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Family Poverty: Reviewing the Evidence for an Integrated Community-Based Practice

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Theoretical and Empirical Insights into Child and Family Poverty

Part of the book series: Children’s Well-Being: Indicators and Research ((CHIR,volume 10))

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Abstract

This chapter addresses community-based family centre practice as a professional and practice response to poverty. It takes as its context two affluent national constituencies, the US and the UK, both nonetheless witnessing disproportionate and substantial family poverty. We highlight the case for family centres as a robust, practice response to child poverty, considering the recent emphasis on the potential of second generation programs, as we review the consistent evidence of some 20 years for a community-based and family-centred response. We reiterate a structure for an integrated model to respond to the complex needs of disenfranchised children, parents, and their communities. Globally, family centres are still setting a pace in transformative, multi-level services according to the politics, capacity, and characteristics of the jurisdictions in which they operate. Above all, siloed practice is an inappropriate response to poverty. We note the complexity and intersectional nature of poverty, and highlight community and a full-frame approach to practice integration.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Beck Institute on Religion and Poverty, Fordham Graduate School of Social Service, Fordham University, 400 Westchester Ave, West Harrison, NY, 10604, USA

    Anita Lightburn MSS, Ed.D.

  2. Applied Social Science, University of Brighton, Falmer, Brighton, BN1 9PH, UK

    Chris Warren-Adamson

Authors
  1. Anita Lightburn MSS, Ed.D.
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  2. Chris Warren-Adamson
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Anita Lightburn MSS, Ed.D. .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. School of Social Sciences, University of New South Wales, Kensington, New South Wales, Australia

    Elizabeth Fernandez

  2. Paul Baerwald School of Social Work and Social Welfare, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel

    Anat Zeira

  3. Fondazione Emanuela Zancan Onlus, Centro Studi e Ricerca Sociale, Padova, Italy

    Tiziano Vecchiato

  4. Fondazione Emanuela Zancan Onlus, Centro Studi e Ricerca Sociale, Padova, Italy

    Cinzia Canali

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Lightburn, A., Warren-Adamson, C. (2015). Family Poverty: Reviewing the Evidence for an Integrated Community-Based Practice. In: Fernandez, E., Zeira, A., Vecchiato, T., Canali, C. (eds) Theoretical and Empirical Insights into Child and Family Poverty. Children’s Well-Being: Indicators and Research, vol 10. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-17506-5_18

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