Can anyone suggest a country with a child welfare system that you'd like to see here in the USA?

Question

Can anyone suggest a country with a child welfare system that you'd like to see here in the USA?

Answer 1

To the posters that suggested Canada due to it's universal health care system, think again. I LIVE in Canada & the system sucks.

There's a massive lack of doctors, once you can get one you dont ever have the option of a "second opinion" because theres no one to give it to you. 1/3 of canadians cannot even get a family physician.

You dont have the option of a gp/obgyn, pediatrician..any of them.. you get one if your family gp decides you get one. There is no calling your doctor because you have a question. You call your doctor, wait 3 weeks for an appointment, because the doctor has such a massive case load, and then if your lucky your granted 15 mins with that doctor. If you can't wait the three weeks, you go plunk your butt in an emergency room of a hospital for 12 hrs (typical wait)

Perfect example is my sister. She was found to have a tumor in her right breast, after a biopsy, it was determined to be maligmant. the wait for surgery?? 10 months. Her doctor being the upfront doc that he is told her he wouldnt be surprised if it had turned terminal in that time frame. And she was on the emergency surgery list at THREE hospitals. She travels to Bangor Maine, on her dime and within ONE WEEK is in the operating room.

Personally, I prefer switzerland's medical system. It's a 50/50 pay. If you are willing to pay half you get the best of the usa system & the canadian system.

But this being about child protection. Let me tell you that the system here stinks. As a foster child I was abused and used by a system designed to protect me. No different than that in the usa

Answer 2

Canada.

Answer 3

Canada - we have universal health care. I had a triple bypass a few years ado and it cost me only $300 out of my pocket for air ambulance to the hospital. Everybody is covered no matter what.

The US has a very poor and selective system. She can not compete with the major European countries. A fully 30% can not even afford medical insurance...... At $5000 a day in a hospital - one ends up in the poor house in no time.

Answer 4

Before I post it I just want to make it clear that I understand the populations and size of country play a factor into the development and functioning of the welfare system.

Also the state at which we are now would be hard to get to overnight.  That said, I think anything in the direction of Swedens, that could be adjusted to focus on our social problems compared to their populations would be ideal.

"Social and medical support systems for parents and children were expanded radically during the decades after WWII. Today they include preventive services with free (or very inexpensive) health controls during pregnancy, prenatal and postnatal education programs, and regular health controls for children during the school years. The Swedish parental insurance system has gained international recognition, aiming at enabling both men and women to combine parenthood with employment. Parental insurance allows the mother or father to stay at home up to 360 days after the birth of the child, with 80% compensation for loss of income. Furthermore, parents have the right to stay home from work to care for a sick child in sum 60 days annually (per child under twelve years of age), with a cash benefit corresponding to 80% of their income. Labour laws secure parents employment unconditionally during absence for care of children and while using their parental benefits.

New reforms have been added more or less continually over the last decades, even during economic recession. An example: when the unemployment figure was an all time high in 1994, parliament passed a new law requiring every local municipality to provide family counselling. This suggests that family policy can make it to the top of the Swedish political agenda, even during "hard times". "

You can read about their entire system here:

http://www.sws.soton.ac.uk/cwab/Guide/KR...

Answer 5

Australia

The UK

Answer 6

From what I hear, the U.S. has just about the best one anywhere, and many have NONE.  Look at some of the so-called 3rd world countries, you won't find welfare systems of any kind.  Sorry to say.

Answer 7

aussie land.

Answer 8

As an US and Canada family (my husband is Candian) we choose to live in the US because of access to medical care and advancements. Women from Canada are routinly lifeflighted to Seattle for Childbirth...

We also choose to pay for our own medical insurance as well as those medical proceedures that are not covered by insurance RATHER then give our money to the goverment and accept what they decide they will give us.

The US system is clearly flawed in many ways... There are zillions of ways to improve.

First would be to Stop treating drug users and addicts like criminals then taking a huge number of children into the system. We have many children in foster care BECAUSE of our view of addiction and drug use. We treat it as a crime rather than a social issue... which I would be happy to help with my Tax dollars.

I don't believe there are too many countires that have a child welfare system that serves nearly the number of children the US does each year...  and the US supports many other countries programs designed to offer anything because there is nothing else to help in those countries... I don't mind paying taxes for that either...

I would love to learn more about Irelands system given the fact that adoption isn't legal (or wasn't the last I knew) and I never hear of Irish children being adopted??