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Child welfare decisions have life-impacting consequences which, often times, are underpinned by limited or inadequate data and poor quality. Though research of data quality has gained popularity and made advancements in various practical areas, it has not made significant inroads for child welfare fields or data systems. Poor data quality can hinder service decision-making, impacting child behavioral health and well-being as well as increasing unnecessary expenditure of time and resources. Poor data quality can also undermine the validity of research and slow policymaking processes. The purpose of this commentary is to summarize the data quality research base in other fields, describe obstacles and uniqueness to improve data quality in child welfare, and propose necessary steps to scientific research and practical implementation that enables researchers and practitioners to improve the quality of child welfare services based on the enhanced quality of data., (© 2023. National Council for Mental Wellbeing.)

While there is a substantial body of leaving care research, the theorization of care leaving has been more limited. Only a few studies have incorporated a life course perspective, mainly in Global North contexts where life course perspectives may differ significantly from those in the Global South, including Africa. Drawing on findings from a feasibility research study, this paper contributes to the emerging international literature on theorizing care leaving by applying a life course perspective to the experiences of youth leaving care in four African countries. The paper highlights how life course can be a useful conceptual framework for understanding the experiences of care leavers with an emphasis on four core concepts: biography, linked lives, waithood, and agency. Implications for policy and practice are outlined with a focus on interdependence, participatory practice, biography, and cultural transition planning alongside efforts to redress systemic, oppressive barriers facing care leavers in society.

Over the last three quarters of a century, international guidelines and regulations have undergone significant changes in how children are problematised as participants in biomedical research. While early guidelines enacted children as vulnerable subjects with diminished autonomy and in need of special protection, beginning in the early 2000s, international regulatory frameworks defined the paediatric population as vulnerable due to unaddressed public health needs. More recently, ethical recommendations have promoted the active engagement of minors as research partners. In this paper, I adopt a post-structuralist approach to policy analysis to examine deep-seated assumptions and presuppositions underlying the changes in the problematisation of children as biomedical research participants over time. While biomedical research ethics focuses on the autonomy and vulnerability of minors, ethical guidelines are situated in specific sociocultural contexts, shaped, among other things, by contingent public health needs and changing conceptions of the value of research and science for society. In the process, I demonstrate the challenge of moving away from an approach that in taking adults as the model overshadows the complexity of children's lived experiences as well as their personal, cultural, and social lives. The lack of acknowledgement of this complexity makes children vulnerable to epistemic injustice, which is particularly crucial to address in public involvement initiatives.

The promotion of social and emotional well-being and positive mental-health has become a key focus for governments across the world, with schools seen as prime locations to facilitate improvements in these areas for children. In response, schools have implemented a wide-ranging package of support designed to target well-being and mental health, including 'Social and Emotional Learning' (SEL). Although research points to complexities with the implementation of SEL, little is known about the influences behind how it is interpreted by schools and their staff. This paper, drawing on data from 24 individual interviews and ten focus groups with staff members working across primary schools located in North West England, offers insights into this research gap. The main finding of the study is that individual staff members framed, enacted and valued social, emotional and behavioural work in response to their own roles and working environment, and that schools utilised SEL in light of their own specific needs and priorities. Main conclusions for policy and practice are that 'emotions' should be prioritised as the basis of schooling to establish and maintain an ethos where SEL is valued and utilised effectively.

Since the year 2000, most parents have emigrated en masse due to a deepening socio-political and economic crisis in Zimbabwe, leaving their school-going children in the country. This paper assesses the experiences and challenges faced by these Left-Behind Learners (LBL), and ascertain the challenges faced by teachers in meeting the needs of these learners through inclusive education. The study followed a qualitative research approach with data collected at two high schools in Harare using in-depth interviews and focus group discussions. The results of the study indicate that LBL faced numerous challenges: excessive household chores, lack of help from guardians, inadequate representation at school meetings, and non-payment of school expenses. Teachers in the sample were not aware of the vulnerability of LBL, and were inadequately equipped to deal with this 'new' vulnerability. The study recommends the crafting of an inclusive education policy for the country so that new vulnerabilities are holistically dealt with, and that teachers be trained in inclusive education methodologies.

This article suggests that there exists a dichotomy within social work related to listening to the voice of the child, contributing to a diminution of social works practical, ethical and legal obligation to enact Article12 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC). The article gives an in-depth exploration of this phenomenon and offers insights as to why this dichotomy exists, arguing that if social work is to realise its obligation to listen to the voice of the child, it must find solutions that accommodate the professions responsibilities to listen to children. One such solution is offered within the paper that may assist social work resolve its problematic relationship with Article12. An adapted model of Honneth's recognition theory is offered as a unique theoretical and practical method to help social work accommodate its duty to safeguard children whilst simultaneously listening to their wishes and feelings at individual, State and societal level. The theory can be used to critique current practice, offering social workers a template to build participatory practices, based on the equal recognition of children's citizenship and agency. Honneth's theory can be used to evaluate how well new participatory practices satisfy the criteria of love, rights and solidarity. By accepting Honneth's theory of recognition, social work can begin to make progress addressing the practice dichotomy concerning participation aspiration and reality. The article offers an innovative and unique contribution to the literature on children's participation by adapting Honneth's recognition theory and applying it exclusively to the participation rights of children known to social services, offering novel ways social workers can enable this group of children to lay claim to their right to participate.

This paper explores modes of expectation among care-experienced young people when navigating educational success. Luhmann's theoretical framework is used to conceptualise experiences of educational success and the role of uncertainty. We identify three modes of expectation: trust, risk and danger. To illustrate these modes, we draw on selected examples from an interview study with 28 care-experienced young people focusing on their experiences of support and aftercare while transitioning out of care. The trust mode of expectation is based in a confidence that the future entails a positive outcome--in the case of this study, regarding educational success. This expectation is characterised by the young person's feelings of belonging, underpinned by a safety net of unconditionally supportive caregivers. The risk mode of expectation is characterised by the young person's feeling of being overwhelmed and burdened by the complexity of the educational system in combination with unknown future circumstances when leaving care. The battle against child welfare services to keep supportive measures increases levels of uncertainty. The danger mode of expectation emerges when educational success is disrupted by the interference of child welfare services. The system is seen as unpredictable and powerful, making the young person withdraw from formal support. We conclude that educational success for care-experienced young people is closely linked to their mode of expectation with regard to managing the uncertainty of the future and that their mode is highly dependent on their social, institutional and biographical contexts.

Post-secondary educational outcomes for care-experienced youth are poor. This has been a consistent finding across studies in many countries. Most studies do not distinguish between different types of post-secondary educational pathways and outcomes, however. There has been limited attention to the potential for post-secondary vocational education (PSVE) as a viable educational path that may lead to positive employment and social outcomes. In this paper we examine PSVE for care leavers by reviewing available data, examining policy context and utilising relevant theories. We offer next steps in policy, practice and theory development.

In this paper, we explore the critical praxis approach of an equity initiative with students who have left care. We contend that 'praxis' ("International Studies in Widening Participation," 2018, 5: 10-20) -- understood here as the close, dialogic and iterative relationship between research and practice, can be a powerful tool for approaching ordinarily rigid equity categorisations as a means for interrogating their conceptual efficacy while simultaneously creating more exploratory approaches to equity populations and initiatives. We examine how unproblematised notions of care leavers migrate between fields and institutions, arguing for a more robust and rigorous interrogation of the salience of the concept of a care leaver as it is integrated into the field of higher education. We contend that rigid definitions of care that narrowly define people only through their relationship to formalised state-legitimated forms of welfare intervention risk making 'absent' ("Epistemologies of the south: Justice against Epistemicide," 2014; Routledge) the substantial population of people nearby this experience of care. This includes people who have escaped official definitions as policies change, circumstances that are similar or identical to people placed in care that have not been included in the official definition of care, or the overlapping and intersecting conditions of marginality that often shape the conditions for being removed into state care. Critical praxis is offered here as providing the basis for allowing the category of 'care leaver' or 'care experienced' to become an in-road for expanding practice initiatives and research understandings to further dimensions of marginalisation and social vulnerability.

Asylum has historically been a refuge for the persecuted. However, it now faces a fundamental antagonism between asylum and law, which often overlooks the rights of children seeking asylum. This paper explores the historical concept of asylum law from its inception in antiquity and the Roman era and its entanglements with the education of children. It also examines asylum's relevance to current conflicts over the educational rights of asylum-seeking children and how international conventions have neglected these rights. To contextualize the ambiguity of asylum and education, the paper presents a case study of Norway's reception of asylum-seeking children from the 1930s to the present day and how the Norwegian welfare system, which was founded on child rights protection, has struggled with the entry of unaccompanied asylum-seeking children. The paper concludes with reflections on the potential impact of education for these children, considering their encounters as temporary educational moments. This exploration focuses on clarifying historical strands, turning points, and threads rather than taking a subjective historical perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since all policies address problems, they necessarily include implicit or explicit constructions of these problems. This paper explores how child maltreatment has been constructed in New Zealand's child protection policies. It questions the underlying assumptions of this problem construction and seeks to shed light on what has been omitted. Utilizing a qualitative content analysis of eight key policy documents, this study reveals the construction of child maltreatment has been dominated primarily by a child-centric, risk-focused approach. This approach assigns blame and shifts responsibilities onto parents and families. In addition, the vulnerability discourse and social investment approach underpinning this perspective have allowed important structural factors, such as poverty and inequality, to remain unaddressed. This paper also highlights the one-dimensional focus on the lower social class to control future liabilities. We suggest that the harm inflicted by corporations on children's well-being is another form of child exploitation currently omitted from the problem construction. We suggest that child abuse should be defined and understood in policy as harm to children's well-being and argue that the state should prevent and mitigate harm by addressing structural forces of the problem as well as protecting children against corporate harms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Universal health visiting has been a cornerstone of preventative healthcare for children in the United Kingdom (UK) for over 100 years. In 2016, Scotland introduced a new Universal Health Visiting Pathway (UHVP), involving a greater number of contacts with a particular emphasis on the first year, visits within the home setting, and rigorous developmental assessment conducted by a qualified Health Visitor. To evaluate the UHVP, an outcome indicator framework was developed using routine administrative data. This paper sets out the development of these indicators. Methods: A logic model was produced with stakeholders to define the group of outcomes, before further refining and aligning of the measures through discussions with stakeholders and inspection of data. Power calculations were carried out and initial data described for the chosen indicators. Results: Eighteen indicators were selected across eight outcome areas: parental smoking, breastfeeding, immunisations, dental health, developmental concerns, obesity, accidents and injuries, and child protection interventions. Data quality was mixed. Coverage of reviews was high; over 90% of children received key reviews. Individual item completion was more variable: 92.2% had breastfeeding data at 6–8 weeks, whilst 63.2% had BMI recorded at 27–30 months. Prevalence also varied greatly, from 1.3% of children's names being on the Child Protection register for over six months by age three, to 93.6% having received all immunisations by age two. Conclusions: Home visiting services play a key role in ensuring children and families have the right support to enable the best start in life. As these programmes evolve, it is crucial to understand whether changes lead to improvements in child outcomes. This paper describes a set of indicators using routinely-collected data, lessening additional burden on participants, and reducing response bias which may be apparent in other forms of evaluation. Further research is needed to explore the transferability of this indicator framework to other settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While on paper Zimbabwe has a comprehensive child protection legal framework, the occurrence of child sexual abuse (CSA) is high. Drawing from findings of a qualitative study, a case study design, and a research population consisting of a forum of organizations providing CSA interventions: the Victim Friendly System, this paper presents how some cultural myths, cultural practices, cultural rites, and religious practices may contribute to CSA in Zimbabwe. Purposive sampling was used to select 38 professional working in the VFS, 4 key informants, 17 VFS monthly meeting minutes, and 300 court files of tried and sentenced CSA cases from Harare and Gokwe. CSA is a gross child and human rights violation that places some religions, myths, beliefs, and cultural practices at crossroads with social work principles. Various social work interventions are suggested as ways to navigate the paradox: shaped by cultural, traditional, religious, and mythical factors contributing to CSA and legal frameworks to address CSA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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 developers from Australian Universities and practitioners currently working in the Australian child protection service system. By capturing participants' professional insights, we aim to understand the embedded barriers to transforming child-centered systems by focusing on strengths and possibilities in current practices rather than reiterating deficiencies in recordkeeping. This paper reveals insights into how professionals working in the child protection system understand and are supported in child-centered case note recording and recordkeeping practices. It also identifies the possibilities for the crucial role that interdisciplinary collaboration and alignment between social work and recordkeeping informatics can play in transforming and supporting recordkeeping approaches and practices that prioritise and uphold the rights and dignity of the child. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Background: While child welfare scholarship has paid much attention to workforce well-being such as burnout, secondary traumatic stress (STS), and compassion satisfaction, few studies have investigated how these outcomes influence utilization of casework skills., Objectives: This study aimed to understand the relationship between child welfare workforce well-being and use of casework skills. Specifically, we examined associations between burnout, STS, and compassion satisfaction and casework skills including parent/youth engagement, safety and risk assessment/case planning, and relative/kin connections., Participants and Setting: Participants comprised 786 child welfare direct service workers and supervisors in a Midwestern state., Method: Using a repeated cross-sectional design, data were collected via online surveys. Multivariate regression tested relationships between measures of well-being and casework skills., Results: First, higher compassion satisfaction was positively associated (p = 0.000, f 2  = 0.14) while higher burnout (p = 0.000, f 2  = 0.04) and STS (p = 0.002, f 2  = 0.01) were negatively associated with use of engagement skills. Similarly, higher compassion satisfaction was positively associated (p = 0.000, f 2  = 0.18) and higher burnout (p = 0.000, f 2  = 0.06) and STS (p = 0.001, f 2  = 0.02) were negatively associated with use of assessment/case planning skills. Lastly, compassion satisfaction (p = 0.000, f 2  = 0.06) was positively associated and burnout was negatively associated (p = 0.000, f 2  = 0.02) with relative/kin connections., Conclusion: Child welfare workforce well-being may influence use of casework skills. More research is needed to understand how positive workforce well-being impacts service delivery and, ultimately, child and family outcomes., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose. This study was part of a grant funded by the Children's Bureau, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, under grant number 90-CO-1139. The paper's contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the Children's Bureau., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: Parental advocacy is an emerging area of research and policy interest in Wales and across the UK. Although there is little research in the UK context to date, international research has indicated that parental advocacy can improve the relationship between parent and professional in the field of child protection social work. This paper aims to ascertain how the implementation of a parental advocacy programme supports parents to play a meaningful role in decision-making when children's services are working with them and their families. Design/methodology/approach: This study used interviews, surveys and focus groups to obtain qualitative data from 18 parents, seven parent advocates, two advocacy managers and four social workers, to explore the potential impact of parental advocacy on decision-making. The study identified challenges in implementing parental advocacy, particularly relating to awareness of the service. Participants also discussed experiences of the child protection system and how parents are supported by advocates. Findings: Despite challenges surrounding implementation, initial findings were encouraging, and generated examples of how parental advocacy services have helped parents to understand children's services and develop relationships of trust with social care professionals. In doing so, this study identified potential mechanisms that may be useful to support future service delivery. Originality/value: This paper and research is novel as it explores parental advocacy within the Welsh context. Although there has been research conducted into parental advocacy, this has largely come from the USA. This research comes from the evaluation of an innovative and promising parental advocacy scheme in Wales. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transition-age youth with foster care involvement (TAY, ages 17–22) are at heightened risk for suicidal behavior. Despite this, mental health screenings are not standardized across child welfare (CW) systems and existing assessment tools are not designed for use with this specific population. As such, TAY are unlikely to be adequately screened for suicide risk and connected with needed services. In this paper, we sought to identify screening and assessment tools that could be effective for use with TAY in CW settings. Using PubMed and PsycINFO, we conducted a search of the current literature to identify some of the most commonly used screening and assessment tools for youth. We then narrowed our focus to those tools that met predefined inclusion criteria indicating appropriateness of use for TAY in CW settings. As a result of this process, we identified one brief screening tool (the ASQ) and four assessments (the SIQ-JR, the C-SSRS, the SHBQ, and the SPS) that demonstrated specific promise for use with TAY. The strengths and limitations of the tools are discussed in detail, as well as the ways that each could be used most effectively in CW settings. We highlight three key points intended to guide social work practice and policy: (1) systematic, routine assessment of mental health and suicide risk across CW settings is critical; (2) the protocol for assessing suicidal behavior in TAY must account for the wide variations in context and service provision; and (3) CW workers administering assessments must be thoughtfully trained on risk identification and the protocol implementation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the relationships between low‐income single mothers and their adolescent and early adult children utilizing qualitative interview and focus group data with youth from three Canadian cities. The research explored youth provisioning roles in these families. Provisioning, a concept widely understood in the global south, refers to labour used to sustain low‐income families and includes emotional labour, care work, trade and exchange and paid labour. Findings from this study identified strong expressions of positive attachment and close relationships between youth and their family members. The paper queries whether positive attachment may be built through roles where youth see themselves as integral parts of a family team and where their contributions are acknowledged. These findings invite us to explore and perhaps challenge the oft‐reported correlations between living in a low‐income, lone mother‐led family and poor childhood outcomes and poor attachment. Can these outcomes be mediated and can the provisioning roles youth undertake possibly be such mediators? [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the pivotal role of psycho-social support in bolstering the mental and spiritual well-being of migrant and refugee children. It highlights the necessity to shield these vulnerable groups from spiritual abuse within humanitarian efforts. Remarkably, an estimated 117 million people are currently displaced by conflict, violence, war, and natural disasters, and as of 2023, nearly half of them are under the age of 18. The call, therefore, for culturally sensitive, effective interventions is manifestly urgent. Our research underscores, in order to highlight, the significance of professionalizing faith-based and local faith actors to advocate for standards that mitigate the risks of religious exploitation and safeguard the children's spiritual identity, practices, and beliefs. We highlight the existing gaps in the literature and propose a framework for further research. Our focus is on the effectiveness of the Global Compact on Refugees and the impact of local versus global policies on the protection and well-being of migrant and refugee children. Our analysis extends to humanitarian agencies' and caregivers' best practices and prevention strategies. It further emphasizes the importance of safeguarding neutrality at all times and promoting community reintegration. Our findings call for a concerted effort to enhance professionalism among those working with refugees in humanitarian frameworks, prioritizing children's spiritual, mental, and physical well-being. This study seeks to contribute to the ongoing discourse on the rights of children on the move. It advocates for policies and practices that recognize their vulnerability and potential for resilience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes the findings and implications of interdisciplinary exploratory research conducted by social work and recordkeeping informatics researchers in Australia and the UK. It sought to identify the practices, systems, education and technologies that can foster rights-based, child-centred recordkeeping practices in child protection contexts, exploring the transformation and advocacy work that could be achieved in child protection case note recording and recordkeeping practices and systems through interdisciplinary collaborations. Drawing from qualitative interviews, focus groups and surveys with Social Work students, Social Work educators and practice educators, and with practitioners working in children’s social care (in England) and the child protection services system (in Australia), we identify how practitioners are prepared for keeping records that reflect children’s voices and experiences, and identify emerging best practices and persistent challenges. Focusing on the intersection of child rights, archival ethics, and participatory approaches, this paper adds to the discourse on critical archival studies concerning children and calls for an interdisciplinary approach to reimagine future possibilities for participatory and child-centred practice in which children are not just passive subjects but active collaborators in the recordkeeping process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The criminalization of abuse, neglect, and financial exploitation of older adults did not begin until the late 1990s in the United States. During this time, a number of states enacted laws criminalizing certain abusive and exploitive behaviors committed against older adults and added punishment enhancements to existing laws if victims were over a certain age. These laws and policies, and the impetus for them, mirrored those enacted decades prior as part of the child welfare movement, with connections drawn between the vulnerability of younger and older victims. Despite passage of these various abuse and exploitation laws for older adults, significant challenges remain in the identification, investigation, and prosecution of crimes committed against this population. Further, the population of older adults has been rapidly expanding along with rates of victimization, elevating the importance of this escalating social problem. This paper identifies limitations in the prior research by describing the past, present, and likely future of U.S. law and policy intended to effectively respond to crimes against older adults and concludes with a research and policy agenda. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Researchers conducting community-based action research (CBAR) become immersed in their field site, developing close relationships and enabling members of the community to pursue social action. We contribute a nuanced analysis of the impact of CBAR on those who participate in the method, particularly participants who live rurally. Situating this work in the history and prior methodological examinations of CBAR, we demonstrate the critical relationship between this research approach and the rural landscape. Our findings speak to two research questions: how do participatory- and otherwise community-based, action-oriented research methods impact those who participate in research? And, how do researchers and research participants make sense of this impact? Using interview, observation, and photographic data, our analysis indicates that community members' perceptions of CBAR exist on a spectrum situated around two key, but fluid, positions: the 'trusted outsider' and the 'affective collaborator.' Our findings provide researchers with a stronger methodological foundation to approach community-based, action-oriented research with an ethic of care. Further, our findings provide methodologists with a better understanding of the multi-directional impact of doing CBAR and the ways we can use this information to do CBAR ethically and effectively. In this way, our paper contributes to a growing body of scholarship regarding the practice and impact of collaborative, community-based research approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Parenting seems to be continually in the spotlight for political and social commentators. Meanwhile academic and practitioner work on children and child welfare explores how parents can best deliver for children as what parents do is seen as the route to a happy and successful childhood and future adulthood. This theoretical paper argues that a focus on outcomes for children has led to the role of parents being overstated and its significance mischaracterized. The paper contends that good parenting should not be judged in terms of child outcomes either in the present or future and, therefore, that focusing all attention on which aspects of children's wellbeing should be prioritized is misguided. Instead, it proposes that good parenting is better understood as a form of relationship centred around the concepts of intimacy, care, and equality; and unpacks some of the implications of this shift in approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the results of a qualitative study that aims to explore the experiences of social workers who work in case management services in the child protection system, with special focus on their duties, the work tools they use in their work with the beneficiaries and the challenges encountered in providing case management services. The paper also reflects the suggestions made by social workers to increase the performance of their activities in providing case management. The data were obtained through individual interviews with ten social workers from case management services in a public child protection institution in Western Romania, data that were analysed thematically. The results of the study show that the main duties of social workers are based on the activity of monitoring children in foster care with professional foster careers and within centres for children temporarily or permanently separated from their parents – family‑type homes. The main work tools used in case management services are the monitoring sheet, the individualized protection plan, the quarterly evaluation report, the protection measure re‑evaluation report, the quarterly monitoring report, and the specific intervention plan. Among the main recommendations regarding the increase in the efficiency of social workers’ activity, the addition of specialized staff, as well as the introduction of supervised activities is mentioned. The present study draws the attention of social workers from the Romanian child protection system on their practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper aims to present a mixed methods study of child criminal exploitation (CCE), particularly in the form of "county lines", in three local authorities in southeast England. The data is analysed using a framework constructed from two relevant contextual and relational theories to understand experiences of CCE and the safeguarding responses undertaken to protect young people from harm. Design/methodology/approach: Data were drawn from a survey (n = 118); interviews (n = 5) and focus groups (n = 15) with professionals; interviews with parents (n = 4); and from secondary analysis of eight interviews with young people affected by criminal exploitation. The analytic framework was applied to the data to answer two research questions: what is the role and significance of young people's interactions with peers, parents and professionals in their CCE trajectories; and how do professionals understand and address risks within contexts in which young people are exposed to CCE? The mixed methods data collected by the authors were coded and analysed using this framework. Findings: Although professionals were aware of contexts and relational power dynamics, the situated and temporal nature of CCE remained overlooked within safeguarding systems. Professionals required more space, time and support to fully and flexibly engage with young people and their families to increase safety. Originality/value: There is limited research available that critically examines safeguarding responses to CCE in diverse geographic and cultural contexts. This paper contributes a critical account of how professionals might create connections and opportunities for change with young people, identifying structural constraints within practice systems alongside emerging examples of effective practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

PRACTICE IMPACT STATEMENTChild sexual exploitation perpetrated by organised networks has been a major child protection concern in the UK. This paper uses police investigation files and interviews with police officers to reconstruct and explore the structures and mechanisms underlying offender and victim networks in five cases of network-based CSE perpetrated within UK communities between 2010 and 2021. Using social network analysis and content analysis this paper finds that, while structures vary, most offender networks are loosely connected, lack centres of power and lack structural sophistication. Additionally, examination of the corresponding victim cohorts demonstrates that victims often come from interconnected peer groups intrinsically involved in introducing each other to offender networks. Specific roles in network activity could be identified and matched to both offenders and victims. Statistical analysis shows that an offender’s structural position in the network is related to the specific roles they perform, with different roles showing distinct structural profiles.The study suggests that identifying and targeting offenders with specific roles within CSE networks could aid strategic network disruption. However, it is also implied that when it comes to dismantling networks, taking an offender-centred approach may not be the most effective strategy, as they are structured in a way that is resilient to these tactics. Instead, the study proposes that engaging with victim networks could serve as a more effective alternative. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The POCSO Act of 2012 in India is a crucial legislative measure aimed at distinguishing between adult and child sexual offenses, and establishing a child protection framework. It aims to protect children from sexual abuse. However, its practical implementation faces challenges, necessitating a comprehensive understanding of the situations involving the child victim. The Act, designed to create a legal sanctuary for children against sexual exploitation, hinges greatly on the judiciary’s aptitude to grasp the intricate challenges child victims confront. While the Act sets the stage for child protection, its effectiveness pivots on the sensitivity and comprehension of judges in handling cases involving child victims. This study endeavors to elucidate the obstacles faced by judges, ranging from limited awareness and entrenched biases, to the absence of specialized training. Sensitizing judges, the cornerstone of this paper’s discourse, is indispensable for fostering effective and empathetic decision-making. This study reverberates with a fervent appeal to recognize judges as torchbearers of change, instrumental in dismantling the shrouds of silence and indifference that have long cloaked child sexual offenses. Through a sensitized and empathetic judiciary, we aspire to build a society that unequivocally stands as a bulwark against the insidious menace of child sexual abuse. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to present the results of a scoping review on the implementation of Article12 in health care. The scoping review will provide a summary and overview of the key concepts and published literature on this topic internationally. Article 12 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989) states that children have a right to express their views, to have them heard and for their views to be given due weight in all matters that affect them. Despite increased calls for Article 12 to be given attention in health care, there is little evidence to suggest this has been well implemented and embedded in Australian health-care delivery. The scoping review was undertaken to provide a summary and overview of the key concepts and published literature on this topic internationally. Design/methodology/approach: A five-step methodological framework described by Arksey and O'Malley (2005) was used to undertake the scoping review. Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis was used as a guideline for undertaking the study selection. Findings: Children are still not routinely involved in health-care decision-making, are frequently left out of service planning and evaluation and the perception that they lack the capability to make rational decisions persists. Originality/value: While there has been a focus on research that investigates children's participation in health-care decision-making in recent years, there is little that directs attention specifically to the implementation of Article 12, particularly in Australian health care. Recommendations are made for further research in these areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research has demonstrated children in out-of-home care have experienced trauma and a significant proportion are in need of behavioral health services (e.g. Casaneuva et al., NSCAW II baseline report: Child well-being, US Department of Health and Human Services, Washington, DC, 2011). Accessing services requires interagency coordination between child welfare and behavioral health professionals; however, challenges to coordination and collaboration may result in lack of service utilization for many youth (Hanson et al. 2016). Utilizing a mixed methodological approach, this paper describes the results of a study conducted five years after full state-wide implementation of processes designed to promote the use of evidence-based practices to inform decision-making for youth dually served by the child welfare and behavioral health systems. Outcomes from the study were used to develop strategies to address programmatic concerns and reinforce implementation supports. Study findings may aid organizations seeking to reinforce data-informed practices and employ strategies for addressing barriers at the worker and agency level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While there is much research on the topic of child maltreatment more broadly in Australia, a nuanced understanding of intergenerational child maltreatment is needed to improve our responses. Little work has considered all four intergenerational patterns of child maltreatment: cycle maintainers (maltreated parents with maltreated children), cycle breakers (maltreated parents with non‐maltreated children), cycle initiators (non‐maltreated parents with maltreated children) and a comparison group (non‐maltreated parents with non‐maltreated children). We use this terminology to maintain consistency with international literature, but acknowledge that these terms minimise the complexity inherent in contact with child protection systems. Research has mainly focused on maintainers, which hinders our ability to appropriately support all families and limits our understanding of individuals breaking the cycle. This paper outlines key knowledge gaps and identifies strategic areas of focus for researchers and policymakers. There is an urgent need for more emphasis on building resilience and strengths, the provision of more integrated and holistic support for families, and consideration of sex differences. We highlight the need for more research on this topic, particularly led by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, and hope that the recommendations in this paper can be revisited and updated as this important research base grows. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Poverty in early life can have lasting effects on health and human capital; social protection can counter these effects to promote the development of capabilities across the life course. This paper examines how social protection can promote adolescent well-being and facilitate safe and productive transitions to adulthood in lower and middle-income countries. Focusing on governmental non-contributory programmes the paper investigates (i) whether and how current non-contributory social protection programmes are adolescent-sensitive and (ii) what the impact of non-contributory social protection programmes on adolescents is. To examine these questions, we conducted an extensive review of the literature on existing non-contributory social protection programmes and related impact evaluations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multi-agency collaboration (also termed inter-professional, inter-agency, and multi-sector) between agencies and practitioners has been established as a valuable way of working in safeguarding, to protect people from harm. Whilst multiagency working is mandated in legislation, policy, and guidance, there are challenges in its implementation. Research has not only highlighted many benefits of multi-agency working, for example, sharing resources and expertise, but also key barriers, including uncertainty of agency roles, remits, and responsibilities. Ongoing challenges, such as information sharing in an appropriate and timely manner, are often cited within various serious practice reviews and inspections. However, what is less explored and understood is how we know and evidence if our multi-agency safeguarding arrangements are effective. This article summarizes the multi-agency safeguarding landscape and highlights an urgent need for the development of a framework that identifies key components to evidence effectiveness. This framework should seek to define, identify, monitor, and review factors that enable effective multi-agency partnership working. In doing so, we argue that the evidence of practice needs to build on safeguarding being “everyone’s responsibility” towards establishing a “collective responsibility.” This is the first of the two papers mapping developmental journey of “The Collective Safeguarding Responsibility Model: 12Cs”. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objective: Simulation models are an important tool used in health care and other disciplines to support operational research and decision-making. In the child protection literature, simulation models are an under-utilized source of research evidence., Participants and Setting: In this paper, we describe the rationale for and the development of an agent-based simulation of a child protection system in the US. Using the investigation, prevention service, and placement histories of 600,000 children served in an urban child welfare system, we walk the reader through the development of a prototype known as OSPEDALE., Methods: The governing equations built into OSPEDALE probabilistically simulate the onset of investigations. Then, drawing from empirical survival distributions, the governing equations trace the probability of subsequent interactions with the system (recurrence of maltreatment, service referrals, and placement) conditional on the characteristics of children, their assessed risk level, and prior child protection system involvement., Results: As an initial test of OSPEDALE's utility, we compare empirical admission counts with counts generated from OSPEDALE. Though the verification step is admittedly simple, the comparison shows that OSPEDALE replicates the empirical count of new admissions closely enough to justify further investment in OSPEDALE., Conclusions: Management of public child protection systems is increasingly research evidence-dependent. The emphasis on research evidence as a decision-support tool has elevated evidence acquired through randomized clinical trials. Though important, the evidence from clinical trials represents only one type of research evidence. Properly specified, simulation models are another source of evidence with real-world relevance., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

This paper will examine the ways in which the prevailing representation of the legal practices and institutions related to the management and control of Indigenous families and children in Australia shifted over time from "welfare" to "cultural genocide," and how that shift can be better understood by drawing on Norbert Elias's understanding of civilizing and decivilizing processes. Policies and practices which were understood from the 19th century onwards to be aimed at promoting the welfare of Indigenous children in the interests of increasing civilization came to be regarded from the 1980s onwards as essentially violent and indeed barbaric. This was due to them being a social engineering project for the gradual and systematic annihilation of Aboriginal cultural identity, to the point of being consistent with the definition of genocide in the UN Genocide Convention, albeit as "cultural genocide." However, the term remains heavily contested, with views divided between those who think genocide should be restricted to deliberate physical killing, and those arguing for a more expansive conception of what constitutes the destruction of human life. I will argue that a turn to Elias's conception of civilizing and decivilizing processes helps to clarify what underpins the opposition between these two approaches. After examining the concepts underpinning the legal mechanisms used first to intervene into Australian Indigenous family life and then to pursue holding the responsible authorities to account through "Stolen Generations" litigation, the paper argues for a more nuanced conception of the ways in which civilizing and decivilizing processes interweave with each other in changing ways over time, generating a need to engage with the concept of a "meta-civilizing process." [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Effectively engaging parents under stress is a key component of skilful child welfare practice. This paper aims to investigate how social workers practice with parents with either high or normal levels of stress. Design/methodology/approach: The study used a mixed methods design including observations and audio recordings of meetings between families and social workers, interviews with parents/carers and questionnaires with social workers. Validated instruments, including the general health questionnaire (GHQ) for stress levels and the working alliance inventory (WAI), were used to explore how levels of stress influence practice. Findings: Data from 366 families found twice as many parents had clinically elevated GHQ scores compared to the general population (40% to about 20%). Stressed parents reported significantly less good working relationships with social workers [WAI, for the less stressed parents/carers, M = 65.3 vs highly stressed M = 60.6, t(324) = 2.407, p = 0.017, d = 0.28]. When quality of practice was directly measured, workers showed higher level of relationship skills with the less stressed group [t(291) = 1.71, p = 0.44, d = 0.205]. Originality/value: This study explored the interaction between practitioner skills and family factors influencing engagement, such as stress and anxiety. Engagement with stressed families may be particularly challenging, making it all the more important to understand how social workers engage such families to provide effective help and support. A better understanding of the parent-worker relationship under stress can lead to the development of training and practice strategies aimed at overcoming barriers in family engagement. This study also highlights the need for practice to re-focus on the relational elements and the emotional well-being of families. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Secure children's homes (SCHs) restrict the liberty of young people considered to be a danger to themselves or others. However, not all young people referred to SCHs find a placement, and little is known about the outcomes of the young person after an SCH or alternative placement. The purpose of this paper is to understand which characteristics most likely predict allocation to an SCH placement, and to explore the outcomes of the young people in the year after referral. Design/methodology/approach: A retrospective electronic cohort study was conducted using linked social care data sets in England. The study population was all young people from England referred to SCHs for welfare reasons between 1st October 2016 to 31st March 2018 (n = 527). Logistic regression tested for differences in characteristics of SCH placement allocation and outcomes in the year after referral. Findings: In total, 60% of young people referred to an SCH were allocated a place. Factors predicting successful or unsuccessful SCH allocation were previous placement in an SCH (OR = 2.12, p = 0.01); being female (OR = 2.26, p = 0.001); older age (OR = 0.75, p = 0.001); and a history of challenging behaviour (OR = 0.34, p = 0.01). In the year after referral, there were little differences in outcomes between young people placed in a SCH versus alternative accommodation. Originality/value: The study raised concerns about the capacity of current services to recognise and meet the needs of this complex and vulnerable group of young people and highlights the necessity to explore and evaluate alternatives to SCHs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents part of women’s empowerment as a form of community education carried out in area-based service programs. The urgency of this program is to realize child-friendly village management by optimizing women’s institutional strengthening. The potential and strategic location of an area has triggered problems such as women factory workers who are unable to carry out the role of the main and first educators for their children, the emergence of locations for prostitution practices, the emergence of the phenomenon of children being cared for by others (outside the nuclear family), and children with unclear legal status, children do not have population administration because they were born out of wedlock from immigrants who work in entertainment places (Karaoke Guides). The method applied is an andragogy approach to adult learning, in the form of training and mentoring, with 30% theoretical and 70% practice. The results obtained were in the form of strengthening the role of women’s institutions in managing child-worthy villages in the fields of education, health, and economy; increased legal protection of children; awareness of family law; clean and healthy lifestyle that cultivates; increased family economic literacy; decreased child violence and stunting rates. Through this program, women’s institutions at the village level can understand and carry out their role in managing child-worthy villages with indicators of the fulfillment of children’s rights and protection from various aspects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As opioid fatalities rise in North America, the need to improve the supports available to those who are dependent on opioids and pregnant has become more urgent. This paper discusses the social organisation of drug treatment supports for those who are pregnant, using Canadian clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) for methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) as a case study. Pregnant patients are a priority population for MMT, both in Canada and internationally; the regulatory bodies that oversee MMT in Canada are the provincial Colleges of Physician and Surgeons and Health Canada. The paper analyses MMT CPGs published by these agencies, comparing their general recommendations to those specific to pregnant patients. We demonstrate that the guidelines address few treatment considerations for pregnant patients, other than improved birth outcomes and child welfare, despite acknowledging their more complex needs. Drawing on social science studies of gender and drugs, we argue that MMT CPGs therefore perpetuate the intensified surveillance and foetal prioritisation that have long generated barriers to care for opiate‐dependent pregnant patients. We also discuss how and why the CPGs ultimately only reinforced these current limitations in the drug treatment sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper applies the concept of racialization to an analysis of research on the child welfare system's racial disparities and its interactions with Black African immigrant families. This conceptual paper makes the argument that Black African immigrants are an important population of focus for U.S. child welfare system research, and that the use of a racialization lens is necessary to interpret the experiences of the increasingly diverse, Black-racialized population with the child welfare system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System (NCANDS) Child File, the only national dataset cataloging child maltreatment reports. It includes variables representing economic distress frequently used in published research. At the national level, these variables are demonstrably implausible, substantially underestimating economic distress. Method: This paper reviews recent work using these variables, analyzes the NCANDS data directly, demonstrates why the economic variables in NCANDS are unusable at a national level, and provides recommendations for incorporating economic measures using NCANDS. Results: We find 19 articles that have used these variables within the past 10 years. Most states provide implausible estimates. Economic measures can be incorporated into NCANDS data by either subsetting to s states with plausible estimates of these variables in given years, or appending county-level economic Census data. Discussion: Without addressing these variables' issues in plausibility, use of them will yield biased estimates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Parents with disabilities and their families experience pervasive inequities within the child welfare system. However, existing conceptual frameworks do not adequately explain or address the unique needs and experiences of parents with disabilities and their families involved with the child welfare system. Accordingly, we present a conceptual framework that incorporates empirical findings from existing literature while integrating and expanding extant frameworks and models. The conceptual framework, which is aimed at being a starting point from which to investigate child welfare system inequities experienced by disabled parents, includes interrelated factors measured at the contextual, institutional, and individual levels. The paper discusses areas for further research, challenges for researchers, and implications for reducing child welfare system inequities. Parents with disabilities are more likely to be involved with the child welfare system, have their parental rights terminated, and receive inadequate services and supports from the child welfare system, compared to other parents. This paper offers a conceptual framework that identifies factors that impact the inequities experienced by disabled parents who are involved with the child welfare system. Researchers can use the conceptual framework to study the reasons that parents with disabilities have worse child welfare system outcomes than other parents. Policymakers and child welfare professionals can use the conceptual framework to identify ways to prevent parents with disabilities from being unnecessarily involved with the child welfare system and ensure that parents with disabilities who are involved with the child welfare system are treated fairly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper uses a case study to critically reflect on contemporary discourses in Norway connected to ethnic minority childhoods and children's rights to education and work. Based on a narrative interview with an ethnic minority girl, Sadja (aged 16), who is in state custody and lives with a foster family, we use a decolonial lens to explore the tensions in expectations and rights in her life and education. The tensions encountered are situated along three axes. The first axis illustrates tensions related to education, work, and responsibilities, as Sadja's family responsibilities are perceived by teachers and child welfare workers as preventing her from having "a proper childhood". The second axis explores tensions connected to independence, educational choice, and "belonging to the state", where Sadja experiences that being in state custody results in being unable to "follow her dream". The third axis reflects the tensions between parental expectations of "dreaming big" versus her surrounding environment's anticipation of her simply getting a job. In sum, Sadja's experiences suggest that contemporary Western discourses—such as individualism, self-autonomy, and children as human capital—paradoxically curtail the educational rights and trajectories of ethnic minority children in foster care in Norway in unforeseen and unfortunate ways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Syrian refugee crisis posed enormous challenges for the child welfare system and immigration authorities in Germany. Based on qualitative interviews and publicly available data, this paper explores the responses of frontline workers to the surge in unaccompanied refugee minors (UAMs) during the crisis and how their actions were experienced by UAMs. Results illustrate how frontline coping strategies created effective barriers to UAMs being united with their families. The findings raise questions about the relationship between ambiguous policy goals, frontline practice and formal legislation in the context of the right to asylum and the best interests of the child. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]