Vulnerable Children

All children in Canada live with risk. They are susceptible to disease and injury, and as they grow and learn, they must face numerous challenges that threaten their mental and physical well-being. Most children experience times of vulnerability, and it becomes necessary to intervene on their behalf. For the first time in Canada, we are able to measure and analyse a wide range of children's developmental outcomes and identify the main factors that contribute to childhood vulnerability.

About the Author :
J Willms, Editor

Review :
"Capably edited by J. Douglas Willms (Director of the Canadian Research Institute for Social Policy), Vulnerable Children: Findings From Canada's National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth is a compilation and comprehensive analysis of findings from a seminal, scholarly, and ground breaking research project. A variety of essays by a series of learned authors cogently address such topics as socioeconomic gradients for childhood vulnerability, the effect maternal depression has on childhood vulnerability, the roles of peer groups in pre-adolescent behavior, and much, much more. Packed with research findings, educational discourse, conclusions, recommendations, and warnings for the future, Vulnerable Children is highly recommended reading for governmental policy makers, teachers, social workers, counselors, and anyone else who regularly works with young people." Carol Volk, The Midwest Book Review "For those of us who care about Canada's children, this is a very important book. We know that many children in our country are vulnerable and we are concerned that the number seems to be growing. But how many are there? Where are they to be found? Why are the vulnerable? And, most important, what can we do to help them grow up healthy, stay in school, and engage with life in a positive and constructive manner? These are questions that have long preoccupied us. Now, thanks to the National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth (NLSCY) and the thoughtful and intelligent analyses of remarkable academics like Doug Willms and the others whose work he has brought together in this fascinating volume, we have some clear answers." The Honourable Landon Pearson, The Senate of Canada Advisor on Children's Rights, from the Introduction "The book is rich in interesting essays that examine the prevalence of vulnerable children, the effects of smoking and drinking during pregnancy, maternal depression, the importance of child care, and the role of the peer group..Vulnerable Children makes an important contribution to the current social policy debate on children in poverty and the responsibility of government, business, and the general public to help families. This collection will be of interest to policy-makers; to social workers, teachers, and others who work with children; and to those in the academic community." Henry G. MacLeod, Candian Book Review Annual, 2004