Exploring Concepts of Child Well-being

Book excerpt: Policy reforms to children's services are increasingly driven by outcomes that focus on child well-being. Until now, however, this concept has been dimly defined. Seeking a better understanding of what child well-being is and how services can improve it, Nick Axford's pivotal book provides groundbreaking pathways into understanding the true success of child services. After investigating the main approaches to thinking about child well-being, he goes on to apply them to the actual child population by examining household surveys and agency audit data. Finally, he considers the overall implications for children's services, providing a must-read for anyone interested in these critical programs.