Acknowledgements; Introduction; 1 Claiming Kinship; 2 "It was an evil place. It was a beautiful place": Institutions for Children; 3 Beginning the Search for Best Interest: Child Protection Considers Fostering from the Late Nineteenth Century to the 1960s; 4 Still Searching for Best Interest: Child Protection and Fostering from the 1960s to the Present; 5 First Families and the Dilemma of Care; 6 Negotiating Surrogacy: The Construction of Foster Parents; 7 "Dear Mom and Dad": Canada's Children; Conclusion; Notes; Selected Bibliography; Index
Summary
Fostering Nation? Canada Confronts Its History of Childhood Disadvantage explores the missteps and the promise of a century and more of child protection efforts by Canadians and their governments. It is the first volume to offer a comprehensive history of what life has meant for North America's most disadvantaged Aboriginal and newcomer girls and boys. Gender, class, race, and (dis)ability are always important factors that bear on youngsters' access to resources. State fostering initiatives occur as part of a broad continuum of arrangements, from social assistance for original families to k
