Vassiliki Theodorou and Despina Karakatsani, Strengthening Young Bodies, Building the Nation: A Social History of Child Health and Welfare in Greece (1890–1940)

Reviewed by: Strengthening Bodies, Building a Nation: The Social History of Child Health and Welfare in Greece (1890–1940) by Vassiliki Theodorou and Despina Karakatsani Sevasti Trubeta Strengthening Bodies, Building a Nation: The Social History of Child Health and Welfare in Greece (1890–1940). By Vassiliki Theodorou and Despina Karakatsani. Budapest: Central European University Press, 2019. vi + 374 pp. Cloth $60. children's protection, health, and welfare have been the focus of diverse academic disciplines that examine their attention to social control through institutions such as schooling, boarding homes, health centers, child observation centers, or facilities for children and childcare. Medicine, the "queen" of academic disciplines in Michel Foucault's words, has contributed a great deal to establishing disciplinary and regulatory power and also to constituting modern social subjects. The notion of medicalization refers to medicine's power in designing society and—as power operates—to be internalized by social subjects, including the "child." In situating the medicalization of childhood as the focus of their book, Theodorou and Karakatsani address a topic that has attracted increasing scholarly interest in the last few decades. Their book also familiarizes the international audience with the peculiar case of Greece. The authors pursue the key aim of advancing an "understanding of the historical context of the medicalization of childhood attempted in Greece in the early twentieth century" (5) and, more specifically, during the period from the 1890s until 1940. A particular interest of this book is to explore increasing state control over children's health and the circumstances under which children's health and care emerged as a scientific issue. The analysis is based on the argument that children's health care in Greece contributed to "the institutionalized medicalization of child health on a mass scale, mainly through school" (6). In the introduction, the authors provide a historiographical overview of international scholarly debates about the medicalization of childhood and medicine as an institution of social control. They especially point to a trend in scholarship that explores children's health and the rise of childcare in the southeastern European countries as an integral part of national policies and the national community. Both the title of the book as well as the analysis demonstrate that the authors embrace this very approach and put at the heart of their analysis the significance of children's health and care for the national idea and community. Following a chronological approach, the book is divided into three main parts. The first covers the period from 1890 to 1929 (placing emphasis on the [End Page 172] last decade of the nineteenth century); it addresses the interweaving of medicine, medical ideas, and social policies concerning children in both Europe and Greece. The authors argue that in this period, public health policies facilitated the establishment of "school hygiene institutions to Greece" in 1920 (6). Along with detailing the ministries, the authors also consider the cooperation of a women's organization with state institutions in advancing institutional frames for children's health and care. The second part of the book covers the interwar period, which is framed by two key years and historical events: from 1922, when almost 1.5 million new people arrived to Greek state-territory (known as "refugees from Asia Minor"), to the establishment of the military dictatorship in 1936. The authors stress two developments that marked this period: the rise of professionals and experts in child welfare and the entanglement of scientists and practitioners. The focus of the third section addresses the youth and child policies of the dictatorship from 1936 up to Greece's entry in the Second World War (1940). In this part, the authors reflect on possible continuities and ruptures in child health care with previous governments. Given that the book is based on Greek historical events and developments, an appendix with short explanations about names, historical dates, and terms would have been helpful for the broader audience. A connoisseur of Greece may be familiar with (indeed, partially contested) terms such as "Asia Minor Disaster," "Asia Minor Refugees," or "4th August," but this may not necessarily be the case for a broader audience. In terms of bibliographical sources, this volume lags behind the present state of research...

This article traces the history of child welfare in Australia, showing the ways in which policies and practices, deriving primarily from Britain, were adopted and adapted in a nation in which jurisdiction was split between colonies/states and further divided, within states, on the basis of race. It argues that child welfare has always been part of the nation-building project, central to national objectives when children could be constructed as future citizens, marginal, and more punitive, when they were more easily understood as threats to social stability. In this first part it examines the history of welfare provision for non-indigenous children in Australia from 1788 to 1939. The second part, to be published in a subsequent issue, will discuss post-war developments in services for non-indigenous children, indigenous child welfare services and the historiography of child welfare in Australia.

Vassiliki Theodorou and Despina Karakatsani, Strengthening Young Bodies, Building the Nation: A Social History of Child Health and Welfare in Greece (1890–1940)

Strengthening Bodies, Building a Nation: A Social History of Child Health and Welfare in Greece (1890–1940) by Vassiliki Theodorou and Despina Karakatsani

As we approach the year 2000, infant mortality rates, child placement dilemmas, and appropriate socialization of children continue to challenge the field of child welfare. It is thus especially significant to reflect on the history of child welfare. The carefully selected topics explored in this volume underscore the importance of recovering past events and themes still relevant. It is the aim of this volume to illumine current issues by a review of past struggles and problems. A History of Child Welfare offers many examples of practices that have direct import for those who struggle to support children. Who is not bothered by what seem to be increasing acts of violence by children against children? The role of hidden cruelty to children in perpetuating violence is illuminated by studying the past. Historians and social researchers have gone far in examining the family, and by implication, their revelations greatly increase society's complex responses to children over time from early assumptions that children were little more than miniature adults to the discovery of childhood as a special developmental period. At the start of this century women still did not have universal suffrage and brutal child labor was not unusual. Harsh legal codes separating the races were widespread, and those bent on improving the lot of children knew that reform meant commitment to an uphill struggle. By the end of the century, much has changed: child labor, while still present, has been outlawed in most industries, women vote and hold many high offices; and de jure racial segregation is largely a memory. Yet the state of children remains precarious, with poverty a persistent theme throughout the century. The fifteen articles in this volume cover a wide range of social conditions, public policies, and approaches to problem solving. Though history does not repeat itself precisely, problems, controversies about solutions, and certain themes do. A History of Child Welfare takes up social and economic conditions that correlate with increasing rates of child abuse and neglect, and an increasing number of children in out-of-home care. This volume distinguishes approaches that have been useful from those that have failed. In this way, these serious reflections help build on past successes and avoid previous errors.

This article traces the history of child welfare in Australia, showing the ways in which policies and practices, deriving primarily from Britain, were adopted and adapted in a nation in which jurisdiction was split between colonies/states and further divided, within states, on the basis of race. It argues that child welfare has always been part of the nation-building project, central to national objectives when children could be constructed as future citizens, marginal, and more punitive, when they were more easily understood as threats to social stability. In this second part, it discusses post-war developments in services for non-indigenous children, and indigenous child welfare services. It concludes with a discussion of the historiography of child welfare in Australia arguing that because, to date, historical writing has concentrated on localised or specialist studies, child welfare professionals have limited access to an understanding of the history of the systems within which they work.

ABSTRACTIn the history of child welfare in Ireland and other western countries, the period during the First World War coincided with a time of international attention on poor and working-class families and children. As this occurred at a time of ‘revolution’ as well as a time of war, the efforts of voluntary and state services were often driven by a variety of motives, including genuine concern for poor mothers and children, sectarianism, class bias and international child welfare developments. This article addresses the extent to which the lives of working-class and poor mothers in Ireland were affected by the war—primarily through concern expressed by child protection agencies (such as the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children), directly connecting the history of child welfare with the history of motherhood.

This article reports on research carried out on 189 child welfare files from the largest welfare authority in Northern Ireland from 1950 to 1968. The literature review provides a commentary on some of the major debates surrounding child welfare and protection social work from the perspective of its historical development. The report of the research that follows offers an insight into this important period of child welfare history in Northern Ireland between the two Children and Young Persons Acts (1950 and 1968). Using a method of discourse analysis influenced by Michel Foucault, a detailed description of the nature of practice is offered. This article is offered as a work in progress, focusing specifically on the case file analysis. Further work is planned for dissemination of more detailed analysis and discussion of the broader context within which the practice operated. The research seeks to raise questions based on problems identified in the present with our current understandings of child welfare and protection histories. While recognising the limitations of this study and the need for contextualisation surrounding child welfare practice at the moment, it is argued that some salient conclusions can be drawn about continuity and discontinuity in practice that are of interest to practitioners and students of child welfare social work and can raise questions for further research.

This paper provides guidelines for identifying and integrating context relating to ethnic and minority group history into social welfare history and policy courses. Sources of information are reviewed and the use of local history is discussed. Examples for use in classroom teaching are provided.

This paper traces the history of child welfare in Victoria, from the formation of the Children's Welfare Department to the present time. It draws principally upon the Annual Reports of the responsible state government department, to illustrate trends in out-of-home placement for children and young people admitted to care. It describes substantial shifts in direction to the institutions in the 1960s, deinstitutionalisation of the 1980s, and the re-emergence of home-based care as a favoured, economical option.The paper traces the ebbs and flows in numbers, periods of overcrowding and the current reduced number of children and young people in care. It notes events impacting on evolving child welfare history in Victoria, the child migration program, building projects, the establishment of family group homes, regionalisation, external review, the Children and Young Persons Act (1989), and mandatory reporting legislation. Themes emerging include: early child welfare as a period of rescue and reform; the monitoring of standards and re-entry of the department to residential care; the building of institutions and rising numbers in care; redevelopment and the emergence of a community focus; the expansion of child protection; and the phasing out of old models and the search for cost efficient alternatives.A challenge for the 1990s is the need for deliberate and planned monitoring and evaluation as institutional and residential care give way to home-based care, and numbers of admissions decrease. The paper aims to provide useful, historical material for readers with an interest in child welfare work which would benefit from a descriptive review of the past.

The Encyclopedia of Social Welfare History in North Amercia is a unique reference book that will provide users with basic information about the history of social welfare in North America, including Canada, Mexico, and the United States. Since many themes and issues are similar in the three nations, entries will provide comparative information about common as well as distinctive concerns and developments. Significant events, influential persons, legislation, social problems, and societal responses are described in detail. Editors include specialists in the social welfare history of each nation, and they have collaborated with scholars from a variety of academic disciplines to prepare entries of varying length addressing these issues. Included in each entry are suggestions for further reading that will guide readers to the rich resources available for learning about the history of North American social welfare.The encyclopedia also provides cross-references for important topics. This volume will be a unique reference tool for students at all levels, for teachers, and for libraries serving anyone with an interest in the history of North American social welfare. This title covers topics such as: Canada; Charity; Child welfare; Economic conditions and social welfare; Economics/tax policy; Health/Mental Health Policy; Landmark social welfare legislation; Mexico; Poverty; Race and social inequality; Social problems; Social security and income maintenance; Social welfare reform; Social welfare reformers; Social work; United States; and, Women and social welfare.

Until recently historical studies of child health and welfare assumed a ‘Whiggish’ tone, that is, they usually saw legislative developments in terms of ‘progress’ – a continually improving position [23; 24]. (But not all scholars subscribed to this view [87] and, unsurprisingly, political histories of welfare offered more searching examinations [88].) Older histories, along with several current standard textbooks on social policy, tend to describe the gathering pace of the legislation in terms of what Jean Heywood calls ‘the growth of state obligation towards the child’ [24: 94; also 89–91]. Since the late 1970s, however, a new and more critical history has appeared, often influenced by Marxism, liberal radicalism, Foucauldian perspectives and, to a lesser extent, feminism [11; 14; 16–18; 26; 27; 32; 55; 92–7]. Most of these modern views, while not denying either a degree of legislative progress or the increasing role of the state, propose a more complex and varied set of causes and consequences, seeking as they do to be more precise and more analytical in their accounts. Approaches In order to illustrate the variety of ‘overarching’ understandings of child welfare, this section selects several approaches adopted by different scholars. In pursuit of a broader conceptual framework, it has been tentatively suggested that the history of child welfare might be usefully examined through, on the one hand, two ‘dualisms’: bodies/minds and victims/threats and, on the other, through the notion of children as investments [59].

The history of child welfare in Australia has been constructed within the context of empire, but the writing of British child-welfare history has paid little attention to Australia, noting only its role as a (complicit) destination for the last generation of child migrants, and, within studies of settler colonialism, its program of Indigenous child removal. This article brings these historiographies into a closer relationship, arguing that developments in the way in which child-welfare history has been written in the wake of Australian inquiries into historical abuse can inform similar inquiries now being undertaken in Britain.This article has been peer reviewed.

Watch Me Rise: An evaluation of Wraparound with homeless youth with a child welfare history

Youth with trauma histories and child welfare involvement are disproportionately transferred to criminal court and receive harsher sanctions than justice-involved youth without such histories. Little is known about factors that contribute to these sentencing disparities. While 44 states in the United States delegate sentencing to judges, six states utilize sentencing juries to recommend sentences in felony cases: Arkansas, Kentucky, Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas, and Virginia. This study examined the effects of youths' trauma and child welfare history on potential jurors' sentencing recommendations for youth tried in criminal court. This study also evaluated potential reasons - including perceptions of the youth's threat to public safety and rehabilitation potential - that trauma histories may serve as mitigating or aggravating factors. Utilizing survey data from 1,537 jury-eligible residents in jury sentencing states, results revealed that youth with no trauma history who were found guilty of a felony offense were perceived to be a higher threat to public safety and have less potential for rehabilitation than youth with histories of trauma and child welfare involvement. Perceived threat to public safety and rehabilitation potential mediated the relationship between youths' trauma and child welfare histories and agreement that a youth should go to prison, the length of a proposed prison sentence, and the amount a youth should be fined for the crime. Results suggest that trauma history a mitigating factor when sentencing youth in criminal court. Findings have implications for future research and practice for systems serving justice-involved youth.