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Sleep health is a critical but under-recognized area of concern for the more than 650,000 children served by the US child welfare system each year. While sleep is vital to optimal child health and development, it is likely harmed by the multiple adversities and traumas experienced among children and youth residing in alternative care settings (ie, kinship care, nonrelative foster care, group homes). Children residing in alternative care settings have experienced, at a minimum, the trauma of removal from a biological parent's care and would benefit from holistic, comprehensive care approaches…
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…
Kenya has embarked on a care reform process that is aimed at promoting family and community-based care options and subsequently reducing reliance on institutions (Children’s homes, Orphanages, baby centers, etc.) This booklet, along with the accompanying animations, emphasizes the importance of family based care for the care of orphaned and vulnerable children (OVC) in Kenya, provides answers to regularly asked questions, and lists current government efforts to support OVC, including the policy and legal…
In this paper, the authors present the evidence on why childcare matters for building human capital, look at the current status of childcare provision worldwide, including an estimate of the global gaps in access, and present specific actions countries can take to expand access to quality, affordable childcare for all families that need it, especially the most vulnerable. This paper was originally drafted prior to the Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and has been updated to include new content, taking into account the unique challenges that the COVID-19 pandemic poses for families,…
This two-page document from the Thrive Coalition - a community of over 30 organizations and individuals dedicated to addressing U.S. Government support for global early childhood development - makes a case for U.S. investment in global early childhood development. The document outlines the importance of the early years and the greater "return on investment" for early intervention. The document also underscores the cost of inaction.
In just a matter of weeks, the COVID-19 pandemic has led to huge societal public health and economic challenges worldwide. The clinical effects of COVID-19 on young children are uncertain when compared with older age groups, with lower morbidity and mortality rates and no conclusive evidence supporting transmission during pregnancy, on the one hand, but some emerging evidence of rising rates of child hyperinflammatory shock, on the other. Research on the effects of prior pandemics and disasters clearly indicates that there will be both immediate and long-term adverse consequences for…
Introduction
The spread of COVID-19 is an unprecedented global crisis. Families the world over are affected, including the millions of children who live not with their parents but with grandparents, aunts, uncles, older siblings or friends of the family. This ‘kinship care’ is widespread; in some countries, up to a third of children are raised this way. Whilst kinship care is valued by communities and children and recognised as a preferred form of care by policymakers, kinship carers receive minimal assistance, leaving the children in their care vulnerable to many threats to their…
In this Submission to the Inquiry into Support for Children of Imprisoned Parents, Karleen Gribble, Adjunct Associate Professor in the School of Nursing and Midwifery at Western Sydney University, comments on "the situation of infants and young children whose mothers are incarcerated and the support or undermining of their health and wellbeing in the justice system." Gribble explores the effects of parental separation on infant mental health, among other topics. The submission concludes with recommendations for addressing the developmental and health needs of infants…
The Breastfeeding Advocacy Toolkit (the Toolkit) is intended to ensure stakeholders are able to easily access and use advocacy tools aimed at improving policies and financing for the protection, promotion, and support of breastfeeding.
The Toolkit is an initiative of the Global Breastfeeding Collective (the Collective). Led by UNICEF and WHO, the Collective is a partnership of over 20 international organizations with the goal of increasing investment and policy change to support breastfeeding worldwide,…
Approximately one in ten children around the world live in kinship care. This form of care is both the most widely used and the most valued option for children who cannot be cared for by their parents. Yet it is also neglected by policymakers and practitioners, placing children at great risk.
Kinship caregivers are often expected to look after children with no or minimal support, and greater emphasis is placed by many governments on more formalised forms of care outside of children’s families. The failure to support kinship care exposes already highly vulnerable children to…