Institutional childcare is associated with developmental delays and setbacks. Since alternative options are not always available, it is important to investigate youth in institutional settings to evaluate how to provide optimal care. Cluster analyses determined adjustment patterns for children in institutional care (CIC) (n = 100) and children in family care (CIF) (n = 100) (M age = 13.34 years, SD = 3.10; 40% female) in Ghana, across internalizing symptoms, quality of life (QoL), and academic achievement. Three patterns were identified for CIF while four were identified for CIC, with youth in three of the four patterns considered resilient. Protective factors differentiated CIC and CIF patterns. Resilience may be more common than realized among CIC. Additional areas warranting intervention are discussed.

This paper presents a case study that discusses the lived experiences of two LGBTQA + young people who have been in out-of-home care in Australia, focusing particularly on the influence of relationships on their developing sexual identity.

Previous studies have shown that mental health disorders (MHD) among parents might be an important mechanism in the intergenerational transmission of out-of-home care (OHC). The current study aimed to further study this interplay by investigating the associations between OHC and MHD within and across generations in a Swedish cohort.

This article presents Kaupapa Māori research undertaken by a mokopuna Māori with the lived experience of state care in New Zealand, alongside established Kaupapa Māori researchers. Literature containing the voices of care-experienced mokopuna Māori was reviewed to explore what conditions exist and are needed to uphold wellbeing.

This study provides an overview of the family reunification process of Latinx adolescents who have migrated to join their families in the United States.

The purpose of this study was to examine, in a sample of residential care children, the moderating role of cognitive flexibility in the association between maltreatment and emotion regulation competencies. The sample included 69 children aged 8 to 12 and their group home educator as their primary caretaker. Educators completed questionnaires evaluating child emotion regulation competencies and cognitive flexibility.

This study focused on Israeli care leavers a decade after leaving care and explored various factors associated with satisfaction with both intimate relationships and parenthood.

This study looked at how well matched children in England are to their homes and the extent to which their participation, views, wishes and feelings are considered in the decision-making process. The study looked at a small group of children who have a very wide and diverse set of needs and who live in children’s homes that were visited by Ofsted inspectors in late 2019.

In this editorial published in the special edition of the Global Studies of Childhood journal focused on separated childhoods in April 2022, the authors aim to create the space to gather and share new findings from around the world, especially evidence that centres on the voices of children and family members with lived experience of separation, and on the practical experiences of social service workforce who are key to providing adequate support to strengthen the capacity of families to remain together and to reunite safely.

Typical large-group institutions for abandoned children or orphans are known to be bad for the development of children, but what about small-group care?