Human development is about the growth of agency, which is developed in interaction with their parents and families but if parental agency is insufficient, agency in the form of child welfare will be required to fill the gaps. This book provides an holistic view of how children develop agency, combining social, psychological and child development aspects, as well as examining child welfare structures and the roles of social workers. This focus will make a contribution to current debates about child welfare and child protection and the book will therefore be essential reading for academics and researchers in social work, childhood studies, children’s policy and social policy.
About the author
Carol van Nijnatten is a developmental psychologist and professor social studies of child welfare at the University of Utrecht. From 2004-2009 he was also professor of social work at Radboud University, Nijmegen. His current field of research is interactional analysis of professional interventions in child health care and child welfare. He published books and articles on child welfare; children of detained parents, psychodynamic developmental psychology, dialogical self theory and institutional communication.