Is Contact with Birth Parents Beneficial to Children in Non-Kinship Foster Care? A Scoping Review of the Evidence

Kevin J. Ruiz-Romero, María D.Salas Francisco, Javier Fernández-Baena, Lucía González-Pasarín

In this scoping review the authors analyze the findings of studies conducted over the past two decades that have specifically examined face-to-face contact with birth parents for children in non-kinship foster care, with the goal of determining more clearly when it may contribute positively to the child's well-being. The review involved a search of nine electronic databases in Spain, the U.S., Portugal, and the UK.

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To Identify and Limit the Risks of Neglect in Orphaned Students: Can France Manage It?

Jérôme Clerca, Kamilla Khamzina, Caroline Desombre

In this theoretical paper, the authors argue that, due to the detrimental impact of parental loss on academic achievement in France, orphaned students should be considered as students with special educational needs. This is important to provide appropriate educational responses consistent with inclusive education.

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Youth at the Intersection of Parental Incarceration and Foster Care: Examining Prevalence, Disparities, and Mental Health

Luke Muentner, Katie J. Stone, Laurel Davis, Rebecca Shlafer

This U.S.-based study details the prevalence of youth at the intersection of parental incarceration and foster care, their demographic characteristics, and heterogeneity in their mental health.

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Child Abuse and Neglect - The International Journal

What About the Children? Co-Occurrence of Child Maltreatment and Parental Separation

Sheila R. van Berkel, Marielle J. L. Prevoo, Marielle Linting, Fieke Pannebakker, Lenneke R. A. Alink

The aim of this study was to investigate (a) the extent to which child maltreatment co-occurs with parental separation and (b) associations between different types of child maltreatment and various types of separation-associated interparental conflict. This cross-national comparative study on family dynamics was based on National survey data of the US, Russia and 17 European countries indicates that in these countries 10–44% of the couples with children had separated before one of their children reached the age of 15 years.

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Attachment of Young Foster Children

Delphine West, Laura Gypen, Johan Vanderfaeillie

Family foster care is the option of choice in case of out-of-home placements in Flanders, Belgium, resulting in rising numbers of family foster care placements. As a number of the foster children experienced traumatic events and all of them were separated from their primary caregivers, concerns can be raised about the quality of attachment between foster children and their foster carers. In this study, the attachment behavior was scored by the foster mothers on the Attachment Insecurity Screening Index.

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Developmental Child Welfare

Grandparents Raising their Grandchildren: Implications for the Vulnerable Children of Eswatini

Ncamsile D. Motsa, Pholoho J. Morojele

The study aims to comprehend the ways in which being raised by grandparents, influence the vulnerable children’s schooling. The aim is to contribute insights to our understanding on how these children’s education towards academic success could be enhanced.

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Children’s Experiences of the Pandemic Across Europe: Inequalities and the Potential of Participation

Cath Larkins, Lucía del Moral-Espín

This chapter examines practical insight from research conducted across the UK and elsewhere in Europe of the contexts that children were experiencing, the pre-existing causes of some of the challenges and examples of children providing evidence about their experiences and insights into how policy and services could better respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Children's Experiences, Participation and Rights During COVID-19

The Unfinished Democratisation of Family Service Systems: Parental Consent and Children’s Viewpoints on Receiving Support in Child and Family Welfare in Sweden

Maria Heimer, Camilla Pettersson

This article addresses the predicament of family service systems being built on parents’ voluntary participation and the need for parental consent, which may block children’s right to services. It examines parental consent and the impact of parental non-consent for children’s opportunities to receive protection and support in Swedish child and family welfare.

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An Exploration of Poverty as a Consumption Object: Voluntourist’s Stories from an Orphanage in Nepal

Amira Benali, Olga Kravets

This paper examines the understanding of poverty emerging in voluntourists’ accounts of their first-hand experiences of poverty alleviation. Based on the ethnography of an orphanage in Nepal, the authors show that despite voluntourists’ good intentions and even (self-)criticism of the volunteer tourism approach to poverty relief, their accounts tend to consolidate rather regressive ideas about poverty.

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Consumption Markets and Culture

Family-Based Mental Health Interventions for Refugees Across the Migration Continuum: A Systematic Review

Mary Bunna, Nicole Zolman, Chloe Polutnik Smith, Deepika Khanna, Rosie Hanneke, Theresa S. Betancourt, Stevan Weine

This global study reviewed the literature on family-based mental health interventions for refugees across migration contexts and settings to identify types of interventions and intervention components, implementation approaches and to assess effectiveness. The review used a systematic approach, and ten intervention studies were retained for analysis.

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Practice and Policy Regarding Child Neglect: Lessons from Studies of Institutional Deprivation

Charles H. Zeanah, Lucy S. King

This report reviewed evidence for the effects of psychosocial neglect on development derived from studies of young children raised in U.S. institutions. In these caregiving environments, children are physically safe and receive instrumental care, but the social, emotional, and cognitive components of caregiving are impoverished. The damaging and often lasting effects of these caregiving environments on young children's development underscore that psychosocial neglect should be considered as dangerous to child well-being as physical maltreatment.

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annual review of developmental psychology

Disability-Inclusive Sustainable Services: The Role of Social Workers

Augustina Naami, Rita Adoma Parry, Alfred Ofori

While several interventions have been put in place to address the needs of persons with disabilities in developed countries, their counterparts in low-income countries, such as Ghana, continue to face marginalisation and exclusion. Using user-perspective and co-production approaches, this report analyses existing services for Ghanaians with disabilities and the relevance and usefulness of these services.

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Social Work Perspectives on Leadership and Organization

Buenas prácticas en la prestación de servicios de cuidado residencial de la niñez y adolescencia en Guatemala (Resumen Breve)

Changing the Way We Care

OBJETIVOS DEL ESTUDIO: Identificar y documentar mejores prácticas en la prestación de servicios residenciales de cuidado, orientados a la transformación de servicios de cuidado de la niñez y adolescencia en Guatemala.

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Buenas prácticas en la prestación de servicios de cuidado residencial de la niñez y adolescencia en Guatemala

Changing the Way We Care

Cambiando la Forma en que Cuidamos (o sus siglas en inglés, CTWWC) Guatemala realizó un estudio con el objetivo de identificar y documentar buenas prácticas en la prestación de servicios de cuidado residencial, con el objetivo de transformar los servicios de cuidado a la niñez en Guatemala.

Reinstating Parental Rights That Have Been Terminated: Finding Ways to Restore Legal Connections for Children Who Had Been in Foster Care

Linda-Jeanne M. Mack, Richard P. Barth

This paper reviews the range of factors state legislation includes in the U.S., reviews scant existing literature on how termination of parental rights (TPRs) may effect youth, and proposes several options for ways that unproductive TPRs can be reduced, and timely reinstatements increased.

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Journal of Public Child Welfare

Outsourcing and Children's Social Care: A Longitudinal Analysis of Inspection Outcomes Among English Children's Homes and Local Authorities

Anders Malthe Bach-Mortensen, Benjamin Goodair, Jane Barlow

Most residential children's social care services in England, including children's homes, are operated by for-profit companies, but the implications of this development are not well understood. This paper aims to address this gap by undertaking the first longitudinal and comprehensive evaluation of the associations between for-profit outsourcing and quality of service provision among English local authorities and children's homes.

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Social Science and Medicine Journal

Family Strengthening in the Context of COVID-19: Adapting a Community-Based Intervention from Kenya to the United States

Eve S. Puffer, Savannah L. Johnson, Kaitlin N. Quick, Amber D. Rieder, Mahgul Mansoor, Rae Jean Proeschold-Bell, Sierra Jones, Shaneeka Moore-Lawrence, Justin D. Rasmussen, Cameron Cucuzzella, Francelia Burwell, Latoria Dowdy, Florine Moore, Nancy Rosales

COVID-19 led to widespread disruption of services that promote family well-being. Families impacted most were those already experiencing disparities due to structural and systemic barriers. Existing support systems faded into the background as families became more isolated. New approaches were needed to deliver evidence-based, low-cost interventions to reach families within communities. The authors adapted a family strengthening intervention developed in Kenya (“Tuko Pamoja”) for the United States.

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Adverse Childhood Experiences in Residential Care: Predicting Accumulation and Exploring Clustering of Adversity in Romanian Care Facilities

Ioana M. Neagoe, Claudiu C. Papasteri

The purpose of this study was to establish the prevalence of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) in child residential care and to explore predictors of accumulation and clustering patterns.

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Child and Youth Care

Parenting Tips for Challenging Times - Help Children Cope with a Crisis with these Practical Steps (Ukrainian)

World Without Orphans

У цьому відео ми пропонуємо прості і практичні рекомендації про те, як у цей непростий час допомагати собі та своїм дітям долати різні кризові ситуації.

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Changing the Way We Care: First Year Summary Report

Changing the Way We Care

Cambiando la Forma en que Cuidamos SM (CTWWC) promueve el cuidado alternativo, familias que cuidan el desarrollo para la reintegración de los niños y niñas en las instituciones de acogimiento residencial y evita la separación entre familia e hijos o hijas, mediante el fortalecimiento de las familias, la reforma nacional del cuidado infantil, y del trabajo con otros actores clave para cambiar los compromisos y las conversaciones en apoyo del cuidado familiar. Lanzado el 1 de octubre de 2018, el primer año de CTWWC se resume en este informe de progreso, que incluye la influencia global y el trabajo en los países piloto como son Guatemala, Kenia y Moldavia.

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Children's Notebook

Changing the Way We Care

This handbook was made for children to read and write in. You’ll learn about why families are important and why they are the best place for children to grow up. There is also plenty of space for children to write down their thoughts and feelings about what they have read. 

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Closing Cases of Children and Adolescents Reintegrated into their Family and Community Environment in the Demonstration Area

Changing the Way We Care

The report is aimed at professionals in social work, psychology and pedagogy who work directly with children who are in the process of reintegration into a family and community environment. The document contemplates the process carried out for the closure of cases approached from a case management methodology. The report captures the experience that was had in Zacapa, Guatemala, and it reflects on the importance of reintegration through a planned process of case management and close accompaniment to families and caregivers.

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Cierre de casos de niños, niñas y adolescentes reintegrados a un entorno familiar y comunitario en área de demostración

Changing the Way We Care

El documento “Cierre de casos de niños, niñas y adolescentes reintegrados a un entorno familiar y comunitario en área de demostración” es un documento dirigido a profesionales de trabajo social, psicología y pedagogía que trabajan directamente en la atención a NNA que están en proceso de reintegración a un entorno familiar y comunitario, el documento contempla el proceso realizado para el cierre de casos abordado desde una metodología de gestión de casos, dentro del documento también se narra la experiencia que se tuvo en Zacapa, Guatemala y se reflexiona sobre la importancia de la reintegración a través de un proceso planificado de gestión de casos y de acompañamiento cercano a las familias y cuidadores.

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CTWWC and PGN's Mechanism for the Prevention of Unnecessary Child-Family Separation: Guatemala Report

Changing the Way We Care

This report includes the key lessons learned and the achievements resulting from CTWWC/PGN follow-up and family and economic strengthening activities provided to 18 families, along with information about 66 children and adolescents who remained with their family and community environment. The project also raised families’ awareness about the importance of providing children with safe and protective settings to foster their wellbeing through positive and loving parenting.

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Children's Act, 2022 (Kenya)

Republic of Kenya

The Children Act, 2022, is an act of Parliament to give effect to Article 53 of the Constitution; to make provision for children rights, parental responsibility, alternative care of children including guardianship, foster care placement and adoption; to make provision for care and protection of children and children in conflict with the law; to make provision for, and regulate the administration of children services; to establish the National Council for Children’s Services and for connected purposes.

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The Impact of COVID-19 on Children’s Care

This case study is part of a series of case studies conducted in India, Kenya, Moldova and Uganda over the course of 2020-2022 to share information on how COVID-19 has and is affecting family-child reunification, alternative care placement, and offers recommendations for family- and community-based care of vulnerable children in the context of COVID-19 and future emergencies.

The Impact of COVID-19 on Children’s Care: Uganda

Changing the Way We Care, Child's i Foundation

This case study is part of a series of case studies conducted in India, Kenya, Moldova and Uganda over the course of 2020-2022 to share information on how COVID-19 has and is affecting family-child reunification, alternative care placement, and offers recommendations for family- and community-based care of vulnerable children in the context of COVID-19 and future emergencies.

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The Impact of COVID-19 on Children’s Care: Moldova

Changing the Way We Care

This case study is part of a series of case studies conducted in India, Kenya, Moldova and Uganda over the course of 2020-2022 to share information on how COVID-19 has and is affecting family-child reunification, alternative care placement, and offers recommendations for family- and community-based care of vulnerable children in the context of COVID-19 and future emergencies.

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The Impact of COVID-19 on Children’s Care: India

Changing the Way We Care, Udayan Care, Miracle Foundation

This case study is part of a series of case studies conducted in India, Kenya, Moldova and Uganda over the course of 2020-2022 to share information on how COVID-19 has and is affecting family-child reunification, alternative care placement, and offers recommendations for family- and community-based care of vulnerable children in the context of COVID-19 and future emergencies.

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The Impact of COVID-19 on Children’s Care: Kenya

Changing the Way We Care

This case study is part of a series of case studies conducted in India, Kenya, Moldova and Uganda over the course of 2020-2022 to share information on how COVID-19 has and is affecting family-child reunification, alternative care placement, and offers recommendations for family- and community-based care of vulnerable children in the context of COVID-19 and future emergencies.

Urgent Call to Action Regarding Ukrainian Children with Disabilities in Residential Care Institutions

Joint statement by the Committee on the Rights of the Child and the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities on Ukrainian children with disabilities

Joint statement by the Committee on the Rights of the Child and the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities on Ukrainian children with disabilities. They express concern about the thousands of Ukrainian children with disabilities who were living in residential institutions and have been evacuated from war zones to Western Ukraine or to other countries, as well as those who have remained in unsafe areas. In particular, they draw attention to children with high support requirements who are negatively affected by institutionalization.

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La historia de la evolución y transformación de Casa Eudes, dirigido por las Hermanas de Nuestra Señora de la Caridad del Buen Pastor, en Tijuana, México

Changing the Way We Care

Este estudio de caso destaca la transición de servicios de cuidado residencial a los basados en la familia y comunidad, realizado por las Hermanas de Nuestra Señora de la Caridad del Buen Pastor, en Tijuana B.C., México. 

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A Story of Transition of the Congregation of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd in Tijuana, Mexico

Changing the Way We Care

This case study highlights the transition of the Sisters of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd in Tijuana. It presents the highs and lows that come with a change process of moving from residential care to community-based services focused on family strengthening.

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La historia del proceso de transformación de Casa Eudes, a cargo de la Congregación de Nuestra Señora de la Caridad del Buen Pastor en Ciudad Juárez, México

Changing the Way We Care

Este estudio de caso destaca la transición de servicios de cuidado residencial a los basados en la familia y comunidad las realizado por las Hermanas de Nuestra Señora de la Caridad del Buen Pastor, en Ciudad Juárez, México. 

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The Transformation Process of Casa Eudes of the Congregation of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico

Changing the Way We Care

This case study highlights the transition of the Sisters of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd in Ciudad Juarez. It is an honest look at the emotional, logistical, and practical elements involved in transitioning from a residential care model which existed for more than 100 years to a provider of community-based and family-centered services.

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Child’s i Foundation Case Study: Tororo District Transformation

Child's i Foundation, Better Care Network

Based in Uganda, Child’s i Foundation successfully transitioned their residential programs before deciding to expand their vision and seek to bring about care reform to the entire district of Tororo. Partnering with the district level government and several CCIs, Child’s i Foundation carried out an extensive analysis and assessment of the Tororo region which provided information to guide the ensuing transitions of CCIs throughout the region.

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Transition Case Study: Alliance For Children Everywhere Zambia

Better Care Network, Alliance for Children Everywhere

Alliance for Children Everywhere (ACE) Zambia is a US-funded organization that transitioned from providing residential care in Zambia to pioneering family-based care, including foster care, and supporting other residential care service providers to transition. With important links to the Zambian government, ACE Zambia has been a key actor in supporting the development of policies, programs and guidelines that are now utilized across the country.

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