Caring for Troubled Children in Flanders, The Netherlands, and the United Kingdom

Correspondence to Dr Matthew Colton, Lecturer in Applied Social Studies, Centre for Applied Social Studies, University College of Swansea, Singleton Park, Swansea SA2 8PP. Summary This article reviews research on residential care and otherservices for troubled children in Flanders, the Netherlands,and the United Kingdom. We begin by looking at Flanders andthe Netherlands. This includes an account of the organizationof services and a critical evaluation of initiatives resultingfrom the growing dissatisfaction with residential care overrecent years. We then compare the evidence from these two countrieswith the situation in the United Kingdom. Notwithstanding importantdifferences, there are clear similarities in the issues surroundingthe residential care of children in the three countries. Weconclude by outlining likely future developments in residentialchild care.