Sustainable Family Life and Child Welfare: A Conceptual Framework

Juha Hämäläinen, Kaisa Pihlainen and Riitta Vornanen
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Juha Hämäläinen: Faculty of Social Sciences and Business Studies, University of Eastern Finland, 70211 Kuopio, Finland
Kaisa Pihlainen: Philosophical Faculty, University of Eastern Finland, 80100 Joensuu, Finland
Riitta Vornanen: Faculty of Social Sciences and Business Studies, University of Eastern Finland, 70211 Kuopio, Finland

Sustainability, 2020, vol. 12, issue 21, 1-21

Abstract: Although there have been developments in family and child welfare services, these have not been prioritized from a sustainability perspective. This article aims to provide a framework for supporting sustainable provisions for family and child welfare. We demonstrate how the need for a socially sustainable stance on family and child welfare arises from the recognition of global changes that constantly influence families as well as children’s rights, which ground child- and family-centered actions. The conceptual framework includes three overarching dimensions and four levels of actors that provide a body for 16 conceptual entities in providing socially sustainable family and child welfare. The analysis showed that functional child welfare and family policies, systems, and practices appear essential elements, even necessary preconditions, of sustainability and sustainable development in general. Leaning on the concept of children’s rights, we conclude that the idea of child welfare promises citizens that society has committed to promoting all children’s wellbeing. Implementation of this requires a shared understanding that the conceptual framework provided in this paper urges to actualize.

Keywords: sustainability; family life; child welfare; children’s rights (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:12:y:2020:i:21:p:9112-:d:438920

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