The Best Interests of the Child: The Least Detrimental Alternative [Paperback]

Joseph Goldstein (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 8, 1998 | ISBN-10: 0684835460 | ISBN-13: 978-0684835464 | Edition: 1

A classic text that has been cited in more than 1,000 child custody cases, Beyond the Best Interests of the Child, published in 1973, immediately set a new standard for safeguarding a child's growth and development. The second volume of the trilogy, Before the Best Interests of the Child (1979), defines when the state should intervene. The final volume, In the Best Interests of the Child (1986), establishes professional boundaries within child custody cases.

Written by top experts in the field of child welfare, these three landmark books are now available in one paperback volume. The authors have revised and updated the texts and added topical new information on a variety of important subjects, including trans-racial adoption, surrogate parents, gay and lesbian couples, children of HIV-positive parents, abortion, and teenage pregnancy. Broad in scope and brilliantly researched by the nation's top experts, The Best Interests of the Child is indispensable reading for social workers, family court judges, lawyers, psychologists, and concerned parents.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

This consolidation of a classic trilogy (Beyond the Best Interests of the Child, 1980; Before the Best Interests of the Child, 1984; and In the Best Interests of the Child, 1986) that first appeared 23 years ago concerns the welfare of children in contested relationships. Rather than the familiar legal "best interests of the child" doctrine, this work is grounded in the more realistic standard of finding the "least detrimental alternative." The eminent authors, including Yale law professor Goldstein and the late Anna Freud, discuss the needs of "Baby Richard" and other children forced into the legal system, the conditions that warrant state intervention, and the ethical conduct of professionals who function in the system. Their analysis combines psychoanalytic theories with legal examinations. Because laws vary by jurisdiction, the book serves as a general guide for those involved in placement decisions. Many conclusions, including rejections of custodial arrangements involving forced visitation and the unquestioned primacy of birth parents, are controversial. Still, the book is tightly argued and well presented, and the updated references are very useful. For family law collections; libraries that hold only some of the earlier editions should consider this economic consolidation.?Antoinette Brinkman, Southwest Indiana Mental Health Ctr. Lib., Evansville
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Free Press; 1 edition (February 8, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0684835460
• ISBN-13: 978-0684835464
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #513,105 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #46 in Books > Law > Family & Health Law > Child Advocacy
  • #55 in Books > Law > Family & Health Law > Children
  • #89 in Books > Law > Family & Health Law > Domestic Relations

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Provides a good framework to help sort out issues of what is really "best" for children., April 10, 2009

By 

Monica Reynolds (Ann Arbor, MI USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Best Interests of the Child: The Least Detrimental Alternative (Hardcover)

This book should be mandatory reading for all those who aspire to be advocates for children- anyone in the family court system (judges, lawyers, guardian ad litems), legislators and most especially workers in the child protection services.

11 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Three "...Best Interests of the Child" volumes in one book, May 17, 1999

By 

[e-mail] (Miami, Florida) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Best Interests of the Child: The Least Detrimental Alternative (Paperback)

Very comprehensive, well written, includes all three volumes-Before the Best Interests and Beyond the Best Interests in this one volume.