Suitable homes revisited: An historical look at child protection and welfare reform

Abstract

Welfare reform will impact the child protection population not only by effecting changes in family life, but also by altering the nature of the relationships between welfare and child protection institutions. Certain aspects of-TANF recall the historical tendency for mothers' pensions, ADC and AFDC to be restricted to certain kinds of “fit” parents, for “suitable homes” policies to act as caseload containment measures, and for social services within welfare to serve a surveillance function without evidencing clear success in resolving financial dependency or problems with parenting. Such characteristics of welfare have supported a strong linkage to the child protection system, although the nature of this relationship has varied over time. A review of selected events highlights the problems encountered when welfare-based social services attempt to perform a child protection function, problems that are particularly relevant given current concerns that welfare reform will intensify the poverty experienced by already precarious families. It is suggested that the blended family service/welfare-to-work model of TANF be implemented with care—to avoid repeating the mistakes of prior eras—and that some degree of functional and philosophical separation between welfare-to-work and child protection will facilitate the best provision of service to families.