Synopses & Reviews
Synopsis
For children who grow up being cared for by the state, rather than their families, in China, the past twenty years has seen a shift: China has gone away from keeping those children in institutions and towards alternative approaches that attempt to honor children's rights to an inclusive childhood and adulthood. This book reviews the changes in policy and practice that underlie this shift, and, through interviews with young people involved with state care in the period, presents a clear view of how the change in approach has affected individual lives. As this is an issue that all countries struggle with, the lessons on offer here will be of value not just to those working in and studying China but to a broader range of practitioners in child welfare and development.
Synopsis
In the last 20 years, state care in China has shifted away from institutional care, towards alternative care that recognises children's rights to an inclusive childhood and adulthood. This book reviews changes in policy and practices that affected the generation of young people who grew up in state care in China during this time. The young people themselves give their perspectives on their childhood, their current experiences and their future plans for independence. These insights, combined with analysis of national state care datasets and policy documents, provide answers to questions about the impact of different types of alternative care on young people's experiences, the impact on their identity and their capacity to live independently, finding a job, a home and relationships. All countries continue to struggle with how to improve the quality child protection practices and alternatives to group care. The results here provide evidence to researchers, governments and professionals to help to improve social inclusion by changing institutionalisation practices.
Synopsis
Through the perspectives of young people themselves, this book reviews changes in policy and practices that affected the generation of young people who grew up in state care in China during the last 20 years.