Displaying 1 - 10 of 862
Abstract
Research suggests that children develop best in families, but millions currently reside in residential care centers. Many residential care centers have transitioned their programmes from a to a family care model. Using a mixed methods design, the current study examined (1) antecedents to transition, (2) key elements in the process and (3) outcomes of transitioning models of care. Participants included 39 non-government organizations that had fully or partially transitioned to family care. Programmes collectively served 12 325 children and 29 499 families in 22 countries…
This document compares three versions of the same home visiting model, aimed at improving parent-child interactions and child development: the well-known Jamaica model, which was gradually scaled up from an efficacy trial (‘proof of concept’) in Jamaica, to a pilot in Colombia, to an at-scale program in Peru. It first describes the design, implementation and impacts of these three programs. Then, it analyzes the threats to scalability in each of these experiences and discusses how they could have affected program outcomes, with a focus on three of the elements of the economic model…
Abstract
Background
The issues faced by young people transitioning out of government care are complex, and improving outcomes requires the collaboration of multiple stakeholders (Lopez & Allen, 2007).
Objective, participants, and setting
In Vancouver, Western Canada, 60 agencies and 20 youth from government care are working in partnership using a collective impact approach to address the systemic issues and barriers to healthy development that youth from care experience.
Collective impact is an approach to tackling complex social problems which requires collaboration across…
Abstract
Children entering custody within the child welfare system have been found to have high levels of trauma and significant behavioral health needs. In this paper, authors demonstrate how a structured functional well-being assessment can be used with the custody population to promote an understanding of behavioral health needs, inform case planning, and measure functional improvement over time. Specifically, this paper will: (a) briefly describe how two states implemented a common standardized assessment of functioning to inform case planning and measure well-being progress of…
ABSTRACT
Young people transitioning from out-of-home care, commonly called care leavers, are known to be a vulnerable group. Many experience poor outcomes leading them to become homeless or involved in the criminal justice system. Yet compared to most other Anglophone democracies, Australia lacks mandatory assistance for care leavers beyond 18 years of age. There are also major legislative, policy, and program differences between care leaver entitlements in the individual states and territories. This paper argues that the Commonwealth Government should introduce a…
Abstract
Background
Youth who exit the nation’s foster care system without permanency are at high risk of experiencing difficulties during the transition to adulthood.
Objective
To present an illustrative test of whether an algorithmic decision aid could be used to identify youth at risk of exiting foster care without permanency.
Methods
For youth placed in foster care between ages 12 and 14, we assessed the risk of exiting care without permanency by age 18 based on their child welfare service involvement history. To develop predictive risk models, 28 years (1991–2018) of…
ABSTRACT
As of 2019, there were over 670,000 youths in the United States' foster care system. These youths are typically more at risk for complications when transitioning out of the foster care system into independent living, including low educational attainment, unemployment, homelessness, financial difficulties, and physical and mental health problems, as compared to others youths their age. Transitional programming for youths exiting the foster care system may improve these youths' abilities to integrate more effectively into the community as they transition to independent living.…
Abstract
This article presents findings from an exploratory in-depth qualitative research project with seventeen child welfare professionals exploring their permanency decisions with regards to Looked after Children. Thinking aloud-protocols and semi-structured interviews, in conjunction with a specifically constructed vignette were used to explore the permanency decisions of child welfare workers. Findings from this innovative research suggest that different decisions were taken by participants based on viewing the same vignette. However, even though the decisions differed, they clustered…
Abstract
Young people transitioning from out-of-home care frequently have a history of maltreatment and multiple psychosocial challenges. ‘Survivalist self-reliance’ – thought to involve social disconnection from others, and reluctance to seek support – provides one coping strategy. However, little is known about the self-reliant young person’s own reflexive interpretations of social relationships and support during transition. This qualitative study addresses the question: In the context of transitioning from out-of-home care, what reflexive meanings do ‘avowedly’ self-reliant individuals…
Abstract
This study aimed to better understand the role that Court-Appointed Special Advocates (CASAs) play in the lives of transition-age youth (TAY) by asking participants about the nature of their relationships with their CASAs, and the extent to which their CASAs helped prepare them for independent living. This study involved qualitative analysis of interviews conducted as part of a larger mixed-methods study with TAY in New York City. The sample included 15 young adults ages 18 to 22 who had a Court-Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) prior to or at the time of the interview/s…