ABSTRACT
Allegedly ‘troublesome’ and ‘feckless’ families have long been the focus of public policy attention in many countries. At the heart of many of these narratives, over the longue durée, is the idea that such families cause physical and material harm, or pose a threat, both to individual members of the family (especially children) and to wider society in both concrete and abstract ways. This chapter, drawing on a wide range of sociological research and perspectives suggests an alternative focus for understanding the lives of marginalised families, highlighting the ‘social harm’ that is visited upon such families by more powerful actors and institutions. It explores the idea of ‘problem’ or ‘complex’ families, including some of the critiques levelled at such ideas, focusing primarily on the UK, but also including international examples. The chapter argues that sociologists should not allow their gaze to be trained exclusively on families, at the expense of wider social relations and determinants of their circumstances and daily lives and should instead seek alternative lenses through which to view the lives of marginalised families.
Key words: family intervention, social harm, troubled families, underclass, whole family.
