Reflecting the current state of theory and practice in child welfare in Canada, these eight papers suggest a contemporary view of Canadian children and the contexts in which they develop as defined by legal rights and society. First, Henry S. Maas argues that attention to normal social development and its contexts, and to related ongoing theory and research, might lead child welfare toward an increase in developmental or preventive work. Terry Russell and Landon Pearson then discuss the relationship between voluntary organizations and child welfare policy in its historical socio-legal context. The development of local services and community action on behalf of multiculturalism is reviewed by Anne-Marie Furness. Shirley Post describes preventive measures taken in several areas of child health, including prenatal and perinatal care, and additionally discusses problems such as immunization, smoking, and mental health. Gregory Grande and Gregory McClare provide an overview of Canadian school social work, emphasizing potential for preventive intervention strategies and suggesting a theoretical framework and possible future trends. Dorothy Chave Herberg focuses on issues in multicultural child welfare and provides a process-based model representing child welfare worker and client values in terms of high- and low-context communication situations. Concluding articles, by Geoffrey L. Pawson and John Hylton, respectively, describe residential group care and treatment programs and suggest implications of recent legislation for young offenders. (RH)