Journal profile · SOCIAL WORK
Children & Society
ISSN 0951-0605 · eISSN 1099-0860 · Wiley-Blackwell
Children & Society: CAS Zone 4 · Sociology (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 1.62; hybrid open access; APC about USD 3,620; median 252 days to acceptance (101 articles, last 24 months); acceptance rate 13% (journal website); 107 articles in 2025; indexed in SSCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Children & Society is published by Wiley-Blackwell and is in Zone 4 of Sociology in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Children's Rights and Participation, Early Childhood Education and Development and Child Welfare and Adoption, together about 39.3% of its articles. Its main subfields are Sociology and Political Science. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Children & Society is an international journal publishing high quality research that advances the contribution of interdisciplinary approaches and understandings of the lives of children and young people across the globe. The journal welcomes debate on all aspects of childhood, policies for and professional practice with children and young people, underpinned by social justice and inclusion.Children & Society embraces academic research, policy, and practice in relation to the wellbeing of children from infancy through to ‘adulthood’, particularly from children and young people’s own perspectives. The journal has a particular interest in work that interrogates assumptions about childhood and raises important questions about the relationship between society and children’s lives. We especially encourage the submission of papers that develop a critical approach to children and childhood(s) based on empirical and theoretical work. The scholarship in this journal aims to inform all those who research and work with and for children, young people, and their families. Children & Society publishes innovative contributions on research and practice across a broad spectrum of topics, including but not limited to: theories of childhood; children's everyday lives at home, school and in the community; children's culture, rights and participation; children's health and well-being; child protection, early intervention and prevention; migration, immigration and children on the move; digital childhoods; gender and sexualities.We welcome high quality academic papers on these and other topics for submission to our panel of peer reviewers. Our aim is to be the journal of first choice for leading international childhood researchers and a forum for critical analysis and debate. We seek to promote diverse representation of scholarship and knowledge from those situated in different parts of the world and especially in underrepresented regions, such as the Global South. Children & Society publishes articles in the following formats: Research papers which report on qualitative, quantitative and mixed-methods empirical studies; Innovative theoretical papers and rigorous meta-analyses of major topics of interest relating to children and young people; Policy reviews, including those with an international focus, where they make a clear contribution to knowledge and practice; Book reviews of recent relevant publications within the fields of childhood and youth. Children & Society supports
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): SOCIAL WORK
Editorial board by country: 1 in mainland China (about 3%); most named United Kingdom 22, Australia 2, Mainland China 1, United States 1, Germany 1 (37 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Children's Rights and ParticipationSocial Sciences18.4%
- Early Childhood Education and DevelopmentSocial Sciences12.6%
- Child Welfare and AdoptionSocial Sciences8.4%
- Child Abuse and TraumaPsychology6%
- Homelessness and Social IssuesHealth Professions5.2%
- Youth Education and Societal DynamicsSocial Sciences4.9%
- Family and Disability Support ResearchPsychology4.1%
- Child and Adolescent HealthHealth Professions3.6%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Sociology Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Sociology | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Social Work | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Sociology Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Sociology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Social Work | Zone 2 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Sociology Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Sociology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Social Work | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
Database indexing
SSCIScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
CAB AbstractsCurrent ContentsPublisher website
Other: EBSCO, ProQuest
As the journal's website lists them, not checked against each database; for Web of Science editions the records above apply.
Editions, and major and minor categories, are shown separately and never merged into one zone; check which edition your institution uses before you submit or report.
Metrics
Impact metrics and publication volume
Impact
- Impact factor
- 1.62LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher)
- 1.7Publisher website ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 1.7Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 3.7LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 3.7Publisher website ·
- CiteScore (publisher) 2025
- 3.7Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.6LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.04LetPub ·
- h-index
- 96OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 910OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 1.51OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 11.8%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 71.71%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 81LetPub ·
- Articles per year (publisher) 2025
- 93Publisher website ·
- Downloads per year (publisher) 2025
- 451,338Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 3,022 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 89 | 69 | 9 |
| 2025 | 107 | 80 | 100 |
| 2024 | 111 | 84 | 356 |
| 2023 | 151 | 131 | 793 |
| 2022 | 154 | 95 | 1,126 |
| 2021 | 112 | 66 | 1,035 |
Sources count differently and were observed at different times, so each source's own value is kept; "publisher" marks figures from the journal's website.
Review & acceptance
Review time and acceptance
Review time from article dates manuscript dates registered with Crossref · to
252 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 189 days – 372 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 15 days (102 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 268 days
- Sample
- 101 articles with submission and acceptance dates (208 in the window); the latest was accepted on
Only articles that were accepted and published are counted, not the time spent on rejected manuscripts, so this usually runs longer than a publisher's "time to first decision".
Other sources
- Acceptance rate (publisher)
- 13%Publisher website ·
- Acceptance rate (publisher) 2025
- 13%Publisher website ·
- Submission to first decision
- 16 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to first decision 2025
- 16 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to acceptance 2025
- 247 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication 2025
- 19 daysPublisher website ·
- Peer review
- Double anonymous peer reviewPublisher website
Community reports come from authors' own submissions (confidence 0.5) and are not a promise from the journal; for publisher figures, the journal's own definitions apply.
Fees & open access
APC and open-access policy
Hybrid open accessLetPub
A subscription journal in which authors can pay to publish their article open access.
| Source | APC | Fee waiver | License | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OpenAlex | USD 3,620 / EUR 3,020 / GBP 2,380 | — | — | |
| Publisher website | Yes, amount not published | — | — |
A hybrid journal charges the APC only when the author chooses open access; publishing under the subscription model is usually free.
The journal's website is authoritative for fees; sources were observed at different times and each keeps its own value, without averaging.
Submission
Article types and submission policies (journal website)
Open calls for papers1, by deadline
Publisher websiteWhat to prepare2 items from the author guidelines
- Keywords
- ≥ 3
- First submission
- Free format: the journal's layout is not required
Article types accepted2
- academic articlesIn addition to academic articles, we regularly publish policy reviews which critically discuss current and recent policies affecting the lives of children and y…Length not stated
- policy reviewsIn addition to academic articles, we regularly publish policy reviews which critically discuss current and recent policies affecting the lives of children and y…Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Authorship, Conflicts of interest, Data availability, Preprints
- AI use Disclosing the use of artificial intelligence (AI)
If you or your co-authors have used Artificial Intelligence Generated Content (AIGC) tools such as ChatGPT and others based on large language models (LLMs) to develop any portion of a manuscript, their use must be described transparently and in detail in the Methods section.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Authorship Authorship
Please refer to the journal’s Authorship policy in the Editorial Policies and Ethical Considerations section for details on author listing eligibility.Acknowledgments
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Conflicts of interest Conflict of Interest
The journal requires that all authors disclose any potential sources of conflict of interest. Any interest or relationship, financial or otherwise that might be perceived as influencing an author's objectivity is considered a potential source of conflict of interest. These must be disclosed when directly relevant or directly related to the work that the authors describe in their manuscript. Potent…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Data availability Data Sharing
Data availability statement required for original research. Model summary
Children & Society has adopted Wiley’s ‘Expect’ data sharing policy. Where appropriate and reasonable, authors who are reporting on original data (including code, models, algorithms, methods, etc.) are expected to archive the data underpinning their paper in a public repository. We understand that it may not be appropriate for all researchers to archive their data in a public repository due to eth…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Preprints
Preprint policy: Wiley preprint policy applies. Model summary
Please find the Wiley preprint policy here.
Source ↗Publisher website ·
Excerpts are quoted from the journal's website; "model summary" lines are written by Workers AI and checked against the text. The journal's website is authoritative.
Profile
Publication details and official links
- Publisher
- Wiley-Blackwell
- ISSN
- 0951-0605
- Electronic ISSN
- 1099-0860
- Society / sponsor
- National Children’s Bureau
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Children & Society
What CAS zone is Children & Society in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Children & Society is in Zone 4 of Sociology, and in Zone 3 of the minor category Social Work. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 3 of Sociology. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Children & Society?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 1.62; CiteScore 3.7, h-index 96.
How long does peer review take at Children & Society?
Based on the dates recorded on 101 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 252 days (interquartile range 189–372 days); the journal's website gives an acceptance rate of 13% (2025). Article statistics cover accepted papers only, publisher figures follow the journal's own definitions, and community reports come from authors' own submissions; none is a promise from the journal.
What are the manuscript requirements of Children & Society?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Keywords: ≥ 3; First submission: Free format: the journal's layout is not required. A model extracted these from the author guidelines and each was checked against the text; check the latest version on the journal's website before submitting.
Where are the editorial board members of Children & Society based?
Of the 37 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 1 (about 3%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United Kingdom (22), Australia (2) and Mainland China (1). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Children & Society?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Children & Society is indexed in SSCI and Scopus. The journal's website also lists CAB Abstracts and Current Contents; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Children & Society open access, and what is the APC?
Children & Society is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 3,620.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, Publisher website, OpenAlex; every figure is tagged with its source and the date it was observed, and conflicting values are kept per source. LetPub source page: view ↗ (archived 2026-08-25). Last updated: .