Discourses of care

In this talk Graham begins to consider some of the political and social perspectives that impact on how the task of caring for vulnerable children is constructed and delivered.

In previous weeks we have considered some of the different perspectives that we know to exist – the challenge of caring for vulnerable children and young people in an increasingly risk averse society as well the debates that exist around family based care versus group care.

There is another debate about how we view children more generally – at risk and in need of protection versus the children themselves posing risks to others. What is the dominant view at any point in time is often connected to issues and themes associated with youth crime and how this is portrayed by the media and responded to by politicians.

Historically, in the UK a Welfare State was created with the underpinning principle of universalism, an attempt to create a more equal society. In recent years public attitudes to the welfare state have begun to change quite significantly. This has implications for vulnerable children and young people who are more likely to be represented in the populations in receipt of services and poses questions as to how we think about services moving forward.