Chapter One

John Pinkerton and Ilan Katz

The aim of this book is to contribute to cross-national exploration of family support in search of a better understanding of what it entails and how it is best evaluated. The varied content in the chapters that follow, and the tone of serious engagement apparent in them all, are ample evidence of continuing enthusiasm for family support-'probably the primary policy matter facing child welfare' (Frost, 1997, p. 201). At the same time, the material presented here is a register of the difficulties and complexities, both conceptual and operational, that still surround the term. This chapter considers why this double message exists. It also considers the place of evaluation in developing policy and practice in this context and why it is helpful to use international comparisons in developing both an understanding of family sup ... read full excerpt from Evaluating Family Support: Thinking Internationally, Thinking Critically ebook