Racial/cultural identity and parental cultural competence in transracial adoption (TRA) are subjects of fierce debate and discussion in contemporary western societies. The ongoing practice of TRA has led to a polarization that either supports or berates the suitability of the environment provided in such homes. The external scrutiny invariably creates doubt among white adoptive parents as to whether they are ‘doing the right thing’. By drawing upon extant literature and original qualitative research carried out in New York, this paper explores adoptive mothers' conceptualization and understanding of racial/ethnic socialisation (RES). The paper puts forward three discursive approaches. It is argued that the ways in which white adoptive mothers understand and experience diversity influences their approach to RES, which in turn is mediated through family and community networks and societal discourses on race, power and hierarchy.

Western multi-racial societies continue to grapple with the ‘best’ and ‘most desirable’ way to integrate racial/cultural minorities in mainstream society. The field of child welfare provides a fertile terrain in which to test the prevailing debates and discussions. This paper explores some key issues in ethnicity and child welfare and the implications of these for minority families and children, and the social work profession.

Although the UK has the highest levels of teenage pregnancy in Western Europe, and while adolescent mothering has received considerable recent attention from researchers, there is a paucity of research literature about the particular experiences of young women who become mothers in or following local authority care. Findings from our empirical study reveal the significance of risk and vulnerability faced by a group of fifty-five young mothers following their exit from care. This paper explores the impact of risk and vulnerability and also highlights that although pregnancy may not be a planned activity, young women demonstrate choice and rationality in their decision to become mothers.

The notion of ‘shame’ is increasingly being recognised as a tool with some explanatory power to help promote understandings about a range of social problems. Through an exploration of migrant South Asian women’s experiences of domestic violence and help-seeking practices, this article considers the relevance of the notion of shame as a unit of analysis to help contribute to the growing theoretical and empirical literature. The article sheds light on the meanings, events, processes and structures in the lives of migrant South Asian women respondents living in Hong Kong. Within the framework of the discussion on shame and intimate partner violence (IPV), the article also identifies the implications for social work practice.

Young people leaving state care are recognized to be one of the most marginalized groups in society. In comparison to their counterparts living in their own family and community context, care leavers experience enormous adversity and upheaval. A combination of poor pre-care, in-care and post-care experiences serves to disadvantage this group of young people in many important ways. Moreover, research evidence documents the complexity of identity issues and concerns for minority ethnic children and young people who are separated from their birth families and are being brought up in public care. By drawing upon a recent and wider empirical study into care leavers in England, this paper explores the sociological concept of social capital and the ways in which this may contribute to young people's understanding and negotiation of their own racial and ethnic identity.