A glimmer of hope?

Although the focus of Adoption & Fostering is self-evident, the journal has always sought to stress that what happens in children’s services does not occur in isolation and the impact of wider social and economic policies cannot be ignored. They are often the cause of the problems children and families face and frustrations felt by liberal minded people seeking reform. But the current uncertainties in British society provide an opportunity to reassess this relationship and I will offer some observations based on years of involvement with children’s services in the hope that they help inform the whys and wherefores.