NCJ Number
89685
Editor(s)
V L Stewart
Date Published
1983
Length
154 pages
Annotation
This volume presents a profile of the efforts of Canada, Mexico, Poland, Trinidad, and Tobago to aid distressed, abused, and delinquent children through health, educational, welfare, and legal services, and the work of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) is described.
Abstract
Canada's chapter focuses on issues related to significant changes that are occurring in child welfare strategy in that country, and emphasis is given to the need for balance in child care, protection, and control. It is foreseen that the juvenile court will swing away from proceedings based on parens patriae. The demand for government programs for children is expected to be offset by demand for lessened state intervention in the lives of citizens, but the state will probably continue to assume the role of a surrogate parent for dependent children suffering abuse and neglect. The discussion of Mexico shows the strong influence of the family structure on children in that country. It also focuses on the socioeconomic forces -- poverty, illiteracy, and migration to the cities -- which influence the family's impact on its children. The best features of parens patriae are advised to have been retained in Mexico's juvenile justice system. The detailed description of the growth of the Polish juvenile court and the family court includes an outline of the special nature of the law in theory and practice as it applies to family problems. The chapter on Trinidad and Tobago describes the various services in these countries for children and how community services emphasize the strengthening of the family. The discussion of UNICEF considers lessons learned by that organization over its years of addressing children's needs internationally, such as lessons about paraprofessional development workers, citizen participation, the synergistic benefits of integrated approaches, the importance of prevention, and the significance of social relationships as well as technological developments. The appendix contains updated material on Brazil, Denmark, England, Wales, India, Japan, Netherlands, South Australia, and Sweden. For other volumes, see NCJ 89683, 88521, 88552, and 89684.