児童福祉の基礎的人間観と倫理

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In this paper, I examine the history of children's welfare and education in the western modern world and try to clarify the origin and development of the basic understanding of what children are. In the early modern era, people discovered that children are not small adults but unique personalities in human life cycle. Philosophers pointed out the right of children and argued the importance of education, and practice men were engaged in children's welfare. Governments designed social service for children, and scholars developed the theories of social welfare. There remained, however, a serious gap between the public social service based on the idea of right of children and the moral practice served by non profit organizations and voluntary people. I think this gap shows a typical problem of the modern western societies. Personal relationship with children has a complementary function to the governmental social service including children's welfare. There is a need to integrate both sides of children's welfare. I examine the possibility of narrative theory of welfare which treats the growth and self-actualization of children as a narrative story. Personal relationship with children and social service systems are comprehended into a great story of the growth of children and the act of caring for children.
2007-12-20