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While there are theoretical arguments that suggest school practices can exacerbate delinquent behaviour by youth, research has not consistently examined this potential of schools to contribute to poorer outcomes for the most at-risk youth in our communities. This paper uses longitudinal data (n = 495) to examine the role being excluded from school plays in later criminal justice involvement for a group of at-risk youth in New Zealand. Path analysis is used to explore the interaction of contextual and personal risks as well as educational resources (Time 1) on personal and peer risks (Time 2), and engagement with Youth Criminal Justice (Time 3), accounting for differences between males and females using a multi-group analysis. Between groups t-tests were used to further understand the differences between genders. A direct link between being excluded from school and later criminal justice involvement is found, with an indirect link via delinquency (Time 2). Similar factors influence male and female pathways from school to prison, but their relative influence differs by gender: among youth interviewed, females reported higher rates of exclusion, while males reported receiving greater academic support, although this support did not reduce justice system involvement. Results highlight the need for educational programmes and policies to address underlying causes of delinquent behaviour if the pathway from school exclusion to the justice system is to be removed. Such policies and programmes need to target children early, promote the development of positive supportive relationships with teachers that can mitigate risks and provide opportunities for youth to build pro-social peer relationships.

Drawing on data from a longitudinal study of at-risk youth (n = 593), this article reports on the analysis of factors that enabled these youth to succeed at school. It considers the impact of three baseline factors (age, gender, ethnicity) and a number of time-dynamic factors [positive school environment, additional educational support, positive peer and parent relationships, exclusion/expulsion from school, depression and externalising individual risk, as well as the involvement of a range of services (mental health, justice, welfare)] upon educational progress. Over time, the educational status of this group of youth deteriorated. Differences were observed for indigenous, older and male youth who had poorer outcomes on average. Positive peer groups and a positive school environment predicted better outcomes, while the use of harsh disciplinary practices such as expulsion was the strongest predictor of poorer educational outcomes and had a pervasive negative impact on all three educational progress measures. Formal services did not make an appreciable difference to educational outcomes, while the provision of additional educational support only contributed to keeping youth enrolled in educational programmes but did not appreciably improve their educational outcomes. Improving educational outcomes for at-risk youth requires a pan-system response, whereby schools reduce the use of expulsion and create a positive school climate, other professionals support schools to retain challenging students at school and the positive resources generated by pro-social peer groups are harnessed.

Purpose: This article reports on an examination of the psychometric properties of the 28-item Child and Youth Resilience Measure (CYRM-28). Methods: Exploratory factor analysis, confirmatory factor analysis, Cronbach's a, "t"-tests, correlations, and multivariate analysis of variance were applied to data collected via interviews from 593 at-risk adolescents (12-17 years) to identify the factor structure, internal consistency, test-retest reliability, construct validity, and floor and ceiling effects of the CYRM-28. Results: A four-factor structure was identified comprising two contextual factors, individual and family factors. The CYRM-28 and its factors show good internal reliability, stable test-retest properties, and no floor or ceiling effects. The measure also showed good construct validity. Discussion: The CYRM-28 shows good overall validity on this group of New Zealand youth, and researchers and social workers can have some confidence in its usefulness as a measure that can be used to assess resilience in youth from a range of ethnic backgrounds.

This article discusses the alignment of framework analysis with a critical realist philosophy in qualitative analysis. Whilst both are used in social sciences and prioritise meaning making of complex phenomena, the two approaches have not been combined prior to the study outlined in this article. The article describes critical realist ontology and epistemology, the implications of this philosophy for data analysis and the structured processes of framework analysis. Using an example from a study of youth programmes in Aotearoa/New Zealand, the article demonstrates the value of framework analysis for critical realist studies. Emphasis is placed on the capacity of framework analysis to support varied foci on data, theory, and different modes of inferencing which are used in critical realist studies to provide an explanatory account of data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Schools are often the only formal service provider for young people living in socio-economically marginalized communities, uniquely positioning school staff to support positive psychosocial outcomes of youth living in adverse contexts. Using data from 2,387 school-going young people [Canada (N = 1,068), New Zealand (N = 591), and South Africa (N = 728)] living in marginalized communities and who participated in the Pathways to Resilience study, this article reviews how student experiences of school staff and school contexts moderated contextual risks and facilitated resilience processes. Findings of these analyses affirm that school staff play an important role in moderating the relationship between resilience resources and community/family risk in both global North and global South contexts. Findings hold important implications for school psychologists, including the need to champion the ways in which teachers can scaffold resilience resources for young people through the quality of the relationships they build with students.

Drawing on data from a mixed-method longitudinal study of marginalized youth from New Zealand, most of whom did not complete high school, we explore the concept of a sense of belonging as it relates to the way these youth explain their experiences of school. We identify the centrality of this sense of belonging at school to an understanding of resilience for vulnerable youth. Based on youth accounts we identify five orientations to practice that made the most difference to youth capacity to stay at school. These orientations are able to be used by a wide range of school professionals, including school psychologists, to enable youth to successfully stay in mainstream educational settings and achieve to their abilities.

This article draws on the findings from a mixed-methods New Zealand study of the experience of service use of 605 vulnerable young people (aged 13-17 years). Drawing on the survey data, it focuses on the factors that assisted young people to stay on-track with their education. Key findings include: being able to stay at mainstream school was the strongest predictor of capacity to stay on-track. Additional educational services did not appear to contribute directly to positive educational outcomes. There was a direct relationship between involvement with mental health services and the capacity of these vulnerable youths to stay on-track. Better integration between educational, welfare, and justice providers may yield better educational outcomes for these youths. Relational resources from domains such as friendship, family and community activities enhance young people's capacities to stay engaged and achieving in education. However, not every positive relational resource produces a positive educational gain. For this reason, it is important that educational and other professionals carefully examine these domains (friends, family and community) to identify which of these has the potential to assist with educational engagement and then work to maximise the benefits for youths.