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Children and the care system
Gideon Calder 
The Routledge Handbook of the Philosophy of Childhood and Children, Issue: 1, Pages: 362 - 372
Swansea University Author:
Gideon Calder
Abstract
This article explores how societies intervene when children cannot (for various reasons) be looked after by their biological parents, and why this matters. It addresses four main issues. One concerns the grounds on which children are ‘taken into care’: when should this happen? A second is: on whose...
| Published in: | The Routledge Handbook of the Philosophy of Childhood and Children |
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| ISBN: | 9781138915978 |
| Published: |
2018
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| Online Access: |
https://www.routledge.com/The-Routledge-Handbook-of-the-Philosophy-of-Childhood-and-Children/Gheaus-Calder-De-Wispelaere/p/book/9781138915978 |
| URI: | https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa45234 |
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| Abstract: |
This article explores how societies intervene when children cannot (for various reasons) be looked after by their biological parents, and why this matters. It addresses four main issues. One concerns the grounds on which children are ‘taken into care’: when should this happen? A second is: on whose authority should such steps be taken, and what might legitimize the state in playing this role? A third is how we should weigh, respectively, the interests of children in care, their parents, and wider society. And a fourth reflects questions of comparison between children ‘in care’, and other children: in terms of status, the nature of care itself, and what have come to be called ‘life chances’ – in each of which respects, children in care are likely to be disadvantaged. Though separate, these questions are inter-related. The significance of each, and how they inform each other, will vary according to how we regard the interests of children, and on whether and how we regard equality as applying to children, as opposed to adults. |
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| Keywords: |
looked-after children, social care, foster care, social justice, life chances |
| Issue: |
1 |
| Start Page: |
362 |
| End Page: |
372 |