"Who's Fit to be a Parent?" conducts a thorough and wide-ranging investigation into how society currently judges parents by looking at the professions who assess parenting skills and examining the charges that are made against certain "unfit" groups who are, nonetheless, becoming more widespread as parents (for example, those who are single, gay, disabled, or drug-addicted). Bringing together professional and academic research which challenges traditional views of how to assess parenting with the personal experiences of a wide range of "non-conventional" families, Mukti Jain Campion also examines the role of the media in guiding public opinion and opening up the boundaries of what is considered "normal." The book concludes with a challenging proposal for a new framework by which to understand and assess parenting in the twenty-first century.

In recent years the notion of parenting and parenthood have increasingly come under examination from the media and professionals and, in particular, government and politicians. More and more, parents are being held to account by society for their failure to deliver the sort of citizens it wants. But what are parents supposed to be doing? Are there some people that are inherently unfit to be parents and does there exist a body of knowledge that defines fit parenting?
Who's fit to be a parent? covers this highly topical and important subject in a stimulating and accessible way that cuts across numerous professional disciplines and opens up the boundaries between professional and personal expertise on parenting.
It is essential reading for any professional or student of social work and social policy, those working in the voluntary services concerned with the family, social policy makers and for anyone interested in understanding what it means to be a parent today.

Although the number of elderly people in Britain is increasing steadily, the law in relation to their particular needs is a relatively neglected field. The Law and Elderly People was the first text to provide easily accessible information for those involved in advice-giving and service provision in this rapidly developing field. This second edition has been fully revised and completely updated to reflect the major legal and social changes which have recently occurred. Concerned for the independence and autonomy of both young elderly and the old elderly, the book covers employment and income, accomodation and housing, community and residential care, health provision and delivery and family relationships, thus providing an important guide to the most important legal issues.
The Law and Elderly People will be of practical help to all those concerned with the welfare of the elderly and to undergraduates and lecturers in social work, law and gerontology.

Although the number of elderly people in Britain is increasing steadily, the law in relation to their particular needs is a relatively neglected field. The Law and Elderly People was the first text to provide easily accessible information for those involved in advice-giving and service provision in this rapidly developing field. This second edition has been fully revised and completely updated to reflect the major legal and social changes which have recently occurred. Concerned for the independence and autonomy of both young elderly and the old elderly, the book covers employment and income, accomodation and housing, community and residential care, health provision and delivery and family relationships, thus providing an important guide to the most important legal issues.
The Law and Elderly People will be of practical help to all those concerned with the welfare of the elderly and to undergraduates and lecturers in social work, law and gerontology.

Calling for nothing less than a radical reform of family law and a reconception of intimacy, The Neutered Mother, The Sexual Family, and Other Twentieth Century Tragedies argues strongly against current legal and social policy discussions about the family because they do not have at their core the crucial concepts of caregiving and dependency, as well as the best interests of women and children.
The Neutered Mother scrutinizes the definitions of family and mother throughout the volume while paying close attention to issues of race, class and sexuality. In addition, Fienman convincingly contests society's refusal to dignify, support and respond to the needs of caregivers and illustrates the burden they must bear due to this treatment. This book is a crucial step toward defining America's most pressing social policy problems having to do with women, motherhood and the family.

Exploring the main developments and challenges for the right to family life in the context of European integration, this book examines the right to family life in the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights and the interplay between family life, citizenship, and free movement; it analyzes the combined impact of the EU and the European Convention on Human Rights on the concept of the family protected by the law in light of recent case law. Considering the broadening understanding of what constitutes family, the challenges for the right to family life in the context of immigration, and the protection of families and social rights it provides a comprehensive overview of the current state of family life in the European Union.

Legal aid for family cases in private law, mainly divorce and separation, where the state is not directly involved as it is in public law cases where there are issues of domestic violence or neglect or abuse of children, came to an abrupt end together with help for welfare and immigration cases on April 1 2013 when the Legal Aid Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act (LASPO) came into effect. This book presents an account of the wide ranging problems which the researchers and practitioners expected to ensue. Sadly, their fears have been realised in many areas of legal help and advice. The National Audit Office was to take the view in 2014 that although the Ministry of Justice had succeeded in making considerable savings in the cause of austerity that they had failed to investigate or understand the impact of these cuts on the individuals concerned and society as a whole. This book was previously published as a special issue of the Journal of Social Welfare and Family Law.

Argues for legal reforms to protect couples who live apart but perform many of the functions of a family Living Apart Together is an in-depth look at a new way of being a couple and "doing family"-living apart together (LAT)-in which committed couples maintain separate residences and finances. In Bowman's own 2016 national survey, 9% of respondents reported maintaining committed relationships while living apart, typically spending the weekend together, socializing together, taking vacations together, and looking after one another in illness, but maintaining financial independence. The term LAT stems from Europe, where this manner of coupledom has been extensively studied; however, it has gone virtually unnoticed in the United States. Living Apart Together aims to remedy this oversight by presenting original research derived from both randomized surveys and qualitative interviews. Beginning with the large body of social science literature from outside the US, Cynthia Bowman examines the prevalence of this lifestyle, the demographics of people who live apart, their reasons for doing so, and how these individuals manage finances, care during illness, and many other aspects of family life. She focuses in particular detail on three key demographics-women, gay men, and the elderly-and how individuals from these groups engage in LAT behavior. She finds that while these living arrangements are more common than previously believed, there are virtually no legal protections for the people involved. Bowman concludes by proposing a number of legal reforms to support the caregiving functions LAT partners perform for each other. Living Apart Together makes an important case for formal recognition of this growing but largely overlooked family structure.

Forensic Mental Health Professionals have entered the fray of child custody litigation in ways that could not have been predicted even a decade ago. Traditionally engaged as neutral court appointed evaluators or mediators, or as treatment providers for children, parents or families, FMHPs are assuming a range of consulting functions. Services span a wide range, including providing expert testimony on specific content areas; reviewing and critiquing colleague's work product; providing behind the scenes consultation to attorneys, and even help attorneys manage difficult cases and clients. These more recent services raise questions about sound professional practice. This volume tackles these thorny issues head on, and discusses questions how consultants can work creatively and ethically to make a positive contribution in the challenging world of family law. This book was originally published as a special issue of Journal of Child Custody.

First published in 1998, this book seeks to consider the application of international human rights standards to situations where children are at risk of torture and other forms of ill-treatment. Each of the contributors authoritatively examines torture, cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment and punishment from the perspective of their own discipline and experience. In exploring the issues, Childhood Abused, also helps to raise their profile, as invisibility, ignorance and secrecy contribute to the continuation of such practices. The subject is harrowing and complex, Childhood Abused, needs to be read so that we are better able to prevent and protect children against such abhorrent and prohibited forms of ill-treatment.

Over the past 20 years, the growing shortage of adoptable infants in Britain and the United States has resulted in a number of couples acquiring their family from abroad, yet the effort needed to acquire such a child from another country is enormous. So what exactly are the costs, hazards and emotional difficulties involved, and why do some couples feel that this is their only chance of becoming adoptive parents? "Inter-Country Adoption" charts the experiences of eight couples who between them have adopted eleven children from South America, India and Sri Lanka who ranged in age from four months to seven years. The main emphasis of these first-hand accounts is on the events leading up to the decision to adopt from abroad and on the obstacle course which followed and which involved dealing with the authorities in Britain and in the child's country of origin. The final two chapters are by an academic social worker and a parliamentary campaigner who examine the legal and ethical considerations of inter-country adoption.

Dealing with the interface between the Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) movement and the phenomenon of domestic violence against women, this book examines the phenomenon of divorce disputes involving violence through the prism of 'alternative justice' and the dispute resolution mechanisms offered by the ADR movement. This book is the first academic treatise presenting the theoretical underpinnings of the correlation between the ADR movement and divorce disputes involving violence, and the potential contribution of this movement to the treatment of disputes of this nature. Through mapping the main values of the ADR movement, the book proposes a theoretical-analytical basis for understanding the inability of the legal system to deal with disputes of this nature, alongside a real alternative, in the form of the ADR mechanisms.

Law and Policy in Modern Family Finance - Property Division in the 21st Century adopts a conceptual approach to address key questions about the legal division of property when a marriage, civil union, de facto relationship, or other close personal relationship ends. These questions include: which relationships should be subject to a statutory regime; which property should be shared; whether property held on trust should be included; how property should be shared; how economic disparity caused by the division of functions within the relationship should be addressed, if at all; whether, and if so to what extent, the interests of children of the relationship should be considered; whether parties should be allowed to contract out of a statutory regime and, if so, whether such contracts should be binding; and whether death should be treated in the same way as relationship break-down.The authors use New Zealand's current legislative framework as a basis for critical analysis and reflection. Despite New Zealand's Property (Relationships) Act 1976 being hailed as socially progressive legislation when it was enacted, there is concern in New Zealand that its property sharing regime no longer meets society's needs and expectations. However, issues of fairness, equality, and modern complexities in the division of relationship property are not unique to New Zealand. Other jurisdictions are facing similar problems, including Australia, England and some continental European countries.The inclusion of internationally recognised relationship property experts from England, Australia and Germany ensures the utility of the book for international audiences, making it of interest to law reformers, academics, the judiciary, the legal profession, and law students everywhere in the world.

The Children Act 1989 introduces the most radical changes to child care law for a generation. Eekelaar and Dingwall provide a concise, practical guide to the legislation for all professionals practising in this area. This book should be of interest to students and practitioners of social work, applied social studies, health visiting, and law.

This title was first published in 2002. Gender has become a culturally laden signifier. Sometimes used to differentiate the social from the biological, gender itself has become gendered. In common parlance gender issues often slide inexorably into women's issues and are in that way designated as marginal and outside the concerns and lives of ordinary men and women. In this book, signifiers such as gender, worker and family are unpacked and suggestions are made as to how common usage of these signifiers reinforce existing practices and act as barriers to change. Some of these changes are legal, others are social and others are driven by political and policy agendas. By looking at five areas: equal opportunity law, family law, industrial relations law, social welfare law and taxation law, which are all profoundly gendered, the author examines ways in which men and women see their roles and choices and how these are related to the state, as citizens. The author then examines the definition of citizenship and looks in detail at the concept of the unencumbered citizen, who is unencumbered by interpersonal obligations, responsibilities and beliefs, using comparative material from Australia, North America and the United Kingdom.

Increasing international cooperation in tackling the worldwide problem of child abuse and neglect has helped to raise the profile of this important issue. Scholarly literature on the problem is growing, yet there is still a pressing need for a legal comparative commentary on the issue of child abuse claims in tort. Addressing this omission, this valuable work investigates how the factual circumstances as laid out in the landmark English cases of X v. Bedfordshire County Council and Barrett v. Enfield London Borough Council have been dealt with by the European Court of Human Rights and in a number of key jurisdictions including the US, Canada, Australia, South Africa, France, Germany and Italy. Examining the substantive tort law in these jurisdictions, the book highlights differences in procedure and compares alternative, non-judicial sources of compensation for claimants. It also offers suggestions for reform, providing a work that will greatly benefit all those working within this specific area of law or having an interest in the subject.

Published in 1996, this book presents an innovative method for studying the work of professionals with clients that was applied to an evaluation study of legislation and of lawyers working with clients seeking a divorce. With the simulated client methods, the researcher plays the role of simulated or hypothetical clients with predetermined characteristics who are consulting a lawyer, the research subject. The research is carried out in the natural setting of the lawyer's office and the lawyer conducts business as usual. The method overcomes problems of access due to client confidentiality that are commonly found in research of professional groups. It is a qualitative but focused method for evaluation research which has strengths for making comparisons across professional practice. The book will be useful to those conducting research on professionals and other elite groups working with clients as well as those interested in the socio-legal study of legal professionals. This book was originally published as part of the Cardiff Papers in Qualitative Research series edited by Paul Atkinson, Sara Delamont and Amanda Coffey. The series publishes original sociological research that reflects the tradition of qualitative and ethnographic inquiry developed at Cardiff. The series includes monographs reporting on empirical research, edited collections focussing on particular themes, and texts discussing methodological developments and issues.

This title was first published in 2001. Making decisions about the care and protection of children who appear before the courts is complex. Attention must be paid to the best interests of the child, the child's need for their family, community views on parenting, and concern about welfare intrusion into family life. Magistrates have a unique authority to make, or reject child protection orders - yet the criteria they use to decide a protection order, how they understand the information presented to them in court and the factors that influence their discretion and decision-making have, until now, been little known. Presenting the findings of a study undertaken at Melbourne Children's Court, this book offers a much-needed investigation of how magistrates actually make child protection decisions. Case examples highlight this decision-making and the book thus offers practical assistance to professionals working with children in the legal process.

This title was first published in 2002.In this informative and captivating book the author presents a moral critique of the laws governing the creation of designer babies. Alan Gewirth's Principle of Generic Consistency is used as the starting point for developing a framework, which is then used to critique the legal position in the EU countries (with particular reference to the UK), Canada and the USA. The conclusion the author reaches is that a proper moral response to the issues covered must take account of specified prima facie presumptions, to be applied by legitimately appointed regulatory bodies. The text assesses the adequacy of existing regulatory responses by reference to these presumptions. Also containing detailed appendices summarizing the legal position with regard to abortion and prenatal diagnosis, preimplantation genetic diagnosis, in vitro embryo research, cloning, and germ-line gene therapy in the countries mentioned above, this volume is an indispensable resource for both students and scholars with a keen interest in this highly contested field.

The legislative process is complex, encompassing a variety of aims and outcomes. Some norms and rules are embodied in law because we are simply expected by government to follow them. Others are there for entirely different reasons. A legislator may wish to send messages about what constitutes desirable behaviour, to demonstrate government's ability to deal with a local and short-term issue or to distract the electorate from other crises. Law is often, though not always, designed as a means to an end. Taking a sociological and empirically-based approach, this book offers a rare insight into the real processes by which lawmakers attempt to influence (or fail to influence) human behaviour. This account of the legislative process in Westminster rests on the author's observations and discussion with key players from the standpoint of an academic adviser on research to the department responsible for family law-making (originally the Lord Chancellor's department, then the Department for Constitutional Affairs and now the Ministry of Justice) and draws on her longstanding involvement in and knowledge of the processes of law-making. Documenting the little understood processes that occur in Whitehall, in particular how ministers, advisers and officials work together, it reveals a quite different picture from that of the rational lawmaker imagined in textbooks. Instead what emerges is an empirically-based view of the aims and functions of statute law including the different forms and relevance of symbolic legislation and a realistic view of what law aims to accomplish and what can be done in practice.

This title was first published 2000: The great mobility of people and capital in the world today means that the likelihood of a person acquiring and dying with assets in more than one jurisdiction is probably greater than ever. As a result an English lawyer is now more and more likely to encounter a multinational estate. This book aims to examine the international aspects of succession primarily from the perspective of an English lawyer, but utilizing in addition to English cases and materials, cases and materials from other common law jurisdictions, particularly, Australia, Canada and New Zealand. The body of case law and materials from these jurisdictions forms a valuable resource for dealing with common problems. They also form the basis for an evaluation of developments in the subject generally and the possible impact of conventions designed to achieve uniformity in the rules of private international law relating to succession. This examination will be of interest to practitioners as well as to those concerned with the subject in an academic environment.

This title was first published in 2002: Becoming Delinquent: British and European Youth, 1650-1950 provides a critical synthesis of the growing body of work on the history of British and European juvenile delinquency. It is unique in that it analyzes definitions of and responses to, disorderly youth across time (from the mid-seventeenth to the mid-twentieth centuries) and across space (covering developments across Western Europe). This comparative approach allows it to show how certain themes dominated European discourses of delinquency across this period, not least panics about urban culture, poor parenting, dangerous pleasures, family breakdown, national fitness and future social stability. It also shows how these various threats were countered by recurring strategies, most notably by repeated attempts to deter delinquency, to divide responsibility between the state, civil society and the family, and to find a "proper" balance between moral reform and physical punishment, between care and control.

This title was first published in 2002: After outlining the origins and development of family mediation on a world-wide basis, this book assesses family mediation services in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, within the context of the empirical and theoretical debates surrounding the practice. It is the first comprehensive study of the area in Ireland, appearing at an opportune time, due to the expansion of the service in the Republic and its virtual collapse in Northern Ireland. It argues that the service provided in the Republic of Ireland is appreciated by clients and is successful, although the issue of domestic violence remains. In contrast, it suggests that the absence of service provision in Northern Ireland is problematic, since it undermines consumer choice.

Fresh approaches to how premodern women were viewed in legal terms, demonstrating how this varied from country to country and across the centuries. There has been a tendency in scholarship on premodern women and the law to see married women as hidden from view, obscured by their husbands in legal records. This volume provides a corrective view, arguing that the extent to which the legal principle of coverture applied has been over-emphasized. In particular, it points up differences between the English common law position, which gave husbands guardianship over their wives and their wives' property, and the position elsewhere in northwest Europe, where wives' property became part of a community of property. Detailed studies of legal material from medieval and early modern England, Wales, Scotland, Ireland, Ghent, Sweden,Norway and Germany enable a better sense of how, when, and where the legal principle of coverture was applied and what effect this had on the lives of married women. Key threads running through the book are married women'srights regarding the possession of moveable and immovable property, marital property at the dissolution of marriage, married women's capacity to act as agents of their husbands and households in transacting business, and married women's interactions with the courts. Cordelia Beattie is Senior Lecturer in Medieval History at the University of Edinburgh; Matthew Frank Stevens is Lecturer in Medieval History at Swansea University Contributors: Lars Ivar Hansen, Shennan Hutton, Lizabeth Johnson, Gillian Kenny, Mia Korpiola, Miriam Muller, S.C. Ogilvie, Alexandra Shepard, Cathryn Spence.

Police response to incidents of intimate partner violence can be critical. This volume investigates the elements in the institutional, legal and organizational context that are relevant for police response to incidents in the realm of the private sphere and whether there exists a relation with the reporting of such incidents by victims. Addressing this complex question requires insights from research, policy and practice and, as such, any conclusions will have implications for each of these fields. This volume addresses issues that are key elements in the relationship between the (legal) response to family violence and the reporting by victims. These issues concern societal and legal definitions of family violence employed in research, policy making and legal practice; how the legislation of various countries covers violence in the private sphere; the way the police deal with reported incidents of intimate partner violence; and the role that other interventions play in the response to and combat of family violence and intimate partner violence.