Child and Family Welfare Regimes and Policies in the Context of Migration, Multiculturalism, and Cultural Diversity

A special issue of Societies (ISSN 2075-4698).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 28 February 2026 | Viewed by 475

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Department of Demography, Institute for Population and Human Studies–Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, 1113 Sofia, Bulgaria
Interests: fertility and family studies; sociology of family; social demography; adolescent health; research methods in social sciences
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The welfare state was faced numerous challenges in recent times, which have been characterised by intensive migration, economic uncertainty, wars and conflicts, and climate change, all coming in the wake of polulation displacement and increasing needs for the social integration and protection of children and families with minority status or ethnic origin, or with different social backgrounds and cultural belonging. The social fragmentation of societies presents families with a range of challenges in terms of access to welfare, the protection of (social) rights, social integration and inclusion, identity politics, and the recognition of cultural diversity. The aim of this Special Issue is to provide new insights into the arrangements and challenges of child and family welfare regimes and policies in times of multiculturalism, migration, and “mixing populations”, as well as social risks and the fragmentation of the societies, the recognition of and resistance to cultural diversity, emerging fluid identities, and ethnocentric backlash. Theoretical and empirical papers that explore the challenges faced in terms of welfare provision for families and children with different (ethnic) origins, minority status, and in precarious situations; challenges to social protection systems in times of war and climate-driven migration movements; child protection and social services addressing the needs of at-risk children and families; childcare provision and parental leave arrangements for families with different backgrounds; the protection of social rights, social inclusion, and integration policies for families from diverse backgrounds.

Topics:

  • Child and family welfare regimes and policies in conditions of migration, multiculturalism, and cultural diversity;
  • The social integration and social inclusion of families from diverse backgrounds;
  • The social rights and social protection of families and children from disadvantaged backgrounds;
  • Family support and social services for at-risk families and children;
  • Childcare and parental leave arrangements for mothers and fathers from diverse backgrounds.

In this Special Issue, contributions should adhere to one of three categories of paper—article, conceptual paper, or review, and should address the topic of the Special Issue.

Dr. Elitsa Dimitrova
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • child and family welfare regimes
  • child and family policy
  • migration
  • multiculturalism
  • cultural diversity
  • social protection
  • children’s rights
  • ethnicity
  • minority status
  • cultural identity
  • social inclusion
  • social integration of children and families from diverse backgrounds
  • family support
  • child(care) and family services
  • parental leave arrangements

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Published Papers

This special issue is now open for submission.
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