Children Need Families (The World's Children) - Hardcover

In conjunction with Save the Children this series investigates the needs of children in both developed and developing countries. This book aims to help readers look closely at families and their functions. It discusses the role of the family, why and when people need them, and investigates what keeps families together, what pulls them apart and what we can do to get the most from family life. The author examines different family structures (nuclear families, extended families and kinship groups) and looks at the nature of life within a family, the way people closest to us affect us and how we affect them. There are sections on families under stress from the effects of poverty, alcoholism and drug abuse, divorce, city life and loss of home. The concluding chapter considers life outside the family - from living in a commune to living alone - and discusses the future of the family in a changing world. The text is complemented by teachers' notes, a glossary, useful addresses, a further reading list and an index.