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Adolescents living in residential youth care (RYC) are at risk for disadvantaged social relationships, which in turn present a risk factor for increased loneliness. Social relationships of Slovenian adolescents aged 15–18 years and living in RYC group homes (N = 51) or in their primary families (N = 100) were investigated by relying on the social convoy framework. The participants also provided self-reports on the Revised UCLA Loneliness scale. Results revealed substantial differences between the two groups of adolescents in the structure (number of members, frequency of…
The Kenya-Italy “Virtual Exchange Program on Foster Care” aims to create a platform for learning, networking and sharing knowledge and best practices on Foster Care among different government stakeholders, from Kenya and Italy.
The program is organized as part of the development cooperation project named “APRIRE: Tuwarudishe Watoto Nyumbani: Foster Care, Prevention, Rehabilitation, and Reintegration for a Future to Vulnerable Children in Kenya”, financed by the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS). It has been developed and implemented by a consortium of…
This study aims to advance the understanding of children with special needs in foster care by identifying the characteristics, processes, and outcomes of their placement. The study uses a quantitative approach to identify 190 children with special needs (registered) from among 2,157 foster children in Catalonia and the Balearic Islands, Spain and examines key data covering 2008 to 2018. The results show that children with special needs are overrepresented in placements with single-parent foster carers (mainly women), raising questions about the extent to which the care system takes the…
The Toolkit was prepared to assist USAID Mission staff working in the Europe and Eurasia (E&E) region in identifying and propagating good practices in case management services. It provides the user with a comprehensive assessment framework for analyzing current systems, procedures, and practices against international standards and professional case management practices at both the case level and system level. This toolkit does not promote a specific model of case management since no one approach or model can be applied to every situation. Rather, it outlines the beneficial aspects,…
The main purpose of the Monitoring Report on the Decentralization Process of Social Services for 2020, is the reflection of the current situation on the full implementation of the decentralisation process of social services in Kosovo. Kosovo started a decentralisation process of social services in 2009, aiming to bring social services as closer as possible to children and families in need. However, a new report by Eurochild member, Coalition of NGOs for Child Protection Kosovo – KOMF, the process has been hindered by the pandemic and is yet to be completed.
In fact, both national and local…
Globally, during the COVID-19 pandemic there have been disruptions to initiatives, services, and programmes that promote and protect nurturing care for young children. While necessary to reduce transmission of SARS-CoV-2, strategies such as complete or partial lockdown, physical distancing measures, and school and childcare closures, have made it increasingly difficult to reach children and caregivers. At the same time, the social and economic ramifications of the pandemic have put families in even greater need of parenting and family support. In response to the COVID-19 crisis, many…
Abstract
Many children who experience serious adversity with their birth family have to be placed in family-based alternatives, such as foster care, or adoption. Caregivers and parents are then expected to show these children nurturing patterns of relating to others through affectionate and stimulating interactions. These are essential for establishing positive bonds within new families. In the present study, we explored the adult-child interactions that took place in 116 families from Spain: 28 long-term non-kin foster families, 34 adoptive families, and a community comparison group made…
Abstract: The number of unaccompanied minors (UAMs) arriving in the European Union (EU) has been increasing dramatically over recent years resulting in the formulation of EU policy directives around safeguarding and well-being. Notably, the majority of UAMs enter Europe irregularly through two main gateways to the European continent: via Italy, using the Central Mediterranean Sea route; or through Greece, transiting through the Eastern Mediterranean route from Turkey, mostly via sea. Profiles of UAMs travelling via the two different routes are significantly diverse, reflecting Italy’s and…
Abstract
This paper analyzes the impact of adults’ interactive moves and strategies on children’s participation and agency at dinnertime in two Italian residential care facilities, one of the most widely used alternative care life-context for children and youth coming from vulnerable families. Participants are 14 children and 11 educators living in two residential care facilities in Rome (Italy). Adopting an interactional and multimodal analytic approach, this paper focuses on two dinnertime activities: the routine activity of praying before eating and the very frequent one of talking…
Abstract
Unaccompanied minors who reach the age of majority often experience this transition as a complex stage. Insecurity and helplessness may arise and, in some cases, survival without the support of the institutions and services that previously protected them as minors in the host country may mean becoming at risk for social exclusion. The objective of the present study was to characterize unaccompanied minors in Portugal (N = 67) and understand the processes of transition into the age of majority, using a mixed-methods approach. Quantitative (survey) and qualitative (…