ABSTRACT
Child welfare in Canada, as in other jurisdictions, has always had to work with families and children whose troubles tend to be defined as existing primarily in the realm of the personal. The Children’s Aid Society of Metropolitan Toronto, however, seemed to accept the position of the authors mentioned and was perhaps the first one to mount a community work programme in the child welfare arena. This chapter examines the use of a community work approach in attempting to improve the lives of children and families. It explores what is meant by the terms ‘community’ and ‘community practice’. The word ‘community’ has a myriad number of definitions. The objective of citizen participation refers to community members making decisions, and acting on them, to try and do something about problems that are important to them, ‘to help others while being helped themselves.’
