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The transition of a residential care service involves significant change at all levels of an organization and affects many different stakeholders, including the children, their families, the staff, and the board and management of the organization. As with any significant change, transition can result in a range of emotional reactions amongst those most impacted, such as fear, uncertainty, and worry. Unless these emotions are acknowledged and addressed, it is common for stakeholders to resist change, regardless of its overall merits.
In this video, Anne Kinuthia, shares how social work…
From April to September 2022, CTWWC and PGN implemented a process to prevent unnecessary child-family separation and provide accompaniment using the case management methodology and reintegration criteria with 18 families to promote children’s permanence within their current family environment.
The first step was identifying children vulnerable to rights violation or at risk of unnecessary family separation. For these cases, the PNA/PGN had already determined the possibility to reinstate their rights through an administrative process and all of the families resided in the municipalities of…
ABSTRACT
Objective: There is an urgent need to equip community-based careworkers with the skills to address the mental health needs of orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) as an essential response to shortages in human resources for mental health in Sub-Saharan Africa. We conducted a quasi-experimental feasibility trial in South Africa to adapt and evaluate an established year-long semi-structured, manualized video-feedback caregiver intervention (the Mediational Intervention for Sensitizing Caregivers; MISC) for community-based organizations (CBOs).
Methods…
Abstract
Background
Young people in state care, often due to abuse or neglect, have a four-fold increased risk of drug and alcohol use compared to their peers.
Aim
The SOLID study aimed to investigate the feasibility of a definitive randomised controlled trial, comparing two behaviour change interventions to reduce risky substance use (illicit drugs and alcohol), and…
Abstract
It has long been recognized that youth entering out-of-home care have traumatic experiences and their associated effects on emotional and behavioral wellbeing may be unrecognized, overlooked, or untreated. An assessment to identify youth needs is vital as an initial step to youth in out-of-home care receiving needed treatment. Standardized assessments in particular can serve as an effective starting point in addressing the needs of these youth. This study explored if domains of the Child and Adolescent Needs and Strengths assessment were associated with a prescribed trauma-focused…
Abstract
The goal of this paper was to conduct a review of studies from 2008 to 2019 that evaluated community‐based caregiver or family interventions to support the mental health of orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) in sub‐Saharan Africa, across four domains: (a) study methodology, (b) cultural adaptation and community participation, (c) intervention strategies, and (d) effects on child mental health. Ten interventions were identified. Findings revealed that the majority of studies used a randomized controlled trial or quasi‐experimental design, but few conducted long‐term follow‐up;…
Abstract
Much has been written on the psychosocial support of orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) around the world regarding their well-being. However, there is still a lack of information on the efficacy of the Basic Education Assistance Module (BEAM) both as material and a psychosocial support intervention for OVCs within the rural communities of Zimbabwe. This article is a qualitative phenomenological study seeking to examine the perceptions, views and feelings of the OVC, care-givers and community leaders on their experiences with BEAM as a material and psychosocial support…
This article from BMJ describes cross-sectoral collaborative efforts in Germany to enhance the skills of parents to care for young children.
Abstract
Little information is available regarding the financial and non-financial costs of implementing and sustaining universal trauma and mental health screening in state child welfare systems. A cost analysis was conducted as part of a 5-year, federally funded statewide demonstration project to install universal trauma screening in one state’s child welfare system. The project implemented a battery of validated instruments that varied by age of the child (0–18) to measure trauma exposure, post-traumatic symptoms and child well-being. All adjudicated children and youth involved in the…
Abstract
Foster parents face considerable challenges in caring for children in the child welfare system, many of whom have significant behavioral difficulties. Foster parents often lack the training and support needed to manage these externalizing behaviors, which contribute to parenting stress and are highly predictive of placement breakdowns. Although child welfare agencies provide foster parents with pre-service training experiences, they often lack the capacity and financial resources to implement gold standard, evidence-based interventions that address child behavior difficulties.…