The field of children's rights has opened up significantly in the latter half of the twentieth century to reach global proportions. In this regard, many writers have expounded on legislation, policy and practice in attempts to enlighten the population that children are now accepted as having their own rights. This book is no different in that respect. The author presents a good overview of significant American laws and policies which have the common aim of safeguarding and developing children to the highest degree. As a British academic, I found this book particularly useful in providing a comparative perspective on legislation for child protection, having both breadth and depth of knowledge. Being very well written in clearly understandable discourse, the author ensures the text is accessible to a wide-ranging audience. This being so, it is a useful resource for many readers including, but not limited to, undergraduate students in the social sciences, education and early years studies, and in the professional world of social workers, psychologists, lawyers, and child welfare workers; especially for those with interest in the human rights movement. In addition, the book will be valuable reading for parents as an aid to understanding their child's care and development in relation to the law.

The only misgiving I have is that the more sophisticated reader may be a little frustrated by what I perceived to be somewhat over-simplistic ‘clipped’ sentences with no clear linking to previous and subsequent themes. Furthermore, there was an apparent uncritical stance towards previous research, with a descriptively ‘taken for granted’ flavour. Personally, I would have preferred a more critical stance to research in relation to policy, thus opening up spaces for deeper thought and reflection on major issues of child protection. Notwithstanding, the book was an easy read and sat well with my own academic and research experiences of children at risk of social exclusion and the related area of children's rights.

Chapter 1 draws the reader into the book by establishing the background to the children's rights movement, which surfaced in the 1960s, then linking this to the psychological pitfalls of foster care placement and adoption. The chapter concludes by recommending legislation to alleviate the problems suffered by children subjected to poverty. Chapter 2 illustrates the problems experienced by parents and their children when the rights of each party conflict and the importance of state intervention in such instances. Power is inherent in any discourse of rights and it is no different here, as the author shows that the rights of parents remain superior over those of children, primarily due to questions over cognitive and intellectual development, including age, of the younger party. Chapter 3 goes on to discuss the rights of children in the school environment, primarily those defined as having special educational needs, as such children now have a battery of legislation to support and nurture them within the learning environment. Given that there is wide diversity between states in how children are protected in schools, it is clear there is going to be much disparity. The theme of child protection outside the family unit is continued in Chapter 4, in which legislation for children in day care centres becomes the subject for discussion and critique, especially as they are subject to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Once more variability between states is an issue as the educational requirements of day care staff differs; subsequently the impact of legislation upon children in day care is examined in this chapter.

The rights of children in residential settings are explored in Chapter 5, where the author expounds on how children's rights must be a significant and vital issue for those children who are mostly involuntarily admitted to residential treatment facilities. This chapter positions the reader within ethical dilemmas and also stresses the need for multi-agency collaboration and teamwork if children's rights are to be upheld in such contexts. The child welfare system in terms of protective services is discussed in Chapter 6, where families with children who have been abused or neglected are the target of state intervention. Importantly, the chapter presents a case study of child maltreatment and homelessness to show how the process of protection is enacted with due regard for the rights of children. Chapter 7 focuses on advocacy – a critical policy and practice activity for practitioners in the children's rights movement, with an important feature being the educational impact this may have on families of children with special educational needs in fighting for specific services for their child. Interesting here is the comparison of European and American ethics; it is argued that Europeans exhibit a Catholic ethic of mutual care and concern, whereas Americans are entrenched in the Calvinistic ethic of individualism – this gives the reader good insight into global difference in how poverty, for example, is viewed within the children's rights arena.

The final chapter of the book reiterates that one of the greatest threats to children's rights in America is poverty (an argument that could be repeated globally) – a threat to quality health care, good nutrition, adequate housing and quality schools. Consequently, the author calls for a comprehensive family policy for the United States to protect and safeguard the rights of children state-wide to counteract the effects of fragmented and underdeveloped policies. The book closes with a presentation of a comprehensive list of organisations focusing on children's rights, a very fine resource.

Finally, it is worth repeating that the discourse around children's rights has expanded significantly in the latter half of the twentieth century and it is with hope that this continues to an even greater extent in the twenty-first century. Books such as this one, which bring an international perspective to the topic, are to be applauded as they open up spaces for academics, policy makers and practitioners alike (as well as children and their families) to learn and develop wider skills and knowledge in the area of children's rights, policy and practice.