Can successful families research inform the debate over “family policy”?
Patrick Fagan observed that the field of successful families research had to be developed further before it could be used as a basis for government policy. Nonetheless, there was discussion at the conference about possible policy implications of current findings. Steven Bayme noted that much of the conflict over “family policy” consisted of debate between those who advocated government policies that would provide resources and services to families in need, and those who saw the government’s role as primarily one of “cultural education.” Bayme felt that both groups could learn from one another. Bayme suggested that there was a need to pay attention to the “cultural climate”, and whether it was supportive of positive family functioning. It was also desirable, he felt, to strengthen communities in which families flourish, and to strive for well-integrated social policies. He defined these as ones which sought to provide assistance to dysfunctional families, but also considered the possibl
