Public Policy Toward Children: Identifying the Problems

Abstract

This article identifies four problems with the way American society deals with children's needs: the discussion of children's problems seldom results in effective legislation or social action; child advocates are unable to achieve sufficient consensus on policy recommendations to provide direction to legislators; services needed by all children are provided only to special groups and even in these cases the help is not sustained; and much of the aid provided is directed toward adults and does not necessarily have the desired impact on children. Some possible explanations for these problems are offered: the cultural belief in parents' rights, the devaluing of children as recipients of economic investment, the cultural tendency to respond only to crises, and the political inexperience of child advocates are all identified as forces that contribute to the inadequacies in the way children's needs are met.

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References

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