From Child Welfare to Child Well-Being

This unique and impressive collection is an outstanding tribute to Al Kahn, one of the most influential researchers on child welfare in the 20th century.


The book provides an exceptional opportunity to "experience" the history of the past 50 years of child welfare as well as its current status and future. It takes the reader through the movement, from a deficit-oriented policy to a developmental model, from a targeted and selective strategy to a universal approach, and from child welfare to child well-being. Written by renowned experts, the chapters are organized into five clusters. The first one includes Al Kahn’s last written contribution to the field and looks at how children and families have changed over time as has the research on their well-being. The next two clusters focus on the traditional child welfare system and on different theoretical perspectives. The fourth and fifth clusters focus on economic support for child and family well-being and a discussion of current child well- being issues.