Displaying 1 - 10 of 14
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…
Individual studies suggest most children and youth in residential care centres (RCCs) have living parents, and parental death is not the primary antecedent to placement in residential care. The goal of the present review was to examine the literature to better understand the primary antecedents to placement in RCCs overall. One hundred thirty-two studies, including 60,683 children in 47 nations meet eligibility criteria for inclusion for the overarching review of antecedents of placement. Primary information sources for this review were the Academic Search Complete, PubMed and ProQuest…
Abstract
Limited resources for child protection create challenging decision situations for child protective services (CPS) workers at the point of intake. A body of research has examined the factors associated with worker decisions and processes using a variety of methodological approaches to gain knowledge on decision‐making. However, few attempts have been made to systematically review this literature. As part of a larger project on decision‐making at intake, this systematic review addressed the question of the factors associated with worker decisions to investigate alleged maltreatment…
On March 11, 2020, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of WHO classified the COVID-19 situation as a pandemic on the basis of alarming levels of spread and severity, and by the alarming levels of inaction. Since the corona virus first emerged in China’s Hubei province, it has spread to 181 countries, infected 245,888 people globally and killed 10,048. In addition to the tragic human consequences of COVID-19, the United Nation’s trade and development agency estimates that the slowdown in the global economy caused by COVID-19 is likely to cost at least US$1 trillion. Amid the…
Abstract
The primary aim of this study is to summarise research findings about the use of assessment frameworks, that is, structured models that guide information collection and decision making in child protection services, by reviewing the literature. The research review method consisted of identification, selection, coding, categorisation and summary of publications on child protection investigative work. The results indicated that there is some documentation showing that the use of frameworks leads to more information being gathered, a greater focus on the needs of the child and…
Abstract
Child maltreatment research varies considerably in how maltreatment is measured. Although researchers have advocated for improvements in maltreatment assessment, a first step is a clear understanding of the status on how the field operationalizes maltreatment. The current paper sought to achieve this goal through reviewing research on child maltreatment over a recent 10-year span to identify trends in maltreatment assessment and operationalization. Information on maltreatment measurement was extracted from 338 articles across three major journals devoted to publishing research on…
Abstract
The aim of the study was to conduct a systematic review of the literature on factors that determine decision making in child protection investigations. More specifically, to investigate the existing research on the 4 factors that are considered fundamental for child protection decision making: case characteristics, caseworker characteristics, organizational characteristics, and external factors. The results indicated that child welfare decisions to investigate a case and/or to implement services are influenced by characteristics of the case, the social worker, and the organization…
Abstract
Decision-making regarding an asylum request of a minor requires decision-makers to determine the best interests of the child when the minor is relatively unknown. This article presents a systematic review of the existing knowledge of the situation of recently arrived refugee children in the host country. This research is based on the General Comment No. 14 of UN Committee on the Rights of the Child. It shows the importance of knowing the type and number of stressful life events a refugee child has experienced before arrival, as well as the duration and severity of these events.…
The Place of Foster Care in the Continuum of Care Choices: A Review of the Evidence for Policymakers
This report from Family for Every Child explores rising concerns about the expansion of foster care services in low and middle income countries, including the lack of knowledge and understanding on how to implement effective, safe foster care programmes and the use of foster care when family separation is avoidable or when it is not the most appropriate form of alternative care. The report begins to fill the gap in understanding through an exploration of the literature and interviews with key global and country-level experts. It aims to assist in both states’ and NGOs’ decisions on whether to…
This report from SOS Children’s Villages assesses Malawi’s compliance with, and implementation of, the UN Guidelines on the Alternative Care of Children. The report examines the Child Care, Protection and Justice Act of 2010 and the Adoption of Children Act, among other legislation. “The research by SOS Children’s Villages Malawi found that in particular there were concerns regarding the lack of data and information on children in both informal and formal alternative care; inadequate allocation of resources at the national and district levels and lack of staff capacity and training…