ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the link between youth civic engagement and child welfare in the context of social change. It suggests that engagement in activities provides children and young people with access to opportunities, resources and support which they require for successful transitions from childhood to adulthood. The chapter argues that a shifted responsibility from state to family provision of child welfare has exposed children to unequal opportunities for youth civic engagement. Youth civic engagement is a contested term that refers to various youth activities and is mostly concerned with ideas of active citizenship and participation. The focus of research was on children and young people who experienced transitions to adulthood in the selected periods of time. Data analysis emphasizes opportunities and experiences with youth engagement and demonstrates their implications for child welfare in respective periods of time. In the 1980s socialist era, children and youth experienced a high level of social integration and a wider level of societal care.
