Child Development

Knowledge of child development is the foundation for work with children, and therefore is a requirement for all those seeking to protect children. It influences every aspect of a child from physical growth and mental abilities, to how they express emotions, think and behave.

Healthy development takes children through stages, whereby they obtain an increasing number of physical, mental, and emotional skills in order to become independent adults. These stages provide benchmarks for determining if a child is developing normally. Without knowledge of the normal developmental stages of a child, a worker cannot identify developmental delays, assess the impact of abuse, or make recommendations regarding the child’s physical, mental or emotional health. Understanding what a child is capable of allows adults to communicate on their level and provide age-appropriate responses and interventions.

Knowledge of early childhood development and attachment behaviour is particularly important for protection workers. The physical health and care a child experiences as an infant will affect their development into adulthood. A child needs to have experienced a positive attachment by the age of 3 in order to develop cognitively, physically, socially, and psychologically. Healthy attachments come from the close bond a child experiences when provided with the responsive and stable care of at least one adult. In a residential home, children are less likely to receive the amount of individual attention from a permanent caretaker that they require. Children under 12, in particular, benefit more from a kinship, foster or adoption placement where they can experience closer relationships.

Observation of a child’s attachment to caretakers will influence the type of care, permanency plan, and level of support services offered. It can also aid in the identification of abuse.

This section contains information on the importance of child development knowledge, guidance on the ages and stages of children, and attachment theory.

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Successes and challenges in developing trauma-informed child welfare systems: A real-world case study of exploration and initial implementation

Becci A. Akin, Jessica Strolin-Gotzmna, and Crystal Collines-Camargo - Children and Youth Services Review, 06 Sep 2017

This paper describes and analyzes the implementation of trauma and evidence-informed interventions in three federally-funded statewide demonstration sites in different regional contexts throughout the United States.

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Draft National Standards for Children’s Residential Centres

Health Information and Standards Directorate , 01 Sep 2017

Ireland's Health Information and Standards Directorate has launched a public consultation on the Draft National Standards on Children's Residential Care. Once finalized, the Standards will provide a framework for the ongoing development of child-centred and effective services for children living in residential care centres. This document contains the preceding Draft Standards, eligible for feedback through 02 November 2017.

Caregiver-child interaction, caregiver transitions, and group size as mediators between intervention condition and attachment and physical growth outcomes in institutionalized children

Hilary A. Warner et al - Infant Mental Health Journal , 16 Aug 2017

This report presents the findings from a secondary analysis of data from a comprehensive intervention in three baby homes in St. Petersburg, Russian Federation. The analysis examined whether caregiver-child interaction quality, number of caregiver transitions, and group size mediated the impact of intervention on children's attachment behaviors and physical growth.

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Language and Psychosocial Skills of Institutionalized Children in Greece

Asimina Ralli, Schiza Melpomeni, and Tsiatsiou Alexandra - The Open Family Studies Journal , 12 Aug 2017

This study investigated the language and psychosocial skills of pre-school aged Greek institutionalized children in comparison to Greek children of the same age raised in a family environment.

The Prevalence of Stunting Among the Romanian Institutionalized Children Placed in Long-Term Institutional Settings in the 1990s

Ecaterina Stativa et al. - Child Maltreatment in Residential Care , 03 Aug 2017

This secondary analysis, based off data collected in 1999 by the Survey on Child Abuse in Residential Care Institutions in Romania, investiged the prevalence of growth stunting of institutionalized Romanian children and compared the prevalence of stunting between four different institutional contexts.

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Structural Neglect in Orphanages: Physical Growth, Cognition, and Daily Life of Young Institutionalized Children in India

Femmie Juffer, Marinus H. van IJzendoorn and Marian J. Bakermans-Kranenburg - Child Maltreatment in Residential Care , 03 Aug 2017

This study observed the physical growth and cognitive development in institutionalized toddlers in India, finding profound developmental delays in the sample group.

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An Introduction to Maltreatment of Institutionalized Children

Adrian V. Rus et al. - Child Maltreatment in Residential Care, 03 Aug 2017

This chapter serves as an introduction to the book Child Maltreatment in Residential Care and provides a brief overview of the research on child maltreatment within the context of institutional care.

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Best Practices for Residential/Institutional/Group Care of Children: A Harm Reduction Framework

Victor Groza & Kelley McCreery Bunkers - Child Maltreatment in Residential Care, 03 Aug 2017

This paper utilizes a harm-reduction framework to present best practices for improving residential care and reducing the negative effects residential care can have on children's development.

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Interaction Competencies with Children (ICC): An Approach for Preventing Violence, Abuse, and Neglect in Institutional Care in Sub-Saharan Africa

Tobias Hecker, Getrude Mkinga, Joseph Ssenyonga, and Katharin Hermenau - Child Maltreatment in Residential Care, 03 Aug 2017

This chapter of Child Maltreatment in Residential Care describes Interaction Competencies with Children – for Caregivers (ICC-C), a preventative intervention approach to improve the quality of care and reduce the incidence of maltreatment within institutional care settings in Sub-Saharan Africa.

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Psychopathology Following Severe Deprivation: History, Research, and Implications of the Bucharest Early Intervention Project

Kathryn L. Humphreys, Nathan A. Fox, Charles A. Nelson, and Charles H. Zeanah - Child Maltreatment in Residential Care, 03 Aug 2017

This chapter from Child Maltreatment in Residential Care presents the key findings from the Bucharest Early Intervention Project (2003), a longitudinal randomized control study which revealed the immense developmental impact of the severe deprivation experienced by children placed in institutional care shortly after birth.

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