Australian Social Policy and the Human Services

The term ’family’ is understood differently by English-speaking people around the globe and in Western societies has been understood differently throughout history. In the twenty-first century, it has been demonstrated that fixed criteria concerning kinship and cohabitation cannot be used to define the family, in light of evolutions in family structure, family diversity, roles within the family, economic and sociopolitical dimensions of family life and values attached to the family. This chapter focuses on the links between income support and family functioning and wellbeing, issues of eligibility, entitlement and responsibility in family policy, concepts of equity and fairness in policies purported to enhance opportunities for families, measures that have stated outcomes of protecting children, and their personal philosophy and practice in complex and often challenging situations involving family violence and abuse.