Treatment of Children in Canada

CONTEMPORARY CANADIAN SOCIAL POLICYAS IT AFFECTS CHILDREN

Contemporary Canadian social policy concerning children includes programs dealing with three major goalsthe support of parental abilities to meet the needs of children, substitutes for parental care, and supplements to parental care (Melichercik, 1987). The program specifics are discussed within the context of these goals.

Supporting Parental Abilities to Meet the Needs of Children

Social programs designed to support parental abilities to meet the needs of children include the provision of counseling services in the home, and protective services for abused and neglected children (Melichercik, 1987). The principal purpose of the counseling services is to leave the role of parenting with the parents, but to enhance parental abilities in this context (Hirsch, 1976). While these services are delivered by highly trained professionals, they are provided through a combination of federal, provincial, and private agencies, with the result that delivery is not uniform throughout the country.

Child protective services are intended to guard children against harmful experiences. Where feasible, protective services arrangements keep children in their own homes; however, removal

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ary widely (Melichercik, 1987). There are three income supplement programs involving children. The Canada Assistance Act of 1965 provides income assistance to raise family income to a prescribed level; however, implementation of the Act is through the provincial governments, each of which has its own separate program (Melichercik, 1987). The federal government reimburses the provincial governments at the level of 50 percent of the cost of the provincial programs, and the level of assistance provided to families varies by province. In almost all instances, however, the family support levels tend to be below the poverty line established by Statistics Canada (Melichercik, 1987). The Family Allowance Act was legislated at the national level in 1944 (McNaught, 1978). The Act is a universal program which was enacted by the Liberal government of the day, after public dissatisfaction had forced the government into an uneasy coalition in parliament with the CCF (Cooperative Commonwealth Federation), the predecessor to the contemporary New Democratic Party (NDP). The Act was originally intended to maintain the purchasing power of the average Canadian family (Melichercik, 1987). Oveer the ensuing years, several unsuccessful attempts
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Approximate Word count = 2618
Approximate Pages = 10 (250 words per page)

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