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Supporting Mental Wellbeing in Children, Families and Communities - Approaches from Three Continents
In this episode Amanda Griffith of Family for Every Child is joined by representatives of three member organisations who are working to support children's mental health and wellbeing across three continents.
Omattie Madray, Managing Director of ChildLinK, in Guyana, Chaste Uwihoreye, Country Director at Uyisenga Ni Imanzi in Rwanda and Rita Panicker, Director of Butterflies, in India.
The panel discussed how mental wellbeing is a topic that must be addressed at community rather than an individual level and how typically western ideas around therapeutic approaches translate to different…
Research shows that youth who leave foster care to live independently are often at risk of homelessness, less education, unemployment/poverty, and mental health issues. There are a number of reasons for this increased risk. A variety of aftercare services for youth leaving foster care are designed to help address these risks.
The purpose of this study was to examine trends in participation and understand the experiences of youth transitioning from foster care who were involved in the Iowa Aftercare Services Program. The authors examine trends in participation, services received,…
Young adults with histories of out-of-home care (OOHC) have poor early adult outcomes. Transitioning to adulthood takes preparation, coupled with support and resources. Few studies have examined these young adults’ perceptions of what helped them prepare for adulthood and how prepared they perceived they were to make the developmental transition to adulthood. This convergent mixed methods study builds knowledge surrounding preparedness among a sample of young adults with histories in OOHC (N = 204).
The study progressed in three phases. First, quantitative measures of preparedness…
This book sets out the case for Transitional Safeguarding, a new approach to protection and safeguarding designed to address the needs and behaviours of young people aged 15-24 who are falling between gaps in current global systems, with often devastating results.
While the book addressed the gaps in the current system in the UK, the lessons have global application and the authors outlines how the specific needs of young people can be met through this approach. Written by leading experts in this area with strong practice networks, it presents up-to-date evidence for its effectiveness, and…
Introduction:
The Orphans and Vulnerable Children's (OVC) crisis has raised the need for alternative solutions to OVC's problems. These new alternatives gave prominence to the growth of community-based organizations (CBOs) and their interventions. Community-based interventions are a crucial component of the response to make sure components of the response to ensure that the demands of OVCs are mitigated as they offer initial support and act as well-being nets.
Methods:
A qualitative exploratory-descriptive design was used to explore possible approaches to…
Leaving a familiar environment can be daunting. Although previous studies investigated the experiences of youths who left care centres, few considered those who left during the COVID-19 pandemic. For this exploratory qualitative research study, the authors purposively recruited 12 African youths aged between 18 and 23, with at least two years’ experience of life in the care centres of Ekurhuleni Metro Municipality to investigate their experiences when they left such centres during the pandemic.
The data were collected through individual semistructured interviews, analysed according to…
Transition-age youth with foster care involvement (TAY) face significant risks for food insecurity and other hardships in early adulthood. Using representative survey data of youth transitioning out of foster care in California, the authors examine the prevalence and predictors of food insecurity. They find that about 30% of study participants were food insecure at ages 19, 21, and 23.
They also identify multiple risk and protective factors associated with being food insecure, such as TAY’s sexual identity and receipt of public benefits. The results of their study offer life-stage-specific…
This study investigates the well-being of primary caregivers responsible for orphaned and vulnerable children in Ethiopia. Well-being is defined as overall wellness, happiness, and satisfaction.
Through mixed methods case studies and purposive sampling, the authors analyzed data from the Ziway Food for the Hungry Ethiopia program in 2017. Their explanatory analytic approach highlighted issues including resource constraints, chronic illnesses, and community challenges faced by the respondents. Nonetheless, spiritual well-being emerged as a crucial factor for their coping mechanisms.
The…
Compared to other teenagers, young care leavers tend to have poorer sexual/reproductive and mental health; mental health difficulties may increase risk for poor sexual/reproductive health. This systematic review addresses a gap in knowledge regarding the effectiveness of existing interventions that support care leavers’ sexual/reproductive health (e.g., contraception, pregnancy choices, early parenting). Eight published articles spanning six interventions were eligible.
Interventions were associated with improvements in a range of sexual/reproductive health measures (e.g., sexual health…
There is a lack of research investigating the role of caregivers in the development and prevention of mental health issues and substance use among youth living in care. The goal of this study is to examine the relationship between caregiver characteristics, caregiver attachment and placement type on two dimensions of mental health and substance use among a sample of older youth living in care.
The data used for this study were collected as part of the Ontario Looking After Children project, which was developed to assess the needs and developmental progress of children and young people who…