Psychosocial Support

The best form of psychosocial support is a healthy family and supportive environment, preferably in the child's community of origin, or one that is culturally similar. Psychosocial well-being is a product of multiple support, which is rooted in the ability to form healthy relationships and participate in community networks.

However, certain considerations may be required in order to help children and caretakers come to terms with life-changing events, such as the loss of a parent. Separation can be highly stressful for children, particularly if it is unexpected, or repeated. Some children may experience anxiety, attachment problems, sleep disturbances, dependency issues, regression, and a range of other behavioural issues which threaten their mental health and development.

Specific types of support may be required for children suffering from loss, severe or chronic ill health, abuse or exploitation. The child’s experience, age, resilience, and the level of support received from the family and community will determine if a child needs external services. A child is far less likely to experience psychosocial stress if they have good natural support mechanisms and therefore protection efforts should focus on supporting families and communities to help each other.

When psychosocial support is needed, an assessment is important in determining the scope and type of issues, the existing family and community resources, and analysis of how these can be strengthened. Clinical mental health interventions such as therapy, psychiatry or psychological counseling, should only be provided by trained professionals after a clinical assessment and, in all cases, should be culturally relevant.

Psychosocial activities must promote the children’s development and their relationships with others, re-establish routines, increase self confidence and sense of control over their lives. Children’s activities, such as the provision of safe places, group work or referrals to specialists, should be designed around the child’s individual needs, age, gender, and cultural identity. Interventions should be empowering, inclusive, and fully integrated with wider community efforts. Children’s participation is essential in psychosocial work; children should be encouraged to express their opinions, and to have these taken into account.

The literature found here describes the psychosocial effects of separation, and other threats to children such as HIV/AIDS, conflict, abuse and exploitation, and provides guidance and examples of psychosocial interventions.

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Mental well-being among children in foster care: The role of supportive adults

Carly Elizabeth Magee, Martin Guhn, Kimberly A. Schonert-Reichl, Eva Oberle - Children and Youth Services Review, 08 May 2019

This study examined associations between perceived support from adults in three developmental contexts (home, school and neighbourhood) and mental well-being (life satisfaction, self-concept, optimism) among grade four children living with foster parents in British Columbia (B.C.), Canada.

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Association between parental visitation and depressive symptoms among institutionalized children in Japan: a cross-sectional study

Aki Yazawa, Saeko Takada, Hanako Suzuki, Takashi X. Fujisawa and Akemi Tomoda - BMC Psychiatry, 30 Apr 2019

The objectives of this open access study were to investigate the association between parental visitation and depressive symptoms among institutionalized children in Japan, and to explore whether the established security of attachment interacts with that association.

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Improving Outcomes for Families Affected by Substance Use Disorders: What Child Welfare, Direct Service Providers, and Courts Need to Know

Tina Willauer and Kim Coe - National Center on Substance Abuse and Child Welfare, 24 Apr 2019

This presentation was given at the National Conference on Child Abuse and Neglect in Washington, DC in April 2019. The presentation outlines data on the prevalence of parental substance abuse as a contributing factor for child removal in the US and highlights practices that work for families with substance abuse disorders.

TeaH (Turn ‘em around Healing): a therapeutic model for working with traumatised children on Aboriginal communities

Michelle Moss and Anthony Duwun Lee - Children Australia, 16 Apr 2019

This paper presents a therapeutic model of practice that incorporates Aboriginal concepts of healing and spirit within a creative therapeutic framework.

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Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Childhood Traumatic Separation

Judith A. Cohen & Anthony P. Mannarino - Child Abuse & Neglect, 15 Apr 2019

This article describes current applications of Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) for Childhood Traumatic Separation.

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Child maltreatment and depressive symptomatology among adolescents in out-of-home care: The mediating role of self-esteem

Miyoung Yoon, Seungjong Cho, Dalhee Yoon - Children and Youth Services Review, 11 Apr 2019

The aim of this study was to investigate the role of self-esteem as a mediator in the association between different types of child maltreatment (i.e., physical abuse, physical neglect, emotional abuse) and depressive symptomatology among a sample of adolescents in out-of-home care.

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Orphans and Pro‐social Behaviour: Evidence from Uganda

Bryan C. McCannon & Zachary Rodriguez - Journal of International Development, 08 Apr 2019

This article investigates whether individuals who were orphaned as a child suffer long‐term consequences on their pro‐sociality.

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Psychological Adjustment of Adolescents in Residential Care: Comparative Analysis of Youth Self-Report/Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire

Sónia Rodrigues, Maria Barbosa-Ducharne, Jorge F. Del Valle, Joana Campos - Child and Adolescent Social Work Journal, 22 Mar 2019

This study aims to analyze the comparative effectiveness of Youth Self-Report (YSR) and the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) as screening tools of psychological (mal)adjustment, looking for differences in the way psychological problems and difficulties are identified by these two measures in adolescents in residential care (RC).

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The effectiveness of mindfulness-based group therapy on anxiety, depression and stress in looked after children: a preliminary exploration

Sailaa Sunthararajah - Adoption & Fostering, 18 Mar 2019

This article presents a preliminary exploration of the participation in a mindfulness-based group therapy by nine looked after children aged 14 to 17.

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Nurturing attachments parenting program: The relationship between adopters’ parental reflective functioning and perception of their children's difficulties

J. Staines, K. Golding, J. Selwyn - Developmental Child Welfare, 13 Mar 2019

This paper draws on an evaluation of the effectiveness of the Nurturing Attachments groupwork programme provided by AdoptionPlus for adoptive families in England. The Nurturing Attachments programme, informed by Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy (Hughes, Golding & Hudson, 2015), was developed to help foster and adoptive parents strengthen their relationships with the child and support children who had experienced developmental traumas.

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