The nature and extent of young caring in the UK continue to be a feature of a growing number of research programmes motivated by a children and carers' rights philosophy. However, the context in which young caring occurs as a result of parental ill‐health or disability can only be fully understood by examining the findings and implications of medical research into parental impairment, and the social movements that have served to re‐define the concept of ‘disability’ in society. This paper examines the arguments put forward by medical researchers, by those proposing a social model of disability and by those who have specifically investigated the conditions and experiences of young carers. It argues that children's caring roles within families where there is parental illness or disability need to be understood not only as a reflection of the nature of the medical condition itself, but as a consequence of complex family, social and economic processes. A ‘whole family’ approach is proposed, where the needs of children and parents are respected and responded to.

The recent publication of a national carers strategy reflects increasing awareness of the burden of informal care on relatives of people with a disability or long-term health problem. This article examines the experiences of young carers in general, and of those caring for a parent or sibling with a mental health problem or learning disability.

Changes in the crimino-legal process during the last few years have blurred the boundaries between criminal justice and children¿s welfare in child protection. These developments have, however, received relatively little critical attention within contemporary discourses surrounding child protection. This paper draws upon primary and secondary research findings to explore the appropriateness and effectiveness of current forensically led responses to child abuse. In particular, it questions the adequacy of existing operational constructs of justice in child protection, arguing the case for a far more comprehensive notion of `justice for children¿ than presently prevails. Research evidence is reviewed suggesting that current crimino-legally driven practices fail to achieve even the limited objectives of criminal justice, let alone the higher goals of promoting children¿s welfare or attaining `justice for children¿. Finally the paper explores how these findings may inform and be informed by current debates and practice in social work. While a range of policy and practice remedies are suggested, these, it is argued, must be framed with recognition of the tensions and dilemmas underlying social work in a complex and uncertain social world.