Contemporary Issues in Family Studies: Global Perspectives on Partnerships, Parenting and Support in a Changing World

In recent years, the structure and makeup of the family have seen dramatic changes around the world. The contributorstothis volumetackle key issues in the changing nature of family life from a global perspective. The essays are broken into 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.

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 of Clinical 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.