Displaying 1 - 9 of 9
Abstract: Although lacking in official figures, latest reports from NGOs highlight that Greece has over 85 institutional settings that house more than 2,500 children, excluding unaccompanied minors entering the system continuously for the past few years. Given the impact that institutional care has been found to have on psychological and cognitive outcomes, the authors make the case for the adaptation of Early Childhood Child Care HOME (EC-CC-HOME) a world-renowned instrument that assesses children’s child-care environment. In this instance, we have adapted the child-care version of HOME to…
Abstract
Residential care (RC) in Portugal accounts for almost 90% of out-of-home placements of children. Since the Youth Self-Report (YSR) and the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) are the most commonly used psychological (mal)adjustment screening instruments, it is important to analyze their comparative validity specifically in the context of RC. This study aims to analyze the comparative effectiveness of YSR/SDQ as screening tools of psychological (mal)adjustment, looking for differences in the way psychological problems and difficulties are identified by these two measures…
The purpose of this paper is to map the current organisation and implementation of children’s services in three regions of Spain, to identify strengths and gaps and to suggest proposals for improvement in line with European recommendations.
The study used an exploratory case study design and relied on qualitative methods, including the answers to open questionnaires provided by senior civil servants at key regional child welfare agencies, children’s services directors and service providers.
The main finding from the review of the legislation and the answers to the questionnaires is that…
This online resource provides an overview of research, conducted by the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA), on national child protection systems in the 28 European Union (EU) Member States. The research seeks to understand how national child protection systems work and to identify common challenges and promising practices. The data collected are organized around five main areas: (1) National legislative and regulatory framework; (2) National authorities responsible for child protection and service providers; (3) Human and financial resources, focusing on…
This report from SOS Children’s Villages and the University of Bedfordshire provides reviews and assessments of the implementation of the Guidelines for the Alternative Care of Children in 21 countries around the world. The report is aimed at enhancing knowledge around violence against children in alternative care (especially what makes children vulnerable and what puts them at risk) and providing policymakers and practitioners insight into the challenges of protecting children from violence as well as recommendations for change.
The report offers several key findings from an extensive…
The European Commission adopted in February 2013 an important Recommendation (2013/112/EU) on Investing in Children, stressing the importance of early intervention and preventative approaches. Adopted together with its new Social Investment Package (SIP), it makes quality childcare one of its key policy areas to break the cycle of disadvantage in early years and reduce the risk of child poverty and social exclusion. Of particular note, the recommendation addresses the importance of children's care directly…
A major ministerial conference on ending the placement of children under three in institutional care was held in Sofia, Bulgaria on 21 and 22 November 2012. Organized by the Government of the Republic of Bulgaria in collaboration with UNICEF, it brought together representatives of twenty governments from Eastern Europe and Central Asia, experts from the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, international and local NGOs and the academic world to discuss strategies and emerging good practices to support vulnerable families…
This report, prepared for the Social Transition Team of the USAID Bureau for Europe and Eurasia (E&E), is the result of a study of promising practices in community-based care for vulnerable groups conducted in five countries (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bosnia, Romania, and Russia) in the E&E Region between September 2004 and March 2005. Of particular interest is how these countries are moving from residential care to family-focused, community care models utilizing internationally recognized standards for children and youth, elderly, disabled, and minority groups (with an emphasis on Roma…
The reforms undertaken during the transition to a market economy have had an uneven and divergent social impact on the countries within the Eastern Europe and Central Asia (ECA) region. It is now recognized by governments in many parts of the region that the policy of using institutional care for children with welfare needs is both ineffective and expensive. Despite reforms, the quality of care within institutions and in the new community- based services is still inconsistent and in many cases does not meet the requirements of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.
The…