Child Neglect: Welfare practice yesterday and today

If a child’s welfare is endangered by neglect, state intervention into the family is legitimized. The term "child neglect" varies, depending on the point in time and discipline. Historical practices illustrate the necessity to analyze current decision-making processes with regard to family and gender perceptions.

  • ​Project description (completed ​​research project)

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    It is under the term «child neglect» that far-reaching interventions into families were and are legitimized to protect children. Welfare practice, however, varies substantially, depending on the point in time and discipline. Historical practices show that it is necessary to also examine carefully current decision-making practices. We will analyze characteristics, mechanisms, and operating principles applying to child neglect. It is our goal to identify the possible causes of practices leading to a violation or a safeguarding of integrity. To this effect, we will analyze the current political / public and expert discourses on family, education and motherhood in five cantons (2019), comparing them to past discourses (2009/2010) as well as to the perspectives of the mothers.

  • Results

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    The summary of the results for this project are available here:

  • Original title

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    Welfare practice in response to child neglect: Reconstruction and analysis of the discourse on family, childrearing, and motherhood