Setting the Scene

Abstract

Before attempting to look forward and to predict likely — or at least desirable — changes in family life and the care of children, I want to consider some of the major factors in the recent past which may have led to current concerns and problems. Chief among them are the high incidence of stress, emotional disturbance and mental illness, both among the young and adults; the marked increase in divorce and hence one-parent families; and the serious rate of juvenile delinquency, crime and violence.