Citation

Callan S. DIFI Fam. Res. Proc. 2014; 2014(1): e1.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2014, QScience)

DOI

10.5339/difi.2014.1

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Families and their 'practices' (what goes on inside them) are highly significant to local national and supranational governments because, however constituted, they are the microecology in which emotional and material needs are met for the majority of people. Families are essential for social cohesion, the socialisation of children and individual well-being; they are the base from which children and adults can learn, work, and contribute to society. They play an indispensable role in care, particularly for vulnerable members of society, such as the disabled and elderly. Governments therefore have a vital interest in the welfare and practices of families under their purview and are concerned with how they are structured. For example, a consultation paper from the UK Government in 2010 states that 'Strong families give children love, identity, a personal history and a secure base from which to explore and enjoy life as they grow up. Strong families also help build strong communities, so they are crucial for a successful society' [1]. Research justifies treating families as both problem and solution to a range of social ills. For example, children being raised in dysfunctional family settings are at greater risk of engaging in criminal activity during adolescence and later in life, while a supportive family acts as a protective factor against such an outcome [2]. Widespread family breakdown is symptomatic, or even to a certain extent causal, of wider social breakdown, given its association with a wide range of social problems, whereas supportive families are the bedrock and foundation of a cohesive society [3]. Some level of government intervention is justifiable and necessary if only to create the conditions in which strong families can flourish. This essay will look at why family policy is important and what should fall within its purview given its strong influence on the economic life of nations, and how an increasingly connected world can create new challenges to families that also require a policy response at supra-national level. It will conclude with a defence of intervention in terms of the end goal it is seeking - strong and stable families in which adults and children are able to flourish with far less assistance and interference from governments than current levels of family breakdown allow.

Language: en