Publisher's Synopsis
This book presents the findings of a three-year study of all children 'in need of care or protection' in a Health Board area in Ireland. Problems within the families are highlighted as the reasons for the placement in care rather than problems intrinsic in the child. An overall paradigm of the placement suggests a long-term placement. A child of a lone parent, specifically of a single mother, is more vulnerable to placement in care for whatever reason. The descriptive profile of the parents is that they were generally poorly educated, of low social status, likely to be unemployed and lacking kin or neighbour support. Reasons why these particular characteristics are associated with the parents of children in care are considered. The preparation of a 'care plan' for a child before admission would be regarded by the author as a critical requirement in future. The sometimes contradictory role of the State in caring for children is discussed and the book examines the implications of the implementation of the Child Care Act, 1991, the most important piece of legislation in the area of children in substitute care since the foundation of the State, replacing the British Children Act, 1908.
