Children Who Could Have Been: Legacy of Child Welfare in Wealthy America [Hardcover]

William M. Epstein (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 29, 1999 | ISBN-10: 0299163806 | ISBN-13: 978-0299163808 | Edition: 1

William Epstein takes an unblinking look at the failure of public child welfare in America. The paltry response to children in need, Epstein contends, opens windows onto the nation’s soul, revealing a profoundly disturbing lack of generosity in the face of deserving and needy children. 

Epstein analyzes in detail the decay of the child welfare system through the case histories of Natalie and Adam, two children who have spent their lives in and out of foster homes and orphanages. He shows how few studies actually measure the child’s real outcomes, and how unreliable social scientific research has ultimately been used to rationalize policies of public neglect. He condemns conservatives and liberals alike for their participation in this neglect, demonstrating that the now popular social efficiency model in welfare reform, designed to reduce public responsibility, does not and cannot provide adequate care.

In a media environment that focuses increasingly on the “undeserving” recipients of public aid, Children Who Could Have Been shines a light on the human side of the debate. Epstein’s is a principled voice for this important social issue.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

William M. Epstein is professor in the School of Social Work at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. He is the author of The Dilemma of American Social Welfare, The Illusion of Psychotherapy, and Welfare in America: How Social Science Fails the Poor.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 170 pages
• Publisher: University of Wisconsin Press; 1 edition (July 29, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0299163806
• ISBN-13: 978-0299163808
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.3 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,863,106 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Children Who Could Have Been, February 17, 2000

By 

WhiteDove - See all my reviews

This review is from: Children Who Could Have Been: Legacy of Child Welfare in Wealthy America (Hardcover)

William Epstein begins by taking the reader on a dark journey through a young girl's life. From abuse by her father and her mother's religious blinders, to further abuse by peers and those designated to care for her, we watch as this child is wrung through the system of child welfare. Epstein draws our attention to the numerous social science research projects conducted on child welfare, all with the same basic conclusion: the impossibility of social research to efficiently reduce subjective information into qualitative data. As the author points out several times, it is nearly impossible for social research to adequately measure the quality of care given to a child or whether the child would have been better off in another environment. Much of the child welfare system is reduced to availability of programs which are already overcrowded, understaffed or inefficient to meet the physical, mental and emotional needs of the child. Whether you agree with the author or not, this book is a must read for anyone involved in the child welfare system in America.

0 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Armchair Quarterbacking, November 28, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Children Who Could Have Been: Legacy of Child Welfare in Wealthy America (Hardcover)

Dr. Epstein indeed delivers a scathing review of the state of social science supporting (or rather, failing to support) social service interventions in child protective services in the U.S. His point that researchers have been complicit in the failures of the service system by not asking or researching the "true" questions is an important one.

However, the tone of this book is inflammatory rather than helpful. The author has plenty to criticize, but reports no real research of his own to counter his attacks on the current state of "bulk cargo" research. Fish or cut bait, Epstein.