The 'Right to an Upbringing'—Contrasting Early German and English Child Welfare Legislation for a Case Study in Comparative Social Work History.

This article focuses on a comparative historical analysis of early twentieth-century child welfare legislation in Germany and England, emphasizing the 1924 Reichsgesetz für Jugendwohlfahrt (National Youth Welfare Act) as the foundation of the German system. It highlights how the German legislation established an integrated, prevention-oriented child welfare framework centered on the concept of Erziehung (upbringing), combining statutory and voluntary sector roles with an emphasis on voluntariness and broad-based services including youth work and family support. In contrast, the English system developed later with a narrower, child protection focus, characterized by statutory intervention and a reactive approach to neglect and abuse. The article argues that these early legislative differences have shaped enduring national child welfare typologies, with Germany maintaining a family service orientation and England a child protection orientation, reflecting divergent cultural, political, and social discourses.