Skip Navigation

International Journal of Law, Policy and the Family 2000 14(2):107-130; doi:10.1093/lawfam/14.2.107
© 2000 by Oxford University Press
This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My Personal Archive
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Van Nijnatten, C
Right arrow Search for Related Content
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us  
What's this?

Authority relations in families and child welfare in the Netherlands and England: new styles of governance

C Van Nijnatten

University of Utrecht, Department of General Social Sciences, PO Box 80140, 3508 TIC Utrecht, The Netherlands

In recent years western States have experienced gradual changes in relations of authority with advances in the social and the legal status both of subordinate groups and of individuals. This has been the case in relations between State and citizens, between state institutions and citizens, between parents and children and between child protection agencies and families in trouble. These relationships have become more equal and more democratic. Teenage children nowadays take many decisions without the consent of their parents, which, half a century ago, would have been impossible. This is also the case with respect to the relationship between State and citizens. Although, and in many domains, citizens have acquired greater independence from both the State and the pressure of social conformity, there are still areas from which the State has not withdrawn such as, for example, military service and social security. We cannot therefore speak of a general abdication of authority by the State, but rather of a loosening of relations of authority, both at the micro-level of the family and the macro-level of the State. This article examines the development of professional authority in relation to the introduction of new child welfare systems, setting this development in an historical perspective of the triangular relations of state authority, parental authority and child welfare authority. Several stages of development in these domains can be identified, although the exact moment of their appearance is hard to identify precisely and differs from country to country.


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us    What's this?


This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 International Social WorkHome page
R. Roose and M. De Bie
Children's rights: a challenge for social work
International Social Work, January 1, 2008; 51(1): 37 - 46.
[Abstract] [PDF]


Disclaimer:
Please note that abstracts for content published before 1996 were created through digital scanning and may therefore not exactly replicate the text of the original print issues. All efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, but the Publisher will not be held responsible for any remaining inaccuracies. If you require any further clarification, please contact our Customer Services Department.