A fresh look at the mantra

‘Needs-led' is a mantra in children's services, but theorists still argue about what ‘need’ means and what value it has to science. A fresh appraisal of the state of play regarding the theory and definition of children’s needs and approaches to designing services is just published.

Nick Axford's addition to the Ashgate Library of Essays in Child Welfare and Development  is a collection of 24 previously published articles from peer-reviewed journals. It sets about analysing the literature in order to help policy makers, managers, practitioners and researchers identify and serve children in their care.
 
There are contributions from key figures in the UK needs debate including Michael Rutter, Robert Goodman, Ian Gough and Roy Parker.