Abstract
The purpose of this article is a sociological understanding of child well-being in the context of contemporary conception of childhood and new approaches to studying children's life. The authors identified the phenomenon of childhood as an object of research, focusing on the concept of child well-being in the context of difficult life situations. In contemporary research, childhood is regarded as a social construct formed by the interaction of children with the surrounding cultural and social environment. Childhood is conceived as an active process of creating and interpreting social reality, where children actively participate in shaping their own experiences. This is a discursive, pluralistic approach, different from the usual universalism. Modern research on childhood actualizes the question of the ethics of research involving and in relation to children. The authors conducted desk research by analyzing data obtained from official Internet resources, scientific articles, reports revealing the results of the analysis of the phenomenon of childhood, including the database of peer-reviewed scientific literature Scopus over the past five years. The method of obtaining primary sociological data was an experts survey, which was attended by 111 specialists working with children: social workers, school and university teachers, medical professionals, psychologists, lawyers, representatives of juvenile justice, government officials, as well as employees of sociological research structures and NGOs. The findings of the expert survey indicate that primary determinants of the well-being of children in adverse life circumstances are institutional support, access to specialized services, and the resource potential of the family. It has been determined that current social policy frameworks fail to encompass all vulnerable child populations, thereby underscoring the necessity of revising existing legislation. The results contribute to the advancement of the sociology of childhood by conceptualizing child well-being as a multidimensional construct, contingent upon specific socio-cultural conditions. The study also provides a foundation for the development of evidence-based recommendations aimed at enhancing social policy in the best interests of children.