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The L.I.F.E. Model (Living In Family Environment), is a model that attempts to create familial relationships, consistent living circumstances, and social/educational support systems necessary to move towards independent adulthood for orphaned and vulnerable children (OVC). In addition, the model addresses multiple losses, grief and related issues by employing attachment and trauma-based understandings to child rearing, while using positive psychology tools to encourage resilience and developmental growth. In the last 19 years, Udayan Care (located in New Delhi, India) through the Udayan Ghars Programme and Aftercare Services, has employed an evolved L.I.F.E. model for the children it cares for (Modi, Nayar-Akhtar, Gupta, & Karmakar, 2014). The model includes a family-like regulated support system, with long-term mentors who are set in place to help the children transition from institutional care to independent living. Typically, this takes place with the children moving out of the Sunshine Children's Homes into semi-regulated Aftercare services and then from Aftercare into the larger world. Given the normative transitions for all young persons, finding ways to effectively support institutionalised children as they transition to independent living is critical. In addition to the normative challenges, undoubtedly, institutionalised children come with a history of trauma and abandonment and often have long-term psychological difficulties that are unique to their population. Many such children end up in childcare institutions as there may be no extended family available, and the options for alternative care settings are severely limited. To understand the developmental trajectories of these children, Udayan Care has been participating in longitudinal research to describe the current and on-going changes in children's trauma, attachment, self-concept and ego-resiliency. This work has provided baseline information on the level and effectiveness of the programmes implemented at Udayan Care, and recommends future directions for addressing the children's needs. This paper explores the needs of institutionalised children as addressed by the Udayan Care Model. Such children have histories of severe neglect and need intensive efforts directed towards addressing attachment issues, affect dysregulation, behavioural difficulties, social skills, education and life skills training. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the autumn 2023 issue of the Publisher. Topics include the impact of conflicts in Ukraine, Sudan, and the Middle East on children; a report on the views of the children's services workforce in Scotland; and the publication of Volume 2 of the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry's findings on the child migration scheme.

In this article, I analyze the care dynamics in children's homes as seen through the eyes of adult care leavers who grew up in state care in Hungary in the 1970s and 1980s. What is striking in the narrative interviews is the marked absence of anecdotes about staff and indeed the children's home itself. Instead incidents in school, at home, or in the wider community are recalled. I contrast the easily-recounted slaps handed out by teachers to the narrative gap of the children's home and suggest that the "nothingness" of the children's home in terms of depersonalized care contributed to the feeling for some residents of the children's home as a "panic room." Not tied into strong relationships, abusive or otherwise, children felt vulnerable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Victims and perpetrators of child abuse do not typically self-report to child protection services, therefore responsibility of detection and reporting falls on the others. Knowledge on child protection is essential for the first contact person and such information is sparse in research literature originally coming from Sri Lanka. Anecdotally, several cases of child abuse have been missed out at the first contact level. Therefore we undertook this survey to assess the knowledge, attitudes towards child protection and the experiences of medical officers, nursing officers and social workers on child protection.Method: This was a descriptive analytical study carried out in hospitals and the community during March-October 2016. An anonymous content validated self-administered questionnaire was used as the study instrument. Knowledge, Attitude, Practices and Behaviour were assessed via multiple choice questions and responses according to Likert score. Three anonymised case records were given as case vignettes to be studied by the participants and their responses were also recorded on the questionnaire.Results: Among the 246 responders 156 (63.4%) were doctors. All groups of professionals identified the forms of child abuse correctly and the social indicators of child abuse was correctly identified in 152 (61.7%). Majority failed to identify the features of the perpetrator. Majority of the professionals showed a favourable response in attitude when dealing with child maltreatment. 153 (62%) had suspected child abuse in their career and 64% of them had reported it to the authority. Fifty two (21%) had attended a training workshop on child abuse and 65.8% of the responders were not satisfied with their knowledge. 229(93%) of them indicated that they wanted some form of education on child maltreatment. The Knowledge, Attitude and Behaviour towards child abuse were significantly good on people with experience in the field of Paediatrics and Judicial Medical work, when compared to those who did not have the experience in these two fields. (p value< 0.01).Conclusion: Although the knowledge among health professionals regarding child abuse and care was satisfactory, further areas need reinforcement. The attitude was more positive, the behavior and practices on child maltreatment needed reinforcement via workshops and continuing medical education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]