The primary aim of this book is to examine the role of social workers in schools with respect to fostering children's rights and creating better outcomes for children and young people in seven selected countries or places: China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the United States. In this edited volume, a number of scholars, researchers and social work practitioners share their insights on school social work service or practice in their respective countries or places, and discuss how school social work service can further be improved to address the needs and problems of children and young people. School social work is a specialised area of youth work around the world. It has been developed for a long time. However, school social work service may take different forms and shapes, thereby affecting how it is delivered. For instance, while some school social workers primarily play the role of a clinical counsellor or caseworker, others see themselves as an advocate for the disabled and disadvantaged young people in schools. Therefore, instead of making comparisons among different practices, each chapter aims to introduce salient features of the school social work service of a specific country or place. In addition to examining the historical development of school social work in their regions, each chapter will also explore the views of school social workers regarding their successes and challenges in their day-to-day practices.

Transnational relationships between Indian migrant women household workers in Hong Kong and their family members in India is the focus of the book. The impact of migration on these solo women migrants, the strengths that they draw from work, income and friendship ties developed with fellow migrants at destination, and the cumulative impact these have on transnational relationships with families that they left behind, were unknown. Firstly, it emerged that Indian migrant women household workers in Hong Kong drew strength from their membership of small groups by developing reciprocal 'lunch box rights'. Secondly, the concept of 'bangled husband' highlighted the reversal of gender roles between breadwinning migrant wives and their non-migrant husbands. Thirdly, the pain of separation was central to the transnational relationships between mothers and the children they left behind. Finally, it was only after migrant women household workers struck a balance in the disbursal of their income between the demands from family members as well as their own needs for education, recreation and accumulation that it worked in their favour to gain influence in their natal or marital family.