Displaying 1 - 10 of 149
This study examined longitudinal data from the Bucharest Early Intervention Project, a randomized controlled trial of foster care as an alternative to institutional care following exposure to severe psychosocial deprivation. The authors report data from 135 participants assessed in early adulthood (age 18 y). They found that 16 years after randomization occurred, those who had been randomized to high-quality foster care had significantly higher IQ scores (9 points, 0.6 SD) than those randomized to care as usual.
Mediation analyses provide evidence that the causal effect of the intervention…
Background:
In France, the COVID-19 pandemic led to a general lockdown from mid-March to mid-May 2020, forcing families to remain confined. We hypothesized that children may have been victims of more physical abuse during the lockdown, involving an increase in the relative frequency of hospitalization.
Methods:
Using the national administrative database on all admissions to public and private hospitals (PMSI), we selected all children aged 0–5 years hospitalized and identified physically abused children based on ICD-10 codes. We included 844,227 children…
This report published by UNICEF’s Office of Research – Innocenti, ranks countries across the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the European Union (EU) based on their national childcare and parental leave policies. These policies include the accessibility, affordability and quality of childcare for children between birth and school age. The report notes that COVID-19-related closures of childcare facilities have pushed families of young children into further difficult circumstances. Many parents have been struggling to balance childcare and the…
First Years First Priority is a Europe-wide campaign set up to advocate for prioritization of early childhood development in public policies, with a particular focus on families and children who are at greater risk of discrimination and exclusion. This briefing provides a description of the policy context in which the 'First Year, First Priority' campaign is launched. It aims to explain:
- Why is the 'First Years, First Priority' campaign needed?
- What problems does the campaign seek to address and what solutions is it advocating for?
- How does the…
Abstract
This paper examines the role of interprofessional collaboration in the identification and reporting of a child in need. Such collaboration is especially important in the context of the global pandemic caused by the novel Coronavirus disease of 2019, known as COVID-19. The child protection system must have the capacity and resources to respond to increased demands during this time, and early childhood educators serve as an essential link for child protective services in identifying and reporting a child in need. As an effective system to accomplish these two aims requires a working…
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to test the feasibility of an intervention created to stimulate the development of children under the age of seven, living in an institution for children without parental care in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The aim of the intervention was to match each child with one volunteer, trained to deliver three hours per week of individually tailored, play-based activities, for a minimum of one year.
16 children (6 boys) participated in the intervention. Three children dropped out after one month of the intervention due to their placement in foster families, so…
This report sets out the findings from the most comprehensive study of attitudes towards bringing up children from conception to 5 years ever undertaken in the United Kingdom. Thousands of parents and non-parents have participated to help shed light on how we approach the early years of life for children in the UK.
This report seeks to draw together the evidence collected across all the research strands to provide an overview of the public’s and parents’ perceptions of the early years in the UK today. To achieve this, the data collected via each research methodology was independently…
Abstract
This paper is concerned with the co-opting of neuroscientific findings into social work practice with infants at risk of harm. The value of neuroscience to our understanding of infants and infant care remains contested. For ‘infant mental health’ proponents, neuroscientific findings have become a powerful tool in arguing for the importance of nurture and care in the early years. However, critical perspectives question the selective use of neuroscientific evidence, and the impact that the ‘first three years’ agenda has actually had on families. In social work, much of our…
Abstract
Limited research has been undertaken into the neurodevelopmental profile of looked after children and young people who are known to be highly vulnerable to mental and physical health morbidities. This study seeks to assess the prevalence of childhood neurodisabilities and related neurodevelopmental, emotional, behavioural and intellectual problems (NDEBIPs) among a cohort of children coming into care in an English local authority. A retrospective review of all referrals to a local authority health team between January and December 2018 was carried out as part of its clinical…
Abstract
Foster children are at risk for developmental challenges in several domains, such as cognitive functioning. The aim of the present study was therefore to investigate cognitive functioning at age 8 years among 39 foster children (FC) compared to 36 children in a non-foster comparison group (NFC). Furthermore, to investigate possible predictors of early functioning on FC’s functioning at age 8 years, in addition to possible different developmental trajectories within and between the two groups. Results revealed that FC performed below the mean on all WISC-IV index scores as well as…