The struggle to achieve the primary and unchanging aim of foster care - to care for abused, neglected and abandoned children from every race and culture, wherever they may be - can be assisted by facilitating a greater international sharing of problems, experiences and innovation. This highly informative book offers insight into the philosophies, policies and practices of foster care systems in 10 diverse countries that span the world's continents and reflect global trends in foster family care: Argentina; China; France; India; Japan; Poland; South Africa; Sweden; United Kingdom; United States. They represent each of the major models of welfare systems - conservative, liberal, social-democratic, and post-communist - and show wide differences with respect to racial mix, economic conditions, the value placed on ancestral ties, and the role of religion in social care. As far as possible, the chapter on each country contains information and analysis written to a common format so as to encourage reflection and learning through comparison.
Information is provided on the following: jurisdiction, politics, welfare ideology, history and origins of foster care, legal framework, service provision, major issues, messages from research, and future trends. These matters are considered from the perspectives of the rights of the child, the role of the family, the impacts of religion and the economy, globalisation and cultural diversity. Amongst the special themes explored are: the potential for the creation of diswelfare through the possible misapplication of generic concepts to diverse individuals and groups; the family as an agent of change; and how foster care in European countries compares with that of the United States.