Children, Family and the State: A Critical Introduction

The state's impact on families is crucial for anyone studying childhood or families, and this book provides an accessible introduction to politics, social policy, and social theory. It covers key concepts such as vulnerability, risk, resilience, safeguarding, and wellbeing and offers guidance on how to use these concepts in academic assignments. It also includes questions to support the development of critical thinking skills.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 230 pages
Publication date: 28 March 2023
Publisher: Bristol University Press

For anyone studying childhood or families, a consideration of the state may not always seem obvious, yet a good critical knowledge of politics, social policy, and social theory is vital to understanding their impacts upon families' everyday lives. Accessibly written and assuming no prior understanding, it shows how key concepts, including vulnerability, risk, resilience, safeguarding, and wellbeing, are socially constructed. Carefully designed to support learning, it provides students with clear guidance on how to use what they have read when writing academic assignments alongside questions designed to support the development of critical thinking skills. Covering issues from what the family is within a multicultural society to issues around poverty, social mobility, and life chances, this book gives students an excellent grounding in matters relating to work with children and families. It features:

• 'using this chapter sections showing how the content can be used in assignments;
• tips on applying critical thinking to books and articles – and how to make use of such thinking in essays;
• further reading.

Understanding the state is crucial for anyone studying childhood or families, as it has a significant impact on their daily lives. A good understanding of politics, social policy, and social theory is essential to comprehend these impacts. This book is written in a accessible manner, assuming no prior knowledge, and it demonstrates how key concepts such as vulnerability, risk, resilience, safeguarding, and wellbeing are socially constructed. It is designed to support learning and provides students with clear guidance on how to use the information they have read when writing academic assignments. Additionally, it includes questions that promote critical thinking skills.

The book covers various issues related to the family, including its role within a multicultural society, poverty, social mobility, and life chances. It provides students with an excellent foundation in matters related to work with children and families. The book features:

• 'using this chapter sections showing how the content can be used in assignments;
• tips on applying critical thinking to books and articles – and how to make use of such thinking in essays;
• further reading.

By gaining a critical understanding of the state and its implications for families, students can better prepare themselves to work with children and families in a variety of settings.

Dimension: 244 x 170 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781447368953