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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…
‘Investing in Early Years on Human Capital for Future Resilience: For an Inclusive and Equitable World’ focuses on the urgent need for global investments in young children for realizing sustainable development and equitable outcomes for all. Access to services and participation, equity and inclusion are key drivers to realize the rights of the child.
Moving beyond a cost-benefit analysis, this book provides a socio-economic perspective that attributes crucial early years investments in health, nutrition, education, social protection, and public finance for children as vital for human…
The consequences of poorly processed reports of child abuse and neglect, along with governance challenges in child protection systems, are well-documented. Recent research, inquiries and royal commissions emphasise the need for child-centered and participatory practices that support the rights and dignity of children and their families. However, the challenges of quality case recording in child protection systems and contexts remain unclear.
This paper reports on the findings from a pilot study that interviewed (n = 22) and surveyed (n = 56) social work students and social work curriculum…
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-…
This phenomenological study explores how five institutionalised Malay adolescents used adaptive strategies towards independent living upon being released from welfare institutions. Five 17-year-old Malay Muslim adolescents, three males and two females, were recruited via purposive sampling for a focus group discussion to gather insights into their plans and strategies to cope with life challenges after being released from their respective welfare institutions.
Thematic analysis of the FGD data extracted six themes that portrayed the adolescents’ adaptive strategies for facing challenges in…
The transition of individual residential care services for children is a critical part of child protection and care systems reform. It is one of several critical measures required of governments to implement commitments made at the international level to phase out the institutionalization of children and reorientate the system towards family-based care.1 To support the scaling up of transitioning residential care services, and to ensure it is done in a manner that is safe, effective and puts children’s best interests first, certain factors need to be in place at the system level to create…
Moldova’s National Program for Child Protection (2022-2026) articulates the commitment of the Government of Moldova and its partners to dramatically reducing the number children in institutions and to a child protection system anchored in securing safe and nurturing family care for all children. The Program includes the introduction of a moratorium on the placement of children under the age of three in residential care. The age was expanded to include children aged between 0-6 years to reflect the age range of children cared for in residential institutions. Despite notable achievements in…
Kinship care involves children who cannot be cared for by parents being looked after by relatives or friends of the family. In Zimbabwe, around a quarter of all children are estimated to be in kinship care. Regional and global guidance state that kinship care should always be explored as the first option when children are separated from parents. It can offer a safe and caring environment, where children speak their own languages and follow their own traditions. However, without support, kinship care families often face challenges, especially as most kinship carers are elderly grandmothers…
This report represents a summary of presentations and discussions of the 5th Biennial International Conference on Alternative Care for Children in Asia held throughout the two days in Kathmandu, Nepal, in September 2023. BICON is an inter-agency cooperation of eight international organisations focused on alternative care for children.
Over 53 speakers and 300 participants, including over 50 young people with care experience, from across Asia and beyond joined us and shared their perspectives. BICON was also streamed to participants around the world.
As well as a summary…