Penelope Welbourne is Associate Professor in Social Work at the University of Plymouth, UK. John Dixon is Distinguished Professor of Public Policy and Administration at KIMEP University in Almaty, Kazakhstan.

• 1. Introduction. Penelope Welbourne, University of Plymouth, UK and John Dixon, Kazakhstan Institute of Management, Economics and Strategic Research, Kazakhstan. 2. Sweden. Sven Hessle, University of Stockholm, Sweden. 3. The United States of America. Otrude Nontobeko Moyo, University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, USA. 4. The United Kingdom. Clare Colton, University of Plymouth, UK and Penelope Welbourne. 5. Italy. Annamaria Campanini and Teresa Bertotti, University of Milan Bicocca, Italy. 6. Romania. Contiu Soitu and Daniela-Tatiana Soitu, Alexandru Ioan Cuza University, Romania. 7. Japan. Kathryn Goldfarb, Harvard University, USA. 8. India. Selwyn Stanley, University of Plymouth, UK. 9. Kazakhstan. Nazgul Assylbekova and Anuarbek Kakabayev, Kokshetau State University named after Sh. Ualikhanov, Kazakhstan. 10. Middle East. Alean Al-Krenawi, Ben-Gurion University of the Nregev, Israel and Dennis Kimberley, Memorial University of Newfoundland, Canada. 11. Ghana. Marie-Antoinette Sossou, University of Kentucky, USA. 12. Australia and New Zealand. Menka Tsantefski and Marie Connolly, University of Melbourne, Australia. Notes on Contributors. Index.

Welbourne and Dixon's wide-ranging collection of studies into child protection and child welfare services around the world makes a significant contribution to the academic literature; it also has major implications for policy and practice. This important book should be widely consulted.