This innovative study combines Danish and English perspectives on major aspects of the child welfare system in Denmark. It is innovative on two counts. First, as regards comparative methodology, it subjects the same raw research data to separate interpretations by each of the co-authors, one Danish, the other English - and then the two interpretations are compared. Secondly, in terms of content, the study makes explicit links between Danish child welfare practice, the wider social policy context and the even more broad structures and culture of Danish society. As a result it critically contrasts the welfare context in Denmark with England, its Nordic neighbours and to some extent the European Union as a whole. The Danish experience as analysed in this book indicates that the announcement of the death of the "Social Democratic" welfare model may well have been premature. On the other hand, the study also suggests that the image of the Nordic countries as a welfare paradise is not, and never has been, quite as benign in all respects as it has often been portrayed.
The book will be of great value to academics, students and practitioners in the fields of child care, social policy, social work, social care and comparative studies.
