Youth Perspectives on Being Adopted from Foster Care by Lesbian and Gay Parents: Implications for Families and Adoption Professionals

Patricia A. Cody, Rachel H. Farr, Ruth G. McRoy, Susan J. Ayers-Lopez & Kathleen J. Ledesma – Adoption Quarterly

This article presents findings from a study on children who were adopted by lesbian or gay parents from within the United States foster care system, as well as a survey from the adoptive parents.  The article reviews the controversial issues facing gay and lesbian adoptive parents.  

Paper Orphans: Exploring Child Trafficking for the Purpose of Orphanages

Kathryn E. van Doore - The International Journal of Children's Rights

“Paper Orphans: Exploring Child Trafficking for the Purpose of Orphanages” serves as a legal analysis of child trafficking for the purpose of filling orphanages.  This paper focuses on the displacement of the child and intends to determine whether or not this displacement can be determined as trafficking under international law.

The Evidence Base on the Social Service Workforce: Current Knowledge, Gaps and Future Research Direction - BUILDING EVIDENCE INTEREST GROUP REPORT

Jini L. Roby, JD, MSW, MS - Global Social Service Workforce Alliance

The purpose of this report is to review the current conditions of the global social workforce.  This study is meant to identify critical gaps in order prioritize current workforce strengthening research.

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Alcohol management plans in Indigenous communities in Queensland (Australia) may have unintended implications for the care of children

Katrina Bird, Michelle S. Fitts and Alan R. Clough - Health & Justice

This paper discusses a large evaluation study that attempts to describe the impacts of the alcohol control laws enacted in various indigenous communities.   Participants were interviewed and asked to give their thoughts on how the laws have affected them medically, economically and socially.

Locating the Study of Adoptive Parenthood

Mandi MacDonald

Establishing the context of this study of adoptive parenthood and open adoption, MacDonald describes the legal, policy, and social frameworks that shape the experience of adoptive parenthood. The role of adoption in child welfare policy is identified, specifically in the UK and USA where it provides permanence for significant numbers of children in State care.

Psychological and background correlates of bullying in adolescent residential care

Ivana Sekol and David P Farrington - Journal of Social Work

This research examined psychological and background correlates of bullying in adolescent residential care. Young people aged 11–21 (N = 601) from 22 residential institutions in Croatia completed an anonymous self-reported bullying questionnaire, the Basic Empathy Scale, the Rosenberg Self-esteem Scale and the Big Five Personality Inventory.

Unaccompanied and Separated Foreign Children in the Care System in the Western Cape: A Socio-Legal Study

J Sloth-Nielsen and M Ackermann

This document is a report on a study which involved a survey of all foreign-born children placed in child and youth care centers across South Africa’s Western Cape Province.  The study examines the intersection between migration law and children’s rights.  

Understanding Vulnerabilities and Strengthening Response - Community-based Integration of Anti-trafficking and Human Rights Protections within Post-Earthquake Recovery Efforts in Sindhupalchok District, Nepal August - December 2015: Report

Milan Dharel, Writu Bhatta Rai and Nanimaya Thapa – Free the Slaves

This report examines the effects the 2015 Nepal earthquakes had on vulnerable populations.  It lists several concerns faced since the earthquake, which include the thousands of people who have lost their homes and children left unaccompanied. 

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Parenting interventions in shelter settings: a qualitative systematic review of the literature

Mary E. Haskett, Jessica Loehman and Kimberly Burkhart -- Child and Family Social Work

The aim of this literature review was to critique the state of the research on the effects of implementing parenting programmes in shelters for homeless families. A comprehensive search of multiple databases yielded 12 studies for inclusion. 

Risk, Resilience and Identity Construction in the Life Narratives of Young People Leaving Residential Care

Gillian Schofield, Birgit Larsson and Emma Ward -- Child & Family Social Work

The role of residential care for children has developed very differently internationally, but in all cultural contexts, there are questions about the extent to which it can help young people recover from high risk backgrounds. In the UK, residential care has come to be seen as the placement of last resort, yet new government guidance on permanence has suggested that residential care can provide security and a sense of belonging. 

The role of carers in supporting the progress of care leavers in the world of work

Robbie Gilligan andLaura Arnau-Sabatés, Child and Family Social Work

The aim of this component of a preliminary cross-national study (Ireland and Catalonia) of care leavers' experience in the world of work is to explore how carers may influence the entry of young people in care into the world of work and how they may also influence the young people's progress in that world. 

The Rights of the Child in a Changing World: 25 Years after the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child

Editor: Olga Cvejić Jančić

Meant to highlight the maxim that every child deserves the best that we all have to give; this book provides a review of the progress made since The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.  It contains reports from 21 countries on the status of the rights of the child.  The countries are:  Australia, Canada, Croatia, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, India, Iran, Japan, Portugal, Romania, Scotland, Serbia, Solomon Islands, Spain, the Netherlands, the UK, the USA, Uzbekistan and Venezuela. There are no reports from Africa.

Cultural Differences and Perceived Belonging During Korean Adoptees’ Reunions With Birth Families

Sara Docan-Morgan, Adoption Quarterly 2016, Volume 19, No. 2, 99-118

This article examines the cultural differences Korean adoptees perceived when interacting with their birth families along with the impact of these perceived differences. The article points out that there has been little research on transnational adoptees, as most research focuses on domestic adoptees.  The researchers interviewed 19 adoptees and examined their perceived differences.  They found that differences had a wide variety of impacts on the participants’ sense of belonging. 

End Violence Against Children Now

Save the Children

This booklet is based on a recent internal desk review of Save the Children’s and partners’ work against physical and humiliating punishment of children, commissioned by Save the Children Sweden. It aims to present best practices, to show what methods have worked around the world, and to spread knowledge about results achieved and lessons learned when it comes to law reform and positive discipline.  

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Knowledge of the Unknown Child: A Systematic Review of the Elements of the Best Interests of the Child Assessment for Recently Arrived Refugee Children

E. C. C. van Os, M. E. Kalverboer, A. E. Zijlstra, W. J. Post, E. J. Knorth - Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review

This article presents a systematic review of the existing knowledge of the situation of recently arrived refugee children in the host country. 

Protecting Cambodia’s Children? The Role of Commune Committees for Women and Children and Informal Community-based Child Protection Mechanisms in Cambodia

M. Jordanwood - World Vision Cambodia

This study was aimed at filling a gap in information on Commune Committees for Women and Children (CCWCs) and their function. This study examines the successes of CCWCs in implementing and achieving policy goals, and the roles they play in linking children and families to child protection services.

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Reaching and Investing in Children at the Margins: Workshop Summary

Rapporteur; Forum on Investing in Young Children Globally; Board on Global Health; Board on Children, Youth, & Families; Health & Medicine Division; Division of Behavioral & Social Sciences & Education; National Academies of Science, Engineering, Medicine

To examine the science, economics, and politics of investing in the health, education, nutrition, and social protection of children at the margins, the Forum on Investing in Young Children Globally (iYCG Forum) held a workshop in Prague, Czech Republic, on November 3–4, 2015, titled, “Reaching and Investing in Children at the Margins.” This report summarizes the workshop and highlights the key learning from the event.

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“Adapting to learn, learning to adapt:" Overview of and considerations for child protection systems strengthening in emergencies

Child Frontiers on behalf of the Systems Strengthening and Disaster Risk Reduction Task Force - co-led by the CPC Learning Network and Plan International

The aims of this document are to: 1. Provide an overview of child protection systems strengthening in emergencies practice to date, and based on this, 2. Propose certain key considerations with regards to systems for child protection practitioners. 

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