ABSTRACT
This chapter considers the impact of the Act on the welfare of children. The analysis within it is based on the findings derived from research undertaken three years after the implementation of the Children Act, 1989 in one inner city borough of London. A great deal of discussion has taken place about the changes effected by the Children Act, 1989 in terms of altering the power relationships between parents and the state or clients and workers. Part four of the Children Act, 1989, relates to the transfer of power and responsibility from the parents to the local authority where there exists the likelihood or evidence that the child will suffer significant harm by remaining in the family. Perspectives on child welfare policy are essentially about two interrelated concepts: power and relationships. In child welfare situations, power relates to the notion of the state’s ability to intercede in the lives of children and their families.
