ABSTRACT
One argument against importing practices from group care programs in other countries is that they are effective and meaningful only in the context of a specific culture and thus have little value for U.S. programs. It is argued here that many Israeli and European practices in such settings are functionally similar to each other, in their emphases on development, community, and identity, and different from the focus on deviant behavior that characterizes many U.S. programs. The key issue is not cultural differences, however, but what is good for children and youth. What could be learned from Israel and Europe is the importance of a professional definition of child and youth care work that takes moral and social values about children seriously in structuring group care programs.
