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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The Urbanization Paradox: Parental Absence and Child Development in China - an Empirical Analysis Based on the China Family Panel Studies Survey

Lijun Chen, Di Qi & Dali L. Yang - Child Indicators Research, 24 Jan 2020

This study zeroes in on the issue of left-behind children and draws on data from the China Family Panel Studies surveys to examine the impacts of parental absence on child development in psychological, physical and cognitive domains.

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Created to Heal: A brief window into the changing brain

Christian Alliance for Orphans (CAFO) , 20 Jan 2020

This 'companion primer' from the Christian Alliance for Orphans (CAFO) provides an overview of the ways in which adversity impacts brain development and how the use of appropriate interventions based on relationships can help reshape children's brains, leading to greater wellbeing and better outcomes for kids from hard places.

The developmental status of abused and neglected children in the Philippines

Peejay Bengwasan & Mari Erika Joi F. Bancual - Children and Youth Services Review, 12 Jan 2020

This study explores the development of abused children in different areas. Likewise, it looks into differences of the level of development in relation to age, gender and type of abuse.

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Long-term Head Start Impact on developmental outcomes for children in foster care

Kyunghee Lee - Child Abuse & Neglect, 11 Jan 2020

This study examined the long-term effects of the Head Start early childhood program on foster children's developmental outcomes from ages 3–4 to 8–9.

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2019/2020 Prevention Resource Guide

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Children’s Bureau, Child Welfare Information Gateway, and the FRIENDS National Center for Community-Based Child Abuse Prevention, 2020

This Resource Guide offers support to community service providers as they work with parents, caregivers, and children to prevent child maltreatment and promote social and emotional well-being.

Cognitive and Social Emotional Development Module

Youth in Focus, 2020

This Module explores how cognitive and social-emotional abilities operate in youth’s daily experience and personal lives and what we can do to help young people develop and strengthen these skills in order to thrive.

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Pathways of Care Longitudinal Study

Government of New South Wales, 2020

The Pathways of Care Longitudinal Study (POCLS) is the first large-scale prospective longitudinal study of children and young people in out-of-home care (OOHC) in Australia.

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Attachment After Adversity: Building Resilience through Relationships

Christian Alliance for Orphans (CAFO), 2020

This e-book from CAFO provides guidance to individuals dedicated to serving at-risk children and families on how to build resilience through relationship to help them build better futures.

El Apego Después de la Adversidad: Desarrollando resiliencia a través de las relaciones

Christian Alliance for Orphans (CAFO), 2020

Este recurso de CAFO provee guía a individuos dedicados a servir a niños y familias en riesgo en construir la resiliencia a través de las relaciones para ayudarles a construir un futuro mejor.

What Makes an Effective Early Childhood Parenting Programme: a Systematic Review of Reviews and Meta-analyses

Jie Gao, Clare Brooks, Yuwei Xu, Eleanor Kitto - The UCL Institute of Education , 2020

By synthesising the research evidence, this study seeks to address the questions of whether early childhood parenting programmes are effective in improving parenting and enhancing children's development; and which factors of the programme design and implementation contribute to the successful outcomes of parenting programmes.