First published in 1972, Motherless Families shows how, with the slow disappearance of the extended family and the support that it could offer in such situations, society has found itself responsible for lone-parent families. The authors cover the situation of about six hundred families in the East Midlands where the father was caring for his children on his own. They examine the father's feelings about his new circumstances, the problems he faces and how he copes with them. They look at the ways in which the social services, the modified extended family and the immediate community react to the father's position. They also consider the children's adaptation to the motherless situation and their new relationships with the father or a mother substitute. In the final chapter the authors examine the ways in which social class and social values affect the definitions of social problems and the formulation of social policy. Both administrators and practitioners in the social services, as well as students of related subjects, will welcome the research contained in this book, and will find the authors' conclusions of particular help in their approach to the problems of all types of one-parent families.

First published in 1984, The Impact of Social Policy analyses and evaluates the effects of social policy on British society in the post-war period. The focus is on the consequences of social policy and the authors differentiate clearly between the objectives of social policy and what it actually achieves. What governments and individuals claim that social policy does, and what happens in practice, are not always one and the same thing. George and Wilding examine the impact of social policy in a coherent and logical way, looking at the social, the economic and the political aspects. They conclude that social services are conducive to economic growth, and that they are an important instrument for enhancing social well-being although they do not reduce socio-economic inequalities to any substantial degree. They also point out that although social services buttress political stability, they have not prevented a political crisis in the welfare state. This book will be of interest to students of sociology, public policy, political science, and economics.