PART I Hearing children's voices 1 Participation, policy and the changing conditions of childhood ALAN PROUT 2 Children's participation in policy matters HELEN ROBERTS 3 Children's participation through community development: assessing the lessons from international experience GARY CRAIG 4 Citizen child: London children's participation in the Office of the Children's Rights Commissioner for London MOIRA RAYNER PART II Discourses of childhood 5 Finnish conceptions of children and the history of child welfare MIRJA SATKA 6 The needy child and the naturalization of politics: political debate in Germany DORIS B?LER-NIEDERBERGER 7 Contradictory and convergent trends in law and policy affecting children in England PAM FOLEM, NIGEL PARTON, JEREMY ROCHE AND STANLEY TUCKER PART III Children and services 8 Young people and welfare: negotiating pathways CHRISTINE HALLETT, CATHY MURRAY AND SAMANTHA PUNCH 9 'Could have helped but they didn't': the formal and informal support systems experienced by children living with domestic violence AUDREY MULLENDER, GILL HAGUE, UMME FARVAH IMAM, LIZ KELLY, ELLEN MALOS AND LINDA REGAN 10 Children's participation in family law matters JUDY CASHMORE>11 The social construction of competence and problem behaviour among children ELISABETH BACKE-HANSEN 12 Reconstructing disability, childhood and social policy in the UK JOHN DAVIS, NICK WATSON, MAIRIAN CORKER AND TOM SHAKESPEARE PART IV Resources for children 13 Child poverty and child health in international perspective JONATHAN BRADSHAW 14 Children's share of household consumption HANNELE SAULI