Policy Press
Four From welfare to illfare: public concern for Finnish childhood
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Abstract
This chapter describes the changing cultural ideas regarding the quality of a Finnish childhood. It starts by illustrating with a few brief observations on the public illfare discourse, in particular the ways in which childhood and children’s problems have been debated. It also focuses on the direction of municipal child welfare social work and related knowledge on child welfare clients and their problems. It then explores how the grass-roots knowledge of child welfare social workers resonates with the claims raised in the public illfare discourse. Finally, implications of the observed processes of knowing for social work practices with children and families, and some conclusions, are presented. The illfare discourse in itself is less essential than the question of what other discourses, practices and ways of knowing it is related to; in other words, how the illfare discourse is used in practice.
Abstract
This chapter describes the changing cultural ideas regarding the quality of a Finnish childhood. It starts by illustrating with a few brief observations on the public illfare discourse, in particular the ways in which childhood and children’s problems have been debated. It also focuses on the direction of municipal child welfare social work and related knowledge on child welfare clients and their problems. It then explores how the grass-roots knowledge of child welfare social workers resonates with the claims raised in the public illfare discourse. Finally, implications of the observed processes of knowing for social work practices with children and families, and some conclusions, are presented. The illfare discourse in itself is less essential than the question of what other discourses, practices and ways of knowing it is related to; in other words, how the illfare discourse is used in practice.
Kapitel in diesem Buch
- Front Matter i
- Contents iii
- List of tables iv
- Notes on contributors v
- Introduction 1
- Nordic family policies: constructing contexts for social work with families 11
- A Nordic model in child welfare? 29
- From welfare to illfare: public concern for Finnish childhood 47
- Supporting families: the role of family work in child welfare 65
- Family-focused social work: professional challenges of the 21st century 83
- In the best interest of the child? Contradictions and tensions in social work 97
- Children in families receiving financial welfare assistance: visible or invisible? 113
- Listening to children’s experiences of being participant witnesses to domestic violence 129
- Now you see them – now you don’t: institutions in child protection policy 147
- Epilogue: on developing empowering child welfare systems and the welfare research needed to create them 161
- References 171
- Index 201
Kapitel in diesem Buch
- Front Matter i
- Contents iii
- List of tables iv
- Notes on contributors v
- Introduction 1
- Nordic family policies: constructing contexts for social work with families 11
- A Nordic model in child welfare? 29
- From welfare to illfare: public concern for Finnish childhood 47
- Supporting families: the role of family work in child welfare 65
- Family-focused social work: professional challenges of the 21st century 83
- In the best interest of the child? Contradictions and tensions in social work 97
- Children in families receiving financial welfare assistance: visible or invisible? 113
- Listening to children’s experiences of being participant witnesses to domestic violence 129
- Now you see them – now you don’t: institutions in child protection policy 147
- Epilogue: on developing empowering child welfare systems and the welfare research needed to create them 161
- References 171
- Index 201
