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The State As Parent: Metamorphosis from 'Wire-Monkey'

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The State As Parent: Metamorphosis from 'Wire-Monkey' The State as Parent: Metamorphosis from ‘Wire-Monkey’ Parent to Benefactor? Susan Ceri Reidpath Diamond B. App. Sc. (Psych) WAIT1 1983 This thesis is presented for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy of the University of Western Australia, School of Social and Cultural Studies, Discipline of Social Work and Social Policy. 2009 1 Western Australian Institute of Technology, now Curtin University of Technology ii A thesis in four parts: 1. Genesis 2. Discovery and Development 3. Transformation 4. Maturation iv v Recently I was reading an article in Time referring to the development of a large industrial complex in the heart of a Brazilian rainforest. The article sketched out the environmental ravages, especially water contamination, soil and wind erosion, and the destruction of a number of habitats for some rare animal and bird species. The point of the article was that each of the particular blunders, such as the water contamination, for example, could be dealt with, at least to some degree, by existing laws, but there were no laws to prevent the loss of the whole forest. We may be in much the same situation with children today. We have been successful in identifying particular dangers to children and then fashioning particular protections. But in our emphasis on the particular threats, dangers, and stresses, we may be close to losing the whole forest … is it possible that the quality of life and the well- being of the young in our world has declined …? (Carlson, 1979) vi vii Abstract The question raised in this thesis, of whether the State has responsibilities to children and families to support successful parenting, currently has a high profile on the Australian policy agenda. Despite the currency of the topic, there has been little deep analysis of how the discourse, debate, and policy direction in Australia, and elsewhere, is largely informed by a historical position in relation to child protection, and the implications of this for finding new strategies to enhance the intergenerational success of families in their parenting role, and the wellbeing of our children. The question of State obligations and responsibilities to children and families is explored in a number of ways. A chronological analysis of the historical record, as described in the research, scholarship and literature, and a thorough examination of the relevant contemporary discourse, provide context and informed points of view. A thematic analysis of the views of child and family policy experts, using data collected in interviews, focus groups and through a parliamentary debate case study, provides the data of the lived experience, through which to explore the research question. Thematic analysis of the data supports a challenge to current family policy directions in Anglo–American countries, and confronts the possibility that population-level success, in what is called ‘the child-rearing project’, exceeds the capacities of individuals, and demands State buy-in as an ethical joint investor with families and communities. viii ix Table of Contents Abstract ......................................................................................vii List of Figures .............................................................................xiii Student Declaration ...................................................................... xv Statement of Contribution ............................................................ xvii Acknowledgements...................................................................... xix Key Words.................................................................................. xxi Acronyms................................................................................. xxiii Interlude: Children in the Foreground — in their own voice...................1 Part 1 — Genesis: The State as a ‘Wire-Monkey’ Parent ........................3 Structure of the thesis ....................................................................................................... 5 Chapter 1: Introducing the Research........................................................7 Background to the research ............................................................................................. 8 Coming to grips with the research problem and questions ............................................ 10 Justification for the research ........................................................................................... 11 Definitions...................................................................................................................... 14 Delimitations of scope and key assumptions .................................................................. 16 Chapter 2: State as Parent — A Chronological Study of Constructions of Childhood, Parenthood, Family and Developing State Obligations........... 19 Introduction....................................................................................................................19 An historical view........................................................................................................... 20 Early twentieth century .................................................................................................. 50 Childhood, parenthood and State obligations up to 1950 — in summary ........................ 65 Chapter 3: Individualising Responsibility for Poor Child–rearing Outcomes — Child Protection and the Discovery of Risk ........................ 67 Introduction....................................................................................................................67 Theoretical and discursive foundations to conceptualising the State as parent ............... 67 Welfare States’ differential engagement with the child-rearing project — universal family policy or child protection ................................................................................. 74 Child protection ............................................................................................................. 79 Risk ................................................................................................................................ 94 x Individualising responsibility for poor child–rearing outcomes — in summary ............ 106 Part 2 — The Research Process: Discovery and Development .............109 Chapter 4: The Researcher ..................................................................111 Background.................................................................................................................. 111 Current project ............................................................................................................ 115 Chapter 5: The Research .....................................................................117 The research question .................................................................................................. 117 Research perspectives and methodology..................................................................... 118 Theoretical foundations................................................................................................ 122 Chapter 6: The Researching ................................................................127 Multi-method naturalistic inquiry.................................................................................. 127 Data collection and analysis ......................................................................................... 129 Part 3 — Persistent or Transformative Thinking about State Obligations to Children and Families: Findings .............................145 Chapter 7: The Hoary Old Chestnut — The Poorly Differentiated Push and Pull of the Child Protection Continuum...............................................147 Introduction.................................................................................................................. 147 An obligation on the State to prioritise child protection................................................ 149 Uncertainty in child protection terminology ................................................................. 151 State responsibilities arising from a child protection obligation ................................... 153 Achieving child protection ........................................................................................... 156 Chapter 8: Child Rights and Citizenship — Opportunity to Gain Lost Ground ..........................................................................................167 Introduction.................................................................................................................. 167 Achieving child rights .................................................................................................. 168 Implementing child citizenship .................................................................................... 188 Summary of findings ..........................................................................194 Part 4 — Maturation of the Beneficent State: Ethical Joint Investment in the Child-rearing Project by States, Communities and Families ....199 Chapter 9: New Paradigm Thinking — Ethical Joint Investment in the Child-rearing Project .......................................................................201 Introduction — overview of findings and what this might mean for moving forward..... 201 Wicked problems and the power of the State and community ...................................... 205 Frameworks for informing a new paradigm of jointly invested child rearing...............
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