ABSTRACT
The Ontario child welfare system has attempted to bring children into the equation during child protection hearings while taking into account their relative degree of dependency. Child welfare services in Canada have gradually evolved and been shaped by changing societal values and conditions as well as changing social constructions of childhood. The social worker also has received specific training in child welfare practice and thus has specialized knowledge about the role of a social worker in the specific setting. The doctrine of parens patriae has been at the foundation of child welfare legislation and has given social workers — as agents of the state — the legal authority to act to protect children. Child Welfare Work Social changes necessitate a re-categorization of childhood as a social class distinct from adulthood. As consumers of child welfare services, they remain in a dependent position but have more power over their own lives than before.
