File(s) not publicly available
Adoption support and the negotiation of ambivalence in family policy and children's services
journal contribution
posted on 2023-06-07, 23:29 authored by Barry LuckockIn this paper ambivalent commitments to parenting and family life by the New Labour government are explored by reference to the example of adoption support. Developments in adoption illuminate contrasting expectations in family policy and children's services more generally. Traditional normative concerns to support family status and parental autonomy are unsettled by contemporary anxieties about child outcomes and social mobility. Impatience with the attitudes and behaviour of parents has led to a `progressive universalism¿ in which enhanced parenting services and expectations for all are combined with increasingly insistent and targeted interventions for the particularly needy, reluctant or recalcitrant few. At the same time demands for greater service modernization and professional effectiveness have led government to position parents as (potential) consumers too. The paper discusses these policy and practice tensions and concludes that new spaces are being opened up for the negotiation between parents and professionals about rights and responsibilities in family life and its support.
History
Publication status
- Published
Journal
Journal of Law and SocietyISSN
0263-323XPublisher
Blackwell PublishingExternal DOI
Issue
1Volume
35Page range
3-27Pages
25.0Department affiliated with
- Social Work and Social Care Publications
Full text available
- No
Peer reviewed?
- Yes
Legacy Posted Date
2012-02-06Usage metrics
Categories
No categories selectedKeywords
Licence
Exports
RefWorks
BibTeX
Ref. manager
Endnote
DataCite
NLM
DC