Chapter 7 Chapter Overview & Learning Objectives

Chapter Summary

This chapter provides an in-depth exploration of the historical, political, and ideological components of social work practice with children in Canada. There are three distinct but often intersecting areas of social work practice with children: child welfare, youth justice, and prevention. Although each Canadian province and territory has unique legislation regarding child welfare, they all follow similar principles. The provinces and territories have distinct age ranges for protective services, suggesting that the definition of “child” is a contested one.

In Canada, conceptions of “childhood” and thus child welfare developed and evolved according to three unique stages. The first viewed children as objects, the second as vulnerable individuals in need of protection, and the third as subjects. Child welfare policies and legislation reflected each stage. The evolution of Canada’s youth justice system has in many ways paralleled the development of the child welfare system, incorporating the key societal values associated with each stage. In the early stages of both systems, children received a significantly lower level of protection from the state than is seen today.

Throughout both the child welfare and youth justice systems, Indigenous children continue to be over-represented. The Canadian Human Rights Tribunal on First Nations Child Welfare represents a landmark case documenting widespread discrimination and inequitable and insufficient child and family services offered to First Nations youth and families on reserve.

Preventive social work with children includes a range of activities within communities and schools that aim to minimize the risk of negative behaviours and outcomes while promoting protective factors that enhance childhood growth and development. Prevention has steadily become an integral aspect of social work practice in Canada, focusing on empowering young people and fostering resilience.

Increasingly, social workers are recognizing the overlap of the child welfare and youth justice systems, while incorporating preventive services. It is imperative for social workers to be aware of the overlapping experiences of both systems and also identify their role in ensuring collaboration between agencies that address child welfare and youth justice independently of one another. Furthermore, greater emphasis should be placed on social work prevention and education.

Learning Objectives

The goal of this chapter is to do the following:

1. Highlight key issues affecting Canadian children.
2. Review the historical conditions, events, and realities that have shaped and informed the development of child welfare and youth justice systems in Canada.
3. Identify the varied models and approaches used to explain why families may come into contact with the child welfare system.
4. Explore contemporary child welfare practice and the roles and duties of social workers.
5. Trace the changing approaches to youth justice, the laws that have accompanied these approaches, and the role of social workers working in the realm of youth justice.
6. Highlight the role of prevention in social work practice with children.
7. Address the inherent tensions experienced by social workers when working in child welfare and youth justice.