"...what society believes is best for children consists of indeterminate and largely speculative ideas, often deeply ambiguous, often not entirely child-centred...[d]ecisions do not represent absolute truths, but value judgments firmly rooted in prevailing societal experience and produced by particular social interests." (Maidment. 1984:11) Discuss in relation to English child law.
             What society believes is best for the child is based on ideological constructs of what is best for society in general and thus the welfare of the child simply falls in line with the overall social mores, values and interests of the time as fashioned by the political majority. Child law is a powerful medium with which to promote particular political and social interests based as it is within the family and focused as it is, on the mature citizens 'of tomorrow'. Any society looking to mould their culture in a certain way, will find it desirable to have a guiding hand in the issues which comprise and surround child law. The custody of children after their parents divorce for example, is an issue in which the matter is a cause of concern not only for the parties directly involved (parents, children) but also for society at large as controversial debates on gender equality and social engineering all surface.
             With more than 40 percent of children in the United Kingdom expected to live apart from at least one of their parents before reaching adulthood , child custody is an area in which every decision made resonates far beyond the boundaries of pure child welfare and thus it is a key issue for a variety of agents, including lawyers, policy makers, social workers, and social analysts.
             Objectively, apart from good physical health, the right to a primary education and the theoretical idea of 'love and support' there is no consensus on what is 'best' for the child. The word 'best' is in itself exclusive and as a result, prone to bias which causes problems at t...