The human right to survive and develop, a fundamental premise of the "U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child," can be attained only if adequate living conditions are secured for the child. This book reviews the significance of the physical, mental, spiritual, moral, and social aspects of holistic child development called for by Article 27 of the "Convention." The editors share a vision of childhood wherein the child is accorded dignity, and opportunities exist to promote advancement of human potential. Contributors from several nations and a variety of disciplines, including psychology, law, social work, medicine, economics, and international studies, address the challenge of identifying adequate living conditions across cultures and discuss issues affecting communities and governments as they attempt to fulfill their responsibilities to children and their families. Key themes throughout the book are the significance of the child's perspective, the primacy of the family environment, the need to balance the interests of diverse cultures while reducing historical inequities, and the ecological interdependence of children, families, communities, and nations. The editors and contributors call for organized social and political action to realize the child's right to develop, including ways to measure and monitor children's well-being beyond survival.

"Her book takes us on a journey back to the basics of conducting a thorough and informative social history and is an account of what a real social history involves...I recommend this book not only for the novice but also for all clinicians who want an edge on how to accumulate more pertinent information concerning their patients and to guide their treatment." -PSYCCRITIQUES "...what impresses me about this text is that Andrews uses her love of social history to take a subject that is rarely celebrated and remind us of what is exciting about it." -FAMILIES IN SOCIETY In the mental health and human service professions, taking a social history assessment marks the start of most therapeutic interventions. Social History Assessment is the first resource to offer practical guidance about interpreting the social history. Author Arlene Bowers Andrews provides rich resources to assist helping professionals as they gather and-most importantly-interpret information about social relationships in the lives of individuals. Key Features: Focuses on interpreting and making meaning of the social history: Humans are complex creatures. Their biology, psychology, and social relations affect their thoughts, emotions, behaviors, and sensations. This book particularly addresses the personal social history, that is, the interpersonal relationships that have influenced the development of the person during the life course. Offers comprehensive guidance on composing a social history: In addition to numerous case examples and a variety of helpful tools such as genograms and ecomaps, the chapters cover ethical issues, core theories of human behavior in the social environment, tips for comprehensively gathering information about and describing the social history, and guidance regarding interpreting the history. Reaches a multidisciplinary audience: Whether the professional comes from social work, psychology, counseling, psychiatry, nursing, or another health or human service discipline, exploring the client's origins helps build rapport and lays the foundation for mutual client-professional assessment. This book offers a common understanding across disciplines of what constitutes an informative social history, with theoretically grounded interpretation, to benefit multidisciplinary teamwork and the client. Intended Audience: This is an ideal supplemental text for a variety of advanced undergraduate and graduate courses in Social Work Practice, Direct Practice, Interviewing, Human Behavior in the Social Environment, Family Studies, Education (counseling), Psychology (counseling and clinical), and Nursing. It is also an excellent resource for Social Workers, Counselors, and Psychologists.