Search

The article presents responses to the Green Paper Every Child Matters. For many readers, the first response will have been relief that Every Child Matters acknowledges that child protection should be a part of overall policies to improve children's lives. The most radical proposal contained in the Green Paper is the plan to merge local authority education and social care services for children under a Director for Children's Services. This integration represents a staging post along the route to Children's Trusts which will incorporate children's health services and possibly Youth Offending Teams and Connexions. Chapter 6 of the Green Paper addresses workforce reform and acknowledges the problems of increasing bureaucracy, high workload and a lack of supervision. The Green Paper also discusses alternative approaches to safeguarding children, which includes a range of supportive interventions focused on parents and family group conferencing. The Green Paper has many positive elements, including the proposal for a range of multidisciplinary teams which would encompass different interprofessional permutations but would focus on assessment and early intervention.

This paper reports on research into personal education plans (PEPs) for ‘looked after’ children (children in care) in one large county local authority in England. PEPs were introduced by guidance from the Department for Education and Employment and Department of Health in 2000. The fieldwork for this research began two years after this guidance was published. The research findings show that although social services staff and teachers are critical of specific aspects of PEPs, they have helped to raise the profile of the educational needs of looked after children in the local authority studied. They have provided a forum for social work and education professionals to meet in the interests of particular children. Key problems relate to practical issues: ensuring social workers and teachers feel able to fulfil their expected roles in relation to the education of looked after children; making the system focus on meeting the needs of children as well as practitioners; difficulty in meeting specified timescales; more meaningful, constructive and sensitive involvement of children in the process of producing and reviewing PEPs. The broader issue, however, is about the ability to plan the education of looked after children. Additional barriers to planning were particularly apparent in residential care and specifically within secure accommodation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the main themes of the Children's Green Paper, and analyses the positive aspects, as well as the contradictions in policy. It looks at the likely effects of the proposals on local authorities, including the implications of having one officer responsible for both education and children's services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Children's services in England are undergoing their most radical transformation since 1948 following the passage of the Children Act 2004. A key part of these changes is the legal requirement to have an Integrated Inspection Framework to assess the extent to which the new Children's Services Authorities have succeeded in meeting five key outcomes—being healthy, staying safe, enjoying and achieving, making a positive contribution and achieving economic well-being. To this end, up to ten national inspectorates have to coordinate their activities to a hitherto unparalleled extent. This article describes the nature and scale of the new remit and identifies a number of unresolved issues that could impede progress. It is argued that the policy has the hallmarks and accompanying limitations of a top–down exercise in policy formulation and implementation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Public policy studies typically stress policy networks and communities, interest groups and bureaucrats, and overlook the governing role of parties. This paper argues that parties should be seen as governing as well as electoral organisations and contrasts a party-centred approach with the policy community and policy network approaches. A case study comparing the development of children's services policy in England during the Labour governments (1997–2010) and the Conservative-led governments (2010–2019) provides supporting evidence for this approach. It shows how ministers as party actors sought control over the administrative state through their framing of problems, reorganisations and the active political management of the policy sector. In so doing they marginalised the professions and central government departments. They also sought to manage, rather than respond to, the extra-governmental organisations in their political environment. This paper contributes to our understanding the political-administrative relationships in identifying how parties take control of government, how public problems are defined and relate to party ideologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article highlights the ratification of the International Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) in Jordan in 1999. CRC stands at critical crossroads that will determine whether it will end up as just another declaration of noble intentions or a genuinely effective tool for enhancing the well-being of children. The clearest manifestation of the government's top-level political commitment to children has been through Jordan's early ratification of the CRC, and Their Majesties' explicit endorsement of the nation's duty to address issues pertaining to children's well-being: in a monarchical political system as Jordan's, Royal Patronage of a cause is usually crucial to its success. Children have also been described by the Jordanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs as the youth of the future. Even before having ratified the CRC had been part of various regional initiatives aimed at improving social planning and education for children. It has also been signatory to the Charter of the Rights of the Arab Child since it was enacted in December 1984. In this sense, adopting the CRC for Jordan can be seen as an extension of an already existing and active commitment to child welfare. Within Jordanian Arab society, a religious, moral, humanitarian and cultural significance is also attached to children, with a corresponding duty towards their welfare and well-being. Culturally, the child is seen as the crucial generational link in the family unit, the key to its continuation, the living person that ties the present to the past and to the future. A lot of importance is attached to education in particular, as it is perceived to be a source of security for the child within an economically and politically insecure regional context. Such attitudes are important in the sense that they reflect the prevailing value-base towards children in Jordanian society, and their position within the family and community.

Description Within the current climate of health care pressures, services are exploring ways in which to use resources to the best of their ability to ensure service users have timely, safe, and effective care as well as having positive outcomes and good experiences of the care they receive. The current paper explores a service level agreement between the private sector and a child and family service within the HSC. Within this agreement, has been the development of a pathway through which families on a psychological service waiting list, could be triaged, and allocated to a private clinic within which, psychological care could be provided from assessment through to discharge. The subjective experiences and initial outcomes of those involved have been largely positive. The paper describes, explores, and reflects on the process of collaborative practice. Terminology HSC – Health & Social Care. In England, Scotland and Wales, the National Health Service (NHS) provides health care services while local councils provide social care services. In Northern Ireland these services are combined under what is known as Health and Social Care (HSC) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Unsafe and violent schools are a widespread problem in South Africa. This paper argues that Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) contribute to this phenomenon. While various individual and community-level interventions to address ACEs have been reported on, the contribution of safe parks towards preventing school violence has not yet been explored. To support schools in dealing with violence, the Adopt-a-School Foundation introduced a pilot project at eight schools in Botshabelo in the Free State Province. The programme included psychosocial support services, establishing safe parks, and ensuring community involvement. The goal was to improve school communities by creating environments that are empowering, academically effective, gender sensitive and free from violence. Although there are safe parks in communities around South Africa, they are an uncommon sight at schools. This paper reports on the quantitative study conducted on safe parks' contribution to making schools safer and less violent. Results show that safe park activities improve community well-being, including reduced gangsterism, enhanced learner safety, and decreased disciplinary problems. It is recommended that safe parks continue to provide psychosocial services to children at schools and that their programmes be expanded to include more services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Public sector reform will be at the heart of Labour's third term of office. The changes under way or planned in children's services and adult social care services in England are prototypes of the pursuit of services that are person-centred, seamless and proactive, with a focus on positive outcomes and well-being. This article examines the similarities in approach between the two sets of changes, and warns that implementation will be a difficult task. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents the High Commissioner's Dialogue on protection challenges at the 67th Session of the Executive Committee of the High Commissioner's Programme, held on 3 October, 2016 in Geneva, Switzerland. Topics discussed include issues surrounding risks faced by children who move across international borders in search of protection; Convention on the Rights of the Child; and the development of the comprehensive refugee.

This paper briefly presents two case studies of disruptive innovation in social work practice from Romania, namely the introduction of social services for children with their parents working abroad (Save the Children Romania) and of the minimum package of services for children and families (DGASPC Bacău in collaboration with UNICEF Romania). The analysis of disruptive innovations is useful for understanding how certain initiatives have led to changes in social work legislation and, subsequently, the introduction of new practices. Social service providers are innovating to find solutions to problems such as unmet social needs or existing pressure on the social work system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of European Journal of Development Research is the property of Palgrave Macmillan Ltd. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Comments on the Green Paper "Every Child Matters" launched in Great Britain on September 9, 2003. Aspects of a child's life addressed in the paper; Key outcomes that matter for children and young people's wellbeing; Recommendations on child welfare made in the report. INSET: Green Paper: Nursing review.

The article presents a call for papers on topics related to integrated children's services.

Severe acute malnutrition (SAM) can be fatal for children, and potentially limit their cognitive and physical growth. The last three National Family Health Survey (NFHS) in India shows an increase in the prevalence of SAM among under-five children. Given the specific mandates under ICDS (Integrated Child Development Service) for SAM children, it is important to validate the coverage efficiency of ICDS on SAM children. This paper examines a possible association between the coverage efficiency of ICDS on SAM children. The study further aims to identify the determinants of ICDS service utilization among SAM children. We used data from the fifth round of the National Family Health Survey. Descriptive statistics was used to estimate the SAM coverage under ICDS. Multilevel Logistic Regression was used to identify the determinants of ICDS service utilization among SAM children. The burden of SAM is higher among older children (3+ age). Coverage of ICDS was more among younger children and the poorest households in the rural areas. Results from multilevel logistic regression showed that age had a significant relationship with the outcome variable. SAM children living in the rural areas had a significantly higher odds of being covered under ICDS service (OR 1.57; CI: (1.35, 1.82)) than their urban counterparts. Pregnant and lactating mothers who received ICDS services were significant determinants of SAM coverage under ICDS. There is no evidence that ICDS is more efficient in identifying and covering SAM children than non-SAM children. Despite special provisioning in place for SAM children, coverage of different ICDS services was similar to that of non-SAM children, and were in fact lower than non-SAM children for some categories. The study suggests that improving coverage of ICDS services among pregnant and lactating mothers would increase the coverage of ICDS services among SAM children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Little is known about the effectiveness of, and implementation complexities associated with, service delivery models for children and young people (CYP) experiencing 'common' mental health problems such as anxiety, depression, behavioural difficulties and self-harm. This paper outlines how a model for high-quality service design for this population group was developed by identifying available services, their effectiveness, cost-effectiveness and acceptability, and the barriers and enablers to access. Methods: Sequential, mixed-methods design, combining evidence syntheses (scoping and integrative reviews of the international literature) with primary research (a collective case study in England and Wales). Data from these two elements were collaboratively synthesised in a subsequent model-building phase. Results: The scoping review yielded a service model typology. The integrative review found effectiveness evidence only for four models: collaborative care (the only service model to also have cost-effectiveness evidence), outreach approaches, brief intervention services and an organisational framework called 'Availability, Responsiveness and Continuity'. No service model seemed more acceptable than others. Three case study themes were identified: pathways to support; service engagement; and learning and understanding. The model-building phase identified rapid access, learning self-care skills, individualised support, clear information, compassionate and competent staff and aftercare planning as core characteristics of high-quality services. These characteristics were underpinned by four organisational qualities: values that respect confidentiality; engagement and involvement; collaborative relationships; and a learning culture. Conclusions: A consistent organisational evidence-base for service design and delivery in CYP's mental health spanning many years appears to have had little impact on service provision in England and Wales. Rather than impose – often inflexible and untested – specific local or national models or frameworks, those commissioning, designing and delivering mental health services for CYP should (re)focus on already known, fundamental components necessary for high-quality services. These fundamental components have been integrated into a collaboratively produced general model of service design for CYP with common mental health problems. While this general model is primarily focused on British service provision, it is broad enough to have utility for international audiences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Observational assessments are important for understanding a range of behaviors and emotions in the young child-caregiver relationship. This paper provides initial data on a multidimensional assessment for professionals who work with young children and their caregivers, the What to Look for in Relationships (WLR). The WLR was designed to assist providers in evaluating strengths and areas for improvement in five areas of young child-caregiver relationship dimensions. This paper reports on the development, interrater reliability, initial convergent and discriminant validity, and incremental utility of the scales. Methods: Data were collected from caregiver-child dyads, who participated in a semi-structured observational caregiver-child interaction session as part of a clinic evaluation for relationship-based therapeutic services for young children in child protection. Recorded interactions were coded using the WLR scales with 146 interactions coded by at least two independent observers for interrater reliability analyses. Results: The scales showed adequate internal consistency, good inter-rater reliability, strong convergent associations with a single dimension measure (i.e., the Parent-Infant Relationship Global Assessment Scale; PIR-GAS) and discriminated those in the clinical range from those with adaptive functioning on the PIR-GAS. Discussion: This study provides initial support for the usefulness of the WLR scales for assessing dimensions of caregiver-child relationships during early childhood that may be useful targets of intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tremendous progress has been made over the past three decades in the fight against the HIV epidemic; however, children experienced substantial physical and psychosocial effects of HIV infection. To inform services and policy development, we analyzed research growth and current trends in studies on children with HIV/AIDS. A total of 17,598 research papers and reviews in English, which were published on Web of Science, were downloaded. VOSviewer was used to generate an author keyword cooccurrence network and a network illustrating the connection among countries by shared coauthorships. Exploratory factor analysis was employed to identify research domains emerging from the abstracts' contents. The number of papers and their impacts had grown significantly in the past decade. The majority of study settings were in African countries. Research topics related to HIV in children were robust in areas of prevention of mother-to-child transmission and HIV and comorbidities treatments. Although psychosocial and behavioral disorders were recognized in previous studies, the number of interventions in these fields is still limited or not sustained. This study presents the global research trends and interests, points out research gaps of available publications and suggests several implications for services and intervention programs for children infected with HIV/AIDS. While preventions of mother-to-child transmission have been extensively studied, more efforts should be made to fulfill the lack of research on young people who are at risk of being infected or who are already infected with HIV. System thinking approach is needed in the design and implementation of future studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents an introduction to the 2003 issue of the "Children & Society" journal. Leading researchers and policy advisors in the children's field have been invited to assess how well the government of Great Britain is doing in reaching their objectives and to what extent services for children and young people have improved. The papers in this issue reflect some of the tensions and ambiguities within government policy. Whereas there is no shortage of activities, it is still too early to assess the effectiveness of much of what has been put in place. The reduction and eventual elimination of child poverty is perhaps the government's over-riding commitment and Jonathan Bradshaw's paper assesses trends in child poverty in Great Britain over the last 25 years. Health and well-being are a central component of the social inclusion in the agenda. The paper of Zarrina Kurtz outlines the impact that the government policies may have on outcomes for the physical and mental health of children but acknowledges that it is difficult to assess changes in health status as it relies heavily on proxy measures. The national child care strategy, with its emphasis on enabling parents to return to work, is also central to the government's anti-poverty strategy. Gillian Pugh considers what progress has been made towards a coherent policy for children under eight and concludes that much has been achieved through additional funding leading to an expansion of services and through a more integrated approach to planning and providing services across the statutory, voluntary and independent sectors.

In response to Nicola Hoskins-Murphy's paper, I wonder about the limitations of and contradictions embedded in the formulation of a maternal that requires foreclosure of a longed-for emergence of self and endless sacrifice in service of meeting the child's needs, and I offer a framework for a meta-examination of the structures – mythological, psychoanalytic, political, historical, and economic – that shape such maternal formulations. I examine the sense of threat that circulates in the paper around the desire for and fear of this "emergence" and wonder how a greater awareness of the social dimension the mothers and their sons are situated in might help shift its presence. I argue that there are unique new challenges to maternal subjectivity posed by children in later adolescence and in the transition to young adulthood which need further theorization in general, and suggest that feminist critical voices can support emergence that deviates from and coexists with nurturance of children, especially but not only in this developmental period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Eating disorders are among the most serious mental health problems affecting children and young people and without appropriate treatment often have a protracted course with high levels of morbidity and mortality. While considerable progress has been made in recent years in developing effective evidence-based outpatient treatments, these are not always readily available. In England, until recently, the usual care pathway for young people with an eating disorder was referral from primary care to local generic Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services with varying levels of expertise in eating disorders and a mix of outpatient treatments available. Poor treatment progress or physical deterioration would usually result in inpatient admission. Admission rates were high, with children and young people with an eating disorder accounting for nearly a quarter of all child and adolescent psychiatric hospital admissions. Inpatient treatment is costly and has high relapse rates with some evidence that it may contribute to poorer long-term outcomes in eating disorders. Accumulating clinical and research evidence that early expert outpatient treatment can significantly reduce the need for inpatient care indicates,+ that investing in dedicated community-based eating disorders services is likely to be both clinically and economically beneficial. Overview of paper: This paper describes a large-scale transformation programme following a major government investment (initially £30 million/year, since then increased to over £50 million/year) aimed at service level change in the provision of eating disorder services for children and adolescents in England. We describe the history, background, political context, and clinical and research evidence that contributed to the government's decision to invest in eating disorders. We also provide a brief account of the implementation of an England-wide whole team training to support the creation of a network of over 70 dedicated community-based eating disorders services for children and young people. Plain English summary: Eating disorders are among the most serious mental health problems affecting children and young people. There has been accumulating clinical and research evidence that early expert outpatient treatment is effective and can also significantly reduce the need for costly inpatient care, indicating that investing in community-based eating disorder services is likely to be both clinically and economically beneficial. This paper describes a large-scale service transformation programme following a major government investment (initially £30 million/year, since then increased to over £50 million/year) aimed at service level change in the provision of eating disorder services for children and adolescents in England. We describe the history, background, political context, and clinical and research evidence that contributed to the government's decision to invest in new services for eating disorders. We also provide a brief account of the implementation of an England-wide whole team training to support the creation of a network of over 70 dedicated community eating disorders services for children and young people. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of REMIE - Multidisciplinary Journal of Educational Research is the property of Hipatia Press and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The article "The Preschool Blind Child Project of the University of Chicago Medical Clinics," published in the March 1953 issue of the journal "Exceptional Children" is presented.

In the era of artificial intelligence, children's service robots will surely become one of the conventional hardware. This paper combines artificial intelligence technology and the space algorithm to design the child service robot system, improves the situational space perception algorithm, and applies the algorithm to the robot system. Moreover, this paper constructs the system structure of the children's service robot according to the actual needs and obtains the system function modules. In addition, this paper constructs a child service robot based on context perception and verifies the performance of the robot system. Finally, this paper combines the simulation experiment to carry out the interactive effect of the robot system and the service effect to children and investigates the satisfaction of parents. Through experimental research, it can be seen that the child service robot system based on situational awareness constructed in this paper has good service effects, can effectively take care of children, and has high parent satisfaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of International Journal of Early Childhood is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Introduction: Traumatic dental injuries (TDIs) commonly affect children and adolescents and are associated with pain, disfigurement, and psychological trauma to the victim. Crown fractures are the most prevalent dental injuries in permanent dentition, comprising up to 76% of TDIs. Management of such injuries depends on several factors, including the extent and pattern of fracture, restorability of tooth, presence/absence of tooth fragment, esthetics, and prognosis. The International Association of Dental Traumatology (IADT) recommends fragment reattachment as the treatment of choice in crown fractures if the fragment is available. Case Report: This paper presents a series of cases of crown fractures that were managed by fragment reattachment using the IADT protocols. Two of them were complicated crown fractures that were endodontically treated, and one case was an uncomplicated crown fracture that was managed by indirect pulp therapy. The fragment reattachment method used in all the cases was simple reattachment. The cases had variable extraoral dry time ranging from few hours to few days. Two of the cases showed successful outcomes at 6 months and 1 at 12 months follow-up. Clinical Significance: The fragment reattachment is always shadowed by unpredictability with greater chances of dislodgment. However, the IADT protocols and attention to the critical aspects such as rehydration, materials, and clinical conditions can result in successful outcomes as demonstrated in this case series. It is a great service to the injured child where pediatric dentists are able to re-attach a lost body tissue and restore victim's self-esteem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 1960s and early '70s were a time of social upheaval and reconciliation of ideals and realities. The Freedom to Read Foundation, Intellectual Freedom Newsletter, and Social Responsibilities Round Table were born in this time, as were countless seminal cases of speech freedom spearheaded by the actions of librarians. Joan Bodger, a children's services consultant for the Missouri State Library in 1969, would be at the center of one of these cases. Bodger would submit a letter to the editor, signed as a state library employee, supporting an alternative paper censored on the University of Missouri's campus. The turmoil that followed would ultimately find her fired. An analysis of the events surrounding this incident provide a unique view of the public and professional conflict over intellectual freedom, and how it was catalyzed by Bodger's actions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reflects on the foundational years of Save the Children, one of the oldest and largest Western humanitarian agencies and a mainstay of the humanitarian project. In doing so, it considers how and why, at an early stage, the organisation depoliticised its activities, centring its narrative on the innocent, pre-political child-the image of unsullied humanity. In addition, it seeks to recover the internationalist vision of Save the Children's 'forgotten founder', Dorothy Buxton. Save the Children's turn to non-politics is indicative of the broader depoliticisation of Western humanitarian action. Given the intensely contested spaces in which Western humanitarian non-governmental organisations (NGOs) operate, these entities cannot escape politics. This paper argues that Buxton's efforts to build an international solidarity network through humanitarian action after the end of the First World War in 1918 provide an instructive basis on which these NGOs can pursue a politics of solidarity in the present day. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper describes a three-pronged solution for the complex problem of improvement of the deficient U.S. trauma-informed child welfare system. Design: The paper design was structured by the professor's subheadings, requesting student's personal experience, research, valid resources, application to proposed solution, actual evidence-based solution, alternative solutions not chosen, assumptions, barriers, feasibility of solution, and social reaction to change over time. Findings: The findings delineate a threepronged approach. These are (a) establishment of trauma-informed parenting curricula in schools, (b) improved intake into child welfare system, and (c) alternative to initial police intervention. Research limitations/implications: Limitations include adequate funding allocations by states and the federal government, disparate sex education laws and curricula in schools, objections by state legislators, and possible lack of support by current staff in the child welfare system. Practical implications: Implementation of the solution would substantially decrease the suffering of children in the child welfare system, help them deal with their traumas, and enable them to obtain the mental health services necessary. Social implications: The solution would demonstrate that the state and federal governments are humanizing the child welfare system and moving from a punitive to rehabilitative framework. The solution would also decrease the school-to-prison and foster-care-to-prison pipelines. Originality/Value: This solution to a complex problem pinpoints the major problems in the child welfare system. The description provides an extensive approach to the most important aspects of the child welfare system for greater trauma-informed improvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we present a descriptive case study of the Mobeybou materials, a kit of tangible and digital tools aimed at offering young children opportunities to read, create and share intercultural stories. The tools comprise a set of story apps that present interactive, multimodal and intercultural stories for children to make meanings with, a digital manipulative (DM) and a storyMaker (a digital replication of the DM) that offer the possibility for embodied, collaborative and creative construction of stories by the children themselves. After presenting the materials, we describe how they evolved as an interface of convergence of several complementary theories. By doing this, our major intention is to contribute to the understanding that the design of tools and technologies aimed at creating meaningful and inclusive opportunities for digital story telling in troubled times is a complex, demanding endeavour, but can also be a powerful tool to address the complexities of the troubled times we are living in. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is an increasing tendency in the field to develop partnerships between schools and mental health (MH) clinics to address the MH needs of children in schools. Such initiatives are particularly important in providing services to children who attend underfunded and understaffed schools in underserved communities. These initiatives face several challenges that can interfere with the delivery of services. The present paper presents the challenges the Derner Hempstead Child Clinic clinic has faced in providing MH services to the children and families in the town of Hempstead, and in striving to become a source of support to the community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Children and young people's (CYP) mental health is a major public health concern internationally and the recent Covid-19 pandemic has amplified these concerns. However, only a minority of CYP receive support from mental health services due to the attitudinal and structural barriers they and their families encounter. For over 20 years, report after report has consistently highlighted the shortcomings of mental health services for CYP in the United Kingdom and attempts to improve services have been largely unsuccessful. The findings reported in this paper are from a multi-stage study that aimed to develop a model of effective, high-quality service design for CYP experiencing common mental health problems. The aim of the stage reported here was to identify CYP's, parents' and service providers' perceptions of the effectiveness, acceptability and accessibility of services. Methods: Case studies were conducted of nine different services for CYP with common mental health problems in England and Wales. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews with 41 young people, 26 parents and 41 practitioners and were analysed using the Framework approach. Patient and Public Involvement was integrated throughout the study with a group of young co-researchers participating in data collection and analysis. Results: Four key themes defined participants' perceptions of service effectiveness, acceptability and accessibility. Firstly, open access to support with participants highlighting the importance of self-referral, support at the point of need and service availability to CYP/parents. Secondly, the development of therapeutic relationships to promote service engagement which was based on assessment of practitioner's personal qualities, interpersonal skills and mental health expertise and underpinned by relational continuity. Thirdly, personalisation was viewed as promoting service appropriateness and effectiveness by ensuring support was tailored to the individual. Fourthly, the development of self-care skills and mental health literacy helped CYP/parents manage and improve their/their child's mental health problems. Conclusions: This study contributes to knowledge by identifying four components that are perceived to be central to providing effective, acceptable and accessible mental health services for CYP with common mental health problems irrespective of service model or provider. These components could be used as the foundations for designing and improving services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is an extensive history of collaboration with respect to policy initiatives between the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) and the Division for Early Childhood (DEC) of the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC). In pursuit of promoting high quality inclusive education for all young children, DEC and NAEYC have partnered to create numerous resources and supports over the years for preservice preparation programs and professional development providers who seek to address both ECE and EI/ECSE personnel preparation standards. One notable result has been the development of formal procedures for alignments of the preparation standards promoted by these organizations. In this paper, we detail this established tradition of early childhood standards alignment analysis by describing the development and details of the procedures used for conducting alignment analyses. These procedures are now precedent and provide a roadmap for future alignment analyses. Implications for personnel preparation and future alignment analysis and standards development are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Child domestic work (CDW) is often depicted as a poverty-induced and ignorance-manufactured problem requiring urgent attention. Thus, the dominant policies in this regard have often advocated addressing the factors pushing children into domestic service while little or nothing is done about factors beyond the sending households or the structures within which the work is done. This article examines factors influencing employers' choices, and the context in which child domestic work occurs in South-West Nigeria to highlight the shortcomings of the existing explanations and strategies of addressing child domestic work. The paper contends that individual choices in child domestic work are predicated on an informal support system that thrives in the context of deficiencies in infrastructures and state welfare provision. It concludes by calling for appropriate policies to address these areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Pedagogía Social is the property of Pedagogia Social and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Background: In the English NHS, integrated care is seen as an opportunity to deliver joined-up care for children and families. This paper examines the lessons learnt by professional stakeholders in the process of developing different examples of integrated models of care/frameworks for children's services. Methods: Initial desk research was undertaken to identify different examples of integrated care models and systems/frameworks for children's services. This identified forty-three examples in England. Of these, twelve examples were shortlisted after consultation with the senior managers within the Health and Care Partnership that had commissioned the research, and a more detailed online search for published documents was undertaken. Semi-structured qualitative interviews were then conducted with sixteen professional stakeholders in eight of these examples, ranging from one to four interviewees per example. Interviews focused on the lessons learnt from integrating and transforming services. Data were analysed using framework analysis. Results: The eight examples vary in their design but have several broad commonalities. A number of common themes and learning have emerged, of which two were identified within all eight examples: the first is about focusing on children and young people; the second is about focusing on partner engagement and collaboration and the importance of building trust and relationships between partners. A number of other important themes also emerged together with several challenges. Conclusions: A number of common factors were identified that are essential to success in integrating health and care systems. Common across all localities were being child-centric and focusing on child outcomes plus the importance of building trust, engagement and relationships with partners. The findings can help health and care system leaders transform services to ensure efficiency, improvement in services and integration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The paper aims to explore the barriers to father involvement in family social work at the personal, cultural, and structural levels, and their interconnectedness to answer the main research question of how gendered constructions of mothers and fathers in social work affect the involvement of fathers in interventions. Background: This paper contributes to debates about fathers in social work by examining gendered constructions of fathers in social services for families with children in the Czech Republic. The problem is viewed from the perspective of social constructionism, anti-oppressive practice, and the whole family approach. Method: To meet the objective, we used a qualitative research strategy. 44 in-depth interviews with social workers, mothers, and fathers were carried out. After that, three focus groups with 21 social workers were formed. Results: The results show that mothers and fathers are treated differently in social work, and femininity and masculinity are perceived as dichotomous opposites. This hinders fathers' involvement in family services and puts responsibility for solving family problems to mothers. Conclusion: Most of these barriers at the micro- and mezzo-levels are in some way related to system barriers at the macro-level, which are often shaped by gender discourses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this paper is to examine similarities and differences in recent English and U.S. initiatives which impact the residential child care sector. The English section summarizes the catalysts for and findings of recent enquiries, and presents a skeletal outline of one particular innovative program from North Yorkshire (an English public child welfare agency) - No Wrong Door (NWD) (Lusheyet al., 2017; Rees et al., 2017) which has attracted a good deal of attention nationally and internationally from government and voluntary service bodies searching for a way forward to locate a renewed residential care component in an overall service array. The U.S. section summarizes the import of recent federal legislation, the Family First Prevention Services Act (FFPSA) (Kelly, 2018) and a key state initiative Residentially-Based Services (RBS) (McDowellet. al., 2014) in California which shares many of the goals of the federal initiative and is already underway in key agencies undertaking program re-design efforts across the state. The final section of the paper summarizes key take-away messages and highlights implications for future cross-national collaboration in policy and program development, as well as research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An introduction is presented that discusses issue articles on topics including integrated early years services (IEYS), integrated services for young children and families in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, and integrated services for young children in Turkey.

Objectives: The therapeutic alliance (TA) has been shown to be a predictor of psychotherapy treatment success. In the case of psychotherapy with children, there is a dearth of information on TA's role. The aims of the paper are: (1) To estimate the therapist effects on children TA; (2) to investigate if therapists' TA predicts children's TA; (3) to analyze if children's age and sex predict children's TA; (4) to evaluate if the therapist's characteristics predict children's TA. Methods: The sample consisted of 77 children undergoing psychotherapy in Argentina, and the therapists (N = 29) providing services to those children. The assessment tools utilized for the study included the Therapy Alliance Scale for Children and the Personal Style of the Therapist Questionnaire (PST‐Q). Results: Findings indicated that 2% of the children's TA was explained by the therapists (ICC = 0.02), while 17% of the therapists' TA was explained by the therapists (ICC = 0.17). Therapists' TA predicted children's TA. Children's age and sex did not have an effect on their own TA. Moreover, therapists with more experience achieved higher scores of children's TA. Finally, the Operative dimension of the PST had a negative effect on children's TA (i.e., therapists who prefer more spontaneous interventions over structured ones may experience higher levels of therapeutic alliance with child patients). Conclusion: We found a positive effect of the therapist's TA on children's TA, especially in the preference for using more spontaneous intervention techniques. We discuss the implications of the findings on the training of psychotherapists who provide services to children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Foster care is a preferred alternative to residential care due to the importance of the family environment for the physical, emotional and intellectual development of the child. This enables the development of a sense of security and belonging. The paper presents an analysis of the development process of the maternal assistance network at the level of Constanta County, with emphasis on reducing the number of institutionalized children and ensuring the human resource necessary for the placement of children separated from their birth family, having consequence in optimizing and increasing the quality of services addressed to children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: To date services for children with Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) have not been informed by the perspective of children with DCD. This study aimed to synthesise the findings of discrete qualitative studies reporting the lived experiences views and preferences of children and young with DCD using a meta-ethnographic approach to develop new conceptual understandings. Methods: A systematic search of ten databases; Academic Search Complete, AMED, CINAHL, ERIC, MEDLINE, PsychArticles, PsychInfo, EMBASE, SPORTDiscus, and Web of Science, was conducted between March and April 2019, and updated in early June 2020. Meta-ethnography, following the method described by Noblit and Hare was used to synthesise included studies. The Joanna Briggs Institute Checklist was used to appraise all included papers. PROSPERO registration number CRD42019129178. Results: Fifteen studies met the inclusion criteria. Meta-ethnographic synthesis produced three themes; a) 'It's harder than it should be': Navigating daily activities b) Fitting in, and c) 'So what? I drop things': Strategies and supports to mitigate challenges. Children with DCD describe a mismatch between their abilities and performance norms for daily activities that led to a cascade of negative consequences including negative self-appraisal, bullying and exclusion. In the face of these difficulties children described creative and successful strategies they enacted and supports they accessed including; assistance from others (parents, friends and teachers), focusing on their strengths and talents, accepting and embracing their difference, adopting a "just do it" attitude, setting personal goals, self-exclusion from some social activities, using humour or sarcasm, viewing performance expectations as a social construct, and enjoying friendships as a forum for fun, acceptance and protection against exclusion. Conclusion: Service provision for children and young people with DCD should address the social and attitudinal environments, focus on friendship and social inclusion and address stigma-based bullying particularly within the school environment. Furthermore, practitioners should identify and foster children's own strategies for navigating daily life activities with DCD. The identified themes resonate with contemporary disability theory and the International Classification of Functioning. The social and attitudinal environmental context of children and young people with DCD profoundly influences their experiences. Future intervention development and service provision for children and young people with DCD should consider opportunities to address social and attitudinal environmental factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Children's life chances remain unequal with vulnerable children caught in a cycle of poverty and crime. In this article, Margaret Hodge, Minister of State for Children, outlines how the reforms proposals in the Children's Green Paper will help to protect vulnerable children and enable them to lead fulfilled lives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This comparative study explores how policy enables and constrains collaborative leadership in two very different policy fields in welfare and environmental domains. It adopts a policy studies lens to understand how over the long-term policy content structures the environment for collaborative working, leverages joint action, authorises sources of leadership and delineates roles and responsibilities. The authors argue that policy is not simply a context for collaborative leadership in the public domain, but rather a source of leadership itself as it sets direction for collaborative working, establishes the boundaries of power-sharing, and consequently limits what it is possible for actors to achieve. The paper highlights the value of research at the intersection of policy and public management studies, and urges public managers and policy-makers seeking to develop collaborative leadership to attend to the historical development and breadth of a policy field, rather than simply the latest policy announcements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Analyzing the situation in Dhaka, Bangladesh before the national election of 2014, this paper explores the consequences of political hostility on street-connected children using qualitative methods such as focus group discussions and in-depth interviews. Findings show that the children were affected by political violence, both as victims and perpetrators, which harmed them, both physically and mentally. Active participation of children was found in hostile political events. The paper ascertains that maintaining a good relationship with the adult world is crucial for the street-connected children’s day-to-day survival. However, this survival mechanism with the adult world in turn makes them vulnerable and forced them to act as miscreants to instigate violence during the hartals (strikes) and blockades of 2014. This study examines how street-connected children are exploited via their social networks during the times of political unrest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The child-friendly city advocates for children's ‘right to the city’. Much of this advocacy focuses on the independent child, with little attention paid to the accompanied experiences of younger children, such as those travelling in prams. This paper draws on a material feminist perspective to help address this gap. We offer the concept of mother-child-pram assemblage to bring to the fore the corporeal dimensions of everyday pram journeys. By analysing sensory ethnographic materials collected with mothers and young children living in Wollongong, Australia, this paper highlights how the ‘affective affordances’ and ‘affective atmospheres’ of pram mobilities shape urban experience by reference to how motherhood and childhood are achieved on-the-move. We conclude with policy-relevant insights for the child-friendly city. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper argues for reconceptualising how children use technology ‘outdoors’ as a technology-nonhuman-child assemblage, or roaming pathway. Founded in contemporary fears about children’s reduced opportunities to access nature and roam in rural environments, in part due to the ubiquitous presence of technology in their lives, we instead illustrate how the agencies of technologies and plants are folded into children’s outdoor roaming. Combining visual methods, video analysis and qualitative geovisualisation, and in collaboration with the Brecon Beacons National Park Authority, this paper exposes how assemblages are contingently brought into being through the actions of what technologies, plants and children do together. We demonstrate how the agentic capacities of non-humans and technologies are assembled through children’s imaginative interaction with them, and how these imaginative interactions make such agencies visible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This reflective paper was inspired by the SJRCC special edition on history. The paper focusses on the experiences of the authors as residential child care workers in the 1970s, 80s and 90s in Scotland. Having worked together in two different group care settings, they used their own experiences and relationship to reflect on the 'Now and Then' -- what felt right and what has changed. The authors acknowledge that some aspects of care have improved, particularly in the areas of qualifications and safeguarding. However, they also conclude that the need for warm and genuine care still exists and can be even more of a challenge to provide than it was in the past. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Signs of Safety is a strengths-based approach to work with children and families where there are concerns about abuse or neglect. Signs of Safety is widely used in the UK and internationally, and there is a growing range of empirical research exploring its use within statutory children's social work. However, there is little research exploring how, and to what effect, Signs of Safety is being used by other childcare professionals. This paper reports on an independent evaluation of the use of Signs of Safety by an early help agency in the South West of England. At time of evaluation, the agency was commissioned by the local authority to support children and families with multiple and complex needs who did not meet the threshold for statutory children's social care involvement. The study was multiple methods with two strands. To better understand the work that the agency did, data were collected from case files, to develop a profile of families engaging with the agency. Interviews were undertaken with five practitioners about their experiences of using Signs of Safety. Saliency analysis was used to explore the qualitative data. Overall practitioners felt that Signs of Safety was accessible, supported clear communication with children and families and aided critical reflection. However, existing tensions—relating to statutory threshold decisions and multi-agency relationships—were reflected and magnified via the Signs of Safety tools. The implications of these findings are discussed, providing original insights about an issue highly relevant to national and international audiences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]