This book is dedicated to discussing trulyimportant family issues across a number of continents, cultures, and countries. It is extraordinarily well organized and accessible-with summaries of key ideas throughout. I am pleased to recommend this book to anyone who wishes to gain an overview of the latest information on how to “support and strengthen families across cultures, regions, languages and forms”.
―Professor D. Russell Crane, Brigham Young University and Editor of ‘Contemporary Family Therapy’
This cornucopia of research-based perspectives drawn from different cultural contexts on such an important nexus of issues is a timely gift for academics, practitioners and policy makers working to strengthen modern families. Governments across the world are belatedly recognising that partnering and parenting are not easily disentangled and support for couples is an indispensable dimension to 21st century family policy. This wide-ranging collection will be an important resource as they strive to respond to family change in nuanced, informed and effective ways.
―Dr Samantha Callan, Associate Director for Families and Mental Health, Centre for Social Justice and Honorary Research Fellow, Centre for Research in Families and Relationships, University of Edinburgh.
Angela Abela and Jan walker are to be congratulated on their achievement. They have brought together leading international scholar practitioners to produce this elegant and influential inter-disciplinary compendium of research and theory in contemporary family studies. The book assumes the status of a Handbook, in my view, because of its continuing potential to inform policy, theory, research and practice in the field of family studies for many years to come. We shall all benefit!
―Arlene Vetere, Professor of Clinical Psychology, Surrey University, UK
From the Inside Flap
In recent years, the structure and makeup of the family have seen dramatic changes around the world. The contributors to this volume tackle key issues in the changing nature of family life from a global perspective.
The essays are presented in four sections, covering changes in couple relationships and the challenges these pose; parenting practices and their implications for child development; key contemporary global issues, such as migration, poverty, and the internet, and their impact on the family; and the role of the state in supporting family relationships. The volume brings together a stellar international cast of contributors from a variety of disciplines, including psychology, sociology, counseling, family therapy, and social work. In a fast-moving, multi-cultural world, this volume links key research, policy, and practice, and provides essential information on contemporary family issues for professionals, researchers, and students alike.
From the Back Cover
In recent years, the structure and makeup of the family have seen dramatic changes around the world. The contributors to this volume tackle key issues in the changing nature of family life from a global perspective.
The essays are presented in four sections, covering changes in couple relationships and the challenges these pose; parenting practices and their implications for child development; key contemporary global issues, such as migration, poverty, and the internet, and their impact on the family; and the role of the state in supporting family relationships. The volume brings together a stellar international cast of contributors from a variety of disciplines, including psychology, sociology, counseling, family therapy, and social work. In a fast-moving, multi-cultural world, this volume links key research, policy, and practice, and provides essential information on contemporary family issues for professionals, researchers, and students alike.
About the Author
Angela Abela is Associate Professor andHead of the Department of Family Studies at the University of Malta, as well as a clinical psychologist, family therapist, and supervisor. She is a consultant for the Maltese government and the Standing Committee for Family Affairs in the Maltese Parliament, and is frequently engaged as an expert for the Council of Europe. She has published on a wide range of areas, including children in out-of-home care, the relationship between adolescents and their parents, families living in poverty, marital conflict, and supervision practice. She is an associate editor ofClinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry and an international advisory editor of Contemporary Family Therapy.
Janet Walker is an Officer of the Order of the British Empire and Emeritus Professor of Family Policy in the Institute of Health and Society, Newcastle University.She has led over 50 research studies in the fields of marriage and divorce, parenting, policing, youth justice, and family law processes. She has published in a wide variety of academic journals, presented papers at over 200 conferences around the world, and advised governments on family mediation in England, China, Chile, Canada, and the Council of Europe. Currently, she is a board member of the Canadian Institute for Law and the Family and a trustee of Relate. She has held several public appointments, most recently as Deputy Chair of the UK Social Security Advisory Committee.
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