The new politics of community-based governance requires a fundamental shift in the nature and character of the administrative bureaucracy

The politics of social policy played out in the era of globalization has profoundly altered the relationship between Canadian citizens and their governments. This change in relations, among other things, is marked by a turn to the “community” as a resource in solving social problems. Critics of this movement, however, express the view that the strategic application of community as a central social policy tactic seems to be less about inventing a new social architecture for Canada and more about a shift of government responsibility to the individual away from society as a whole through state institutions. For child welfare services, this expanded role of community is fraught with uncertainty, contradictions, and complexities for both human services professionals and for the children and families in receipt of services.