Child protection oriented child welfare systems within liberal welfare states ; Chapter 8 ; The United States: Child Protection in the Context of Competing Policy Mandates ; Chapter 9 ; Child Welfare Systems and Immigrant Families: Canada ; Chapter 10 ; Child welfare and migrant families and children: A case study of England ; Chapter 11 ; Child protection of migrants in Australia ; Chapter 12 ; Immigrant Children and Families in Estonian Child Protection System ; Part IV. Concluding remarks ; Chapter13 ; Migrant Children and Child Welfare: A Contested Challenge ; Appendix - Survey method overview ; Index