Foster Children, Rights and the Law: Best Interest, Normalcy and the Welfare System (1)

By: Matthew Trail

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Synopsis: This book discusses child wishes, rights and participation in the foster care system. Making decisions in a foster child’s best interest is a widely used, but also widely criticized international legal doctrine. This work discusses the two major legal frameworks, best interest and normalcy, for which foster care decisions are made and how those frameworks might shape how child welfare professionals view and interpret children’s rights and participation. Normalcy, the idea that decisions should promote a “normal” life, is a separate legal doctrine which can be in conflict with best interest determinations. However, the concept of normalcy is also theoretically built into best interest decisions and therefore also plays a role in most child welfare systems. Mixing both empirical legal and child welfare research, the book demonstrates the ways in which risk aversion and fear drive best interest decision-making to the detriment of both practitioners and the children they aim to serve. It argues that a children’s rights framework starting with normalcy is a better tool for promoting child participation and centering the child within the dependency process. The book will be of interest to academics, researchers and policymakers working in the areas of children’s rights law, child welfare and international human rights law.

Book Quality:: Publisher Quality
Book Size:: 220 Pages
ISBN-13:: 9781040348161
Related ISBNs:: 9781040348147, 9781003510253, 9781032829791
Publisher:: Taylor & Francis
Date of Addition:: 03/31/25
Copyrighted By:: Matthew Trail. The right of Matthew Trail to be identified as author of this work has been asserted in accordance with sections
Adult content:: No
Language:: English
Has Image Descriptions:: No
Categories:: Nonfiction, Parenting and Family, Social Studies, Law, Legal Issues and Ethics
Submitted By:: Bookshare Staff
Usage Restrictions:: This is a copyrighted book.