Services are not enough: child well‐being in a very unequal society

Abstract

This article offers a resumé of, and reflection on, policy ideas that have emerged since the implementation of the Children Act 1989 concerning child need, vulnerability and universalism. It acknowledges the significance of working to beneficial child outcomes as both a cement to pull services into coherence and as a measure of how well our children are doing. However, children in the UK are not doing well when compared with other affluent societies. The article invites consideration of whether we are asking too much of services in the face of enduring inequality in our society.

Citation

Rowlands, J. (2010), "Services are not enough: child well‐being in a very unequal society", Journal of Children's Services, Vol. 5 No. 3, pp. 80-88. https://doi.org/10.5042/jcs.2010.0553