""The purpose of this book is to assess the development of the children's hearings system since its inauguration in 1971. The central questions whether the ideas and principles upon which the system is founded - the welfare philosophy - continue to provide a coherent basis for the practical treatment of children. Do the changes that have taken place over twenty-five years which have culminated in the Children (Scotland) Act 1995 represent a consolidation or transformation of the approach adopted by the Kilbrandon Committee?Previously a T & T Clarke publication.""