Child Development

Knowledge of child development is the foundation for work with children, and therefore is a requirement for all those seeking to protect children. It influences every aspect of a child from physical growth and mental abilities, to how they express emotions, think and behave.

Healthy development takes children through stages, whereby they obtain an increasing number of physical, mental, and emotional skills in order to become independent adults. These stages provide benchmarks for determining if a child is developing normally. Without knowledge of the normal developmental stages of a child, a worker cannot identify developmental delays, assess the impact of abuse, or make recommendations regarding the child’s physical, mental or emotional health. Understanding what a child is capable of allows adults to communicate on their level and provide age-appropriate responses and interventions.

Knowledge of early childhood development and attachment behaviour is particularly important for protection workers. The physical health and care a child experiences as an infant will affect their development into adulthood. A child needs to have experienced a positive attachment by the age of 3 in order to develop cognitively, physically, socially, and psychologically. Healthy attachments come from the close bond a child experiences when provided with the responsive and stable care of at least one adult. In a residential home, children are less likely to receive the amount of individual attention from a permanent caretaker that they require. Children under 12, in particular, benefit more from a kinship, foster or adoption placement where they can experience closer relationships.

Observation of a child’s attachment to caretakers will influence the type of care, permanency plan, and level of support services offered. It can also aid in the identification of abuse.

This section contains information on the importance of child development knowledge, guidance on the ages and stages of children, and attachment theory.

Displaying 211 - 220 of 485

Browse Other Topics

Descriptions from Motherless Infants’ Caregivers in an Institution in Rural Tanzania

Kari Vik (KV), Vickfarajaeli Zebedayo Daudi (VZD), Lusajo Joel Kajula (LJK), Rolf Rohde (RR), Omary Said Ubuguyu (OSU), Joseph Ndukusi Saibulu (JNS) - Infancy and Caring, 22 Feb 2018

This paper aims at describing how caregivers at an institution for motherless infants in rural Tanzania perceive infancy, caring and sensitivity in their everyday context.

View Article

Building and utilising resilience: The challenges and coping mechanisms of care leavers in Ghana

Kwabena Frimpong-Manso - Children and Youth Services Review, 10 Feb 2018

Through this study, data were collected through interviews with 23 care leavers in Ghana to examine their challenges and the factors that influence their coping mechanisms.

View Article

Building Core Capabilities for Life

Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University, 26 Jan 2018

This 5-minute video from the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University explores the development and use of core capabilities — known as executive function and self-regulation skills — from early childhood into adolescence and adulthood.

View Video

Online consultations on the draft Nurturing Care Framework

World Health Organization & UNICEF, 24 Jan 2018

The first online consultation on the Nurturing Care Framework for early childhood development was held between 24th January and 6th February, a summary of the responses submitted will be available in March.

View Consultation

Variability in Developmental Outcomes of Foster Children: Implications for Research and Practice

Anouk Goemans, Mitch van Geel and Paul Vedder - Children Australia, 2018

This article focuses on the variability in developmental outcomes of foster children and the implications for foster care research and practice.

Nourished and Thriving Children Toolkit

SPOON, 2018

The Nourished and Thriving Children toolkit was designed by SPOON to build capacity among the foster care community in feeding and nutrition topics so that they are equipped to address challenges commonly experienced by foster children.

View Toolkit

Reframing Early Childhood Development and Learning

FrameWorks Institute, 2018

Reframing Early Childhood Development and Learning is a communications toolkit for building public support in Kenya for better child development policies and programmes.

View Toolkit

The Long View: Has Anything Really Improved for Children and Families Involved with Child Welfare over 3 Decades?

Moira Szilagyi - Journal of Applied Research on Children: Informing Policy for Children at Risk, 2018

This paper reflects on: what’s better or not after 30 years; whether legislation and financing are aligned with child welfare’s goals of safety, permanency and well-being; and what remains to be done to improve the outcomes of children and youth in foster care or otherwise involved with child welfare.

Exploring outcomes for young people who have experienced out-of-home care

Fernando Lima, Miriam Maclean, Melissa O’Donnell - Telethon Kids Institute, 2018

For this study, physical and mental health, school achievement, justice involvement and child protection contact were explored for three cohorts of children in Australia born between 1 January 1990 and 30 June 1995.

HIV and Caregiver Common Mental Disorder: Synergistic Impacts on Child Development and Entry Points for Interventions

Mark Tomlinson and Xanthe Hunt - 4Children, Catholic Relief Services, 2018

In this paper, the authors review published literature on the mental health status of mothers living with HIV (MLH) and how this affects their children; outline the pathways between maternal HIV, maternal mental health problems, and negative child outcomes; and then describe a number of intervention entry points that they argue have the potential to enhance impact across PEPFAR platforms.