From 'best interests' to 'least harm': A socio-historical analysis of child welfare services and the development of a context for progressive reform

A historical review of the literature addressing systems of care that have been specifically developed to insure the welfare and safety of dependent children and their families leads one to the alarming conclusion that little progress, if any, has been made over the past 100 years. Contemporary proposals to reform the child welfare system have been embedded in the dominant constructs which have historically defined welfare and dependency. With an established socio-historical commitment from the public and private sectors to work in the "best interests of the child," one might expect there to be a wealth of empirical data to draw upon to further this venture. Lacking the benefit of a historical analysis and reflective of the paucity of available qualitative studies in this area, goals and objectives were not designed to address the broader sociocultural factors contributing to poverty and its effects. As a result, many programs and services developed to positively impact the membership of the family have generally been obstructive to the welfare of dependent children.;A socio-historical review of the literature, beginning in the 1600s and culminating in the contemporary era, was utilized to trace the evolution of the child welfare system and identify the principal dynamics that have contributed to the development of the configuration of the present systems of care for children and their families.;Principal among our findings was the persistence of a negative bias toward the poor that has informed policy in the following ways: (a) led to the hegemony of psycho-social practices which focus on the individual as both the cause and the solution to problems of abuse and neglect; and (b) produced a child welfare system built on incompatible goals. The primary conflict is best expressed as the contest between providing sufficient aid and preventing dependency.;Based on our findings, a context for progressive reform is proposed that would transform the current definition of abuse and neglect to one that incorporates a broader spectrum of identifiable agents that precipitate abuse and neglect. Consequently, the focus of child welfare services would emphasize collective and preventative solutions rather than individual dysfunction.