Promising practices - strengthening families and systems to prevent and reduce the institutional care of children

Karen Flanagan - Modern Day Slavery and Orphanage Tourism

This chapter from the book Modern Day Slavery and Orphanage Tourism highlights promising practice which aims to prevent and reduce the institutionalization of children at two levels: (1) systems and social work strengthening, and (2) family strengthening and gatekeeping.

Children in Care: Exploitation, Offending and the Denial of Victimhood in a Prosecution-led Culture of Practice

Julie Shaw, Sarah Greenhow - The British Journal of Social Work

The following article reports upon recent research that explored the perceptions of professionals of the issues that affect the sexual and criminal exploitation of children in care, along with a discussion of the effectiveness of current responses to these issues and the challenges that professionals face.

An Integrated Model of Family Strengths and Resilience: Theorizing at the Intersection of Indigenous and Western Paradigms

Ricardo O. Sánchez, Bethany L. Letiecq, Mark R. Ginsberg - Journal of Family Theory and Review

This article theorizes a new conceptual framework of family strengths and resilience emerging at the intersection of indigenous and Western approaches to family systems.

Reaching unconnected caregivers: Using a text-message education program to better understand how to support informal caregivers role in child development

Sherri C Widen, Marlene Orozco, Eileen Lai Horng, Susanna Loeb - Journal of Early Childhood Research

The authors of this study conducted a qualitative 2-year study to investigate informal caregivers’ motivations, assets, and needs.

Poverty and the State of Orphans in Owerri, Imo State

Robert C. Odoemene, Orizu Ideobodo Nwafor & James Anekwe - African Journal of Social and Behavioural Sciences (AJSBS)

This study investigates and assesses the experiences of orphaned and vulnerable children (OVC) who live with poverty, insecurity and social stigmatization in Owerri due largely to reasons of loss of parent(s) or being born by parents who are not there to take responsibilities for them. The purpose of the study is to inform and reform social policy by providing a better understanding of the suffering of orphans in our society.

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Mental health screening for children in care using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire and the Brief Assessment Checklists: Guidance from three national studies

Michael Tarren-Sweeney, Anouk Goemans, Anna Sophie Hahne, and Matthew Gieve - Developmental Child Welfare

The present article proposes a first-stage mental health screening procedure (calibrated for high sensitivity) for children and adolescents (ages 4–17) in alternative care, which children’s agencies can implement without clinical oversight using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) and Brief Assessment Checklists (BAC).

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Family Inclusive practice in child welfare: report of a Churchill Fellowship study tour

Jessica Cocks - Children Australia

Drawing on the findings of a Churchill Fellowship study tour, this article discusses the need to expand understanding of family engagement and, in particular, to implement Family Inclusive practice in Australian child welfare, both to increase reunification and to improve outcomes for children who do not return home.

Transition to adulthood for youth with disabilities who experienced foster care: An ecological approach

Robin Marie Harwick, Deanne Unruh, Lauren Lindstrom - Child Abuse & Neglect

The purpose of the study was to uncover challenges during the transition to adulthood for youth with disabilities who experienced foster care and elucidate the supports most beneficial in addressing these challenges.

Country Care Review: Mozambique

Better Care Network

This Country Care Review includes the care-related concluding observations adopted by the Committee on the Rights of the Child, as well as other care-related concluding observations, ratification dates, and links to the Universal Periodic Review and Hague Intercountry Adoption Country Profile.

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30 Days to Family Study: Achieving Results for Children, Families, and Child Welfare

Foster & Adoptive Care Coalition

This brief from the Foster & Adoptive Care Coalition in the United States provides an overview of the 30 Days to Family® program in the U.S. state of Missouri, an intense, short-term intervention developed by the Foster & Adoptive Care Coalition to: 1) increase the number of children placed with relatives/kin at the time they enter the foster care system; and 2) ensure natural and community supports are in place to promote stability for the child.

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Report of the UN Secretary-General on the Human Rights of Migrants

UN Secretary-General

The present comprehensive report from the UN Secretary-General covers all aspects of the implementation of the Resolution on the Protection of Migrants. The report recognizes that immigration detention "is not in the best interests of the child and is a child rights violation" and notes the need to protect and assist migrants in vulnerable situations, including children.

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Report of the Special Rapporteur on the sale and sexual exploitation of children, including child prostitution, child pornography and any other child sexual abuse material

UN Special Rapporteur on the sale and sexual exploitation of children, including child prostitution, child pornography and any other child sexual abuse material

In the present report, the UN Special Rapporteur on the sale and sexual exploitation of children, including child prostitution, child pornography and other child sexual abuse material, describes the activities undertaken in relation to the discharge of her mandate since her previous report to the United Nations General Assembly. The report presents a thematic study on safeguards for the protection of the rights of children born from surrogacy arrangements, highlighting the rights of the child to identity, access to origins and to a family environment.

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Modern Day Slavery and Orphanage Tourism

Eds. Joseph M Cheer, Leigh Mathews, Kathryn E. van Doore, Karen Flanagan

This book highlights exploratory research that examines the links between modern slavery practices and orphanage tourism. It was edited by Joseph M Cheer of Wakayama University, Leigh Mathews of ALTO Consulting, Kate van Doore of Griffith University, and Karen Flanagan of Save the Children Australia.

'Crossover kids': Offending by child protection-involved youth

Susan Baidawi & Rosemary Sheehan - Australian Institute of Criminology

This paper from the Australian Institute of Criminology presents selected findings of a detailed case file audit of 300 crossover children (children from child protection backgrounds in the youth justice system) appearing before the Children’s Court of Victoria, Australia in 2016–17.

2019 UNGA Resolution on Follow-up to the twentieth anniversary of the International Year of the Family and beyond

United Nations General Assembly Third Committee

The 2019 United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) Resolution on Follow-up to the twentieth anniversary of the International Year of the Family and beyond can be found on pages 48-51 of the Report of the Third Committee on Social Development. The Resolution highlights a number of concerns and recommendations regarding children's care

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2019 UNGA Resolution on the Girl Child

United Nations General Assembly Third Committee

The 2019 Resolution on the Girl Child can be found on pages 7-21 of the Third Committee Report on the Promotion and protection of the rights of children. The Resolution highlights several concerns and recommendations related to children's care.

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Key Recommendations for the 2019 UNGA Resolution on the Rights of the Child with a focus on children without parental care

Coalition on Children without Parental Care

A global coalition of organisations, networks, and agencies working at national, regional and international levels on children's care worked together to propose to Member States a set of Key Recommendations to be included in the 2019 UNGA Resolution on the Rights of the Child to address key challenges and opportunities in implementing the rights of children without parental care.

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