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This interim report focuses on hearing the lived experiences of children and young people in alternative care arrangements and lifts up the voices of those who have participated in private hearings as part of this Special Inquiry to date.
Key themes explored in the report include:
- Safety and quality of care
- Stability and communication
- Access to supports and services
- Connection to family, friends, community and culture.
SUMMARY
A comprehensive survey of kinship care policies identifies increasing efforts by states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico to promote kinship care and support kinship caregivers of children and youth who are known to the child welfare system. Read the policy data and analysis in a five-part series of briefs released throughout early 2024. The survey, fielded in 2022, was conducted by Child Trends for the Annie E. Casey Foundation.
THE SURVEY
To help build an understanding of the full landscape of kinship policies across states and to identify needed…
SUMMARY
This brief, the first in a five-part series, shares the findings of a comprehensive survey of state-level kinship care policies.
Kinship care is an important option to consider for kids moving through the child welfare system. A timely placement with relatives or close family friends can reduce the trauma a child experiences from being separated from their parents, siblings, friends, communities and even social support resources, such as schools and churches.
The survey results presented…
The purpose of this macro-level study is to examine the effects of social welfare benefits and services on the demand for child removals. The study is based on the panel data of Finnish municipalities (N = 293) and their social welfare indicators for the period 2010–2021. Linear regression analysis was conducted to analyze the associations between the dependent variable (child removals) and the main predictors (child welfare notifications, family support services, social assistance).
The community-level social risk factors were controlled for. It was found that child welfare…
The purpose of this U.S.-based study was to examine two intervening variables, self-care and formal support that affect the relationship between children with behavioural issues and caregiver depression. Specifically, this study examines whether self-care can mediate the relationship between children's behavioural issues and caregivers' depression levels and whether formal support can moderate the relationship between children's behavioural issues and caregivers' depression levels. Data from this study were collected from Qualtrics survey in 2020. A total of 136 participated in the survey,…
Abstract:
Purpose:
Foster care children are a highly vulnerable population and their experiences in care are considered crucial to their developmental and psychosocial wellbeing. Placement instability has been considered a possible risk factor for developmental difficulties due to its impact on the development of a reparative attachment relationship and sense of relational permanence. The current review synthesizes the literature regarding the impact of placement instability on behavioural and mental health outcomes in foster care children. Three major databases and…
Abstract:
The prevalence of grandparents assuming the caregiving responsibilities of their grandchildren has been increasing. Approximately 7.9 million children in the USA live with their grandparents or relatives. Around 2.5 million grandparents raise their grandchildren formally through the child welfare/foster care system; the remaining children are raised informally by their grandparents. Grandparents also assume caregiver roles when the parents are absent due to other commitments, including work, or when they are part of a multigenerational household. Supplementary and…
The mental health and wellbeing of children and young people who have been in care, primarily foster care, kinship care or residential care, remains a public health priority. The Care-experienced cHildren and young people’s Interventions to improve Mental health and wEll-being outcomes Systematic review (CHIMES) synthesized evidence for the effectiveness of interventions targeting: subjective wellbeing; mental, behavioral and neurodevelopmental disorders; and suicide-related outcomes. Searches were conducted in 16 bibliographic databases and 22 websites between 1990 and 2022. This was…
Caring for a young child exposed to early trauma, along with caregiving stress and heightened by the impact of lockdowns as a result of the COVID-19 response, may compromise the development of the parent-child relationship. Understanding a foster carer's attachment history and considering relational dynamics through an attachment lens may shed light on areas they need support in, to enhance their parenting capacity for vulnerable children.
The feasibility of collecting and coding observational data and attachment interviews of foster carers and their children, when conducted remotely…
Abstract
Background
Strategies to reduce over-representation of Indigenous children in out-of-home care must start in pregnancy given Indigenous babies are 6 % of infants (<1 year), yet 43 % of infants in out-of-home care.
Objective
To determine if an Indigenous-led, multi-agency, partnership redesign of maternity services decreases the likelihood of babies being removed at birth.
Participants and setting
Women carrying an Indigenous baby/babies who gave birth at the Mater Mothers' Public Hospital, Brisbane (2013–2019).
Methods
A prospective, non-…