Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs): Institutionalization of Children and Alternative Family-Based Care Options for Children in Kenya

Association for Alternative Family Care of Children, in collaboration with the National Council for Children Services and Department of Children’s Services

This booklet emphasizes the importance of family based care for the care of orphaned and vulnerable children (OVC) in Kenya, provides answers to regularly asked questions, and lists current government efforts to support OVC, including the policy and legal frameworks and existing forms of family and community-based care.

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Analytical report: Consultation on unregulated provision for children in care and care leavers

Professor David Greatbatch and Sue Tate - Department for Education

The Department launched a consultation on the use of independent and semi-independent children's care settings that are not required to register with Ofsted (unregulated provision) as a matter of urgency, ahead of the Government’s anticipated wider care review. This report presents the key findings from an independent analysis of responses to the consultation.

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Exploring mechanisms of change in a dyadic relationship intervention for siblings in foster care

Jeffrey Waid, Brianne H. Kothari, Jessica A. Dahlgren, Bowen McBeath, Lew Bank - Child & Family Social Work

The current study aimed to identify the critical components of an efficacious dyadic relationship enhancement intervention for siblings in foster care through a secondary analysis of fidelity of implementation and trial outcome data.

Government response to Sir Martin Narey’s Independent Review of Residential Care

Department for Education

In July 2016, the UK government committed to implementing several recommendations laid out in Sir Martin Narey’s independent review of children’s residential care. This report sets out more detail on each of these recommendations and also sets out the government’s response to the recommendations in Sir Martin’s report.

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The place of residential care in the English child welfare system: Research report

Di Hart and Ivana La Valle (University of East London) with Lisa Holmes (CCfR, Loughborough University) - Department for Education

This rapid review of the literature on residential care for looked-after children in the UK aims to describe the use of residential care for children within the child welfare systems of England and other relevant countries; review the evidence on children’s outcomes from residential care; and review the quality of the evidence and identify gaps in the evidence base in order to inform future research priorities.

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Opportunities to improve the system of social protection of graduates of institutional institutions in Uzbekistan

Zaitov E. Kh, Abdukhalilov A. A - Academica: An International Multidisciplinary Research Journal

The article analyzes the results of a sociological study of the prospects for improving the system of social protection of graduates of institutional institutions in Uzbekistan.

Meta-Analyses of the Associations Between Disinhibited Social Engagement Behaviors and Child Attachment Insecurity or Disorganization

Lory Zephyr, Chantal Cyr, Sébastien Monette, Maude Archambault, Stine Lehmann & Helen Minnis - Research on Child and Adolescent Psychopathology

This meta-analysis aims to clarify the size of the associations between disinhibited social engagement behavior (DSEB) and attachment insecurity or disorganization.

Relationship-based practice and service system expertise to support young people transitioning from out-of-home care in Victoria: The Salvation Army Westcare Continuing Care program evaluation final report

Jade Purtell, Philip Mendes - Monash University Department of Social Work

This is the final report of the evaluation of the Salvation Army Westcare Continuing Care Program, which aimed to provide relationship-based support to assist the planning, preparation and support needs of young people during their transition from out-of-home care (OOHC) to independent living.

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Kinship Care in Pennsylvania: Creating an Equitable System for Families

Heidi Redlich Epstein, Lucy Johnston-Walsh, Jennifer Pokempner, Kathleen Creamer, Karissa Phelps - Penn State Dickinson Law IDEAS

"While Pennsylvania has made great strides in ensuring family preservation, placement with kin and the maintenance of kinship connections, there is an opportunity to identify strategies to increase these outcomes and become a national leader in putting families first," this report argues. The paper outlines concrete policy solutions that "can improve this trajectory, making Pennsylvania a model for other states [in the U.S.]."

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‘Private Family Arrangements’ for Children in Ireland: The Informal Grey Space In-Between State Care and the Family Home

Kenneth Burns, Conor O’Mahony, Rebekah Brennan - The British Journal of Social Work

This article explores evidence which shows that the use of ‘private family arrangements’ is motivated partly by a concern for subsidiarity, and partly by necessity: they provide a source of placements in cases where regulatory requirements and a lack of resources would otherwise make the placement challenging or impossible.

Traumatic Brain Injury, Abuse, and Poor Sustained Attention in Youth and Young Adults Who Previously Experienced Foster Care

Michael D. Cusimano, Stanley Zhang, Xin Y. Mei, Dana Kennedy, Ashirbani Saha, Melissa Carpino, and David Wolfe; on behalf of the Canadian Brain Injury and Violence Research Team - Neurotrauma Reports

The purpose of the present study was to identify the prevalence of traumatic brain injury (TBI), adverse childhood experiences (ACE), and poor sustained attention and the associations of these events in youth and young adults who previously experienced foster care.

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Network governance among actors involved in the government’s contracting out of foster care services: A case study in China

Wei Lu & Yanfeng Xu - International Journal of Social Welfare

To understand network governance among actors involved in contracting out foster care services, service funders, service providers, and service users were interviewed. A thematic analysis of interviews combined with a critical review of archival data was conducted.

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Building financial capability in youth transitioning from foster care to adulthood

Amy M. Salazar, Jacquelene M. Lopez, Sara S. Spiers, Sara Gutschmidt, Kathryn C. Monahan - Child & Family Social Work

This study assesses whether youth in foster care in the United States who are over age 18 have better financial capability and related supports compared with younger youth and whether there are associations between supports and financial capability.

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Stopping Out and its Impact on College Graduation Among a Sample of Foster Care Alumni: A Joint Scale-Change Accelerated Failure Time Analysis

Angelique G. Day, Richard J. Smith, Emiko A. Tajima - Journal of the Society for Social Work and Research

This study examines whether former foster youth are more likely to stop out of a 4-year university than low-income, first-generation students who did not experience out-of-home care.

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Young Teenagers’ Views Regarding Residential Care in Portugal and Spain: A Qualitative Study

Carme Montserrat, Paulo Delgado, Marta Garcia-Molsosa, João M. S. Carvalho and Joan Llosada-Gistau - Social Sciences

A qualitative study was designed highlighting the voices of children, analysing their fostering experience, interpersonal relationships, their participation in daily decisions, and future aspirations.

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Supporting the First 1,000 Days of A Child’s Life: An Anti-Racist Blueprint for Early Childhood Well-Being and Child Welfare Prevention

Alexandra Citrin, Siri Anderson, Valery Martínez, Ngozi Lawal, and Shadi Houshyar - Center for the Study of Social Policy

This report offers a blueprint for creating equity-centered, anti-racist policies that support the health and well-being of children and families of color.

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Tools for Working with Children in Institutional Care

Kshipra Marathe - Counsel to Secure Justice

This knowledge resource discusses and provides examples of practice tools and calming techniques (in English and Hindi) which counsellors and adults can use while working with children who are in institutional care. The paper reviews evidence on the impact of institutionalisation on children as well as evidence-based interventions that can help mitigate this impact.

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Building Bridges for Every Child: Reception, Care and Services to Support Unaccompanied Children in the United States

UNICEF

UNICEF’s new report, Building Bridges for Every Child: Reception, Care and Services to Support Unaccompanied Children in the United States, considers global discussions on adequate reception and care for unaccompanied migrant and asylum-seeking children. Following the journey of children traveling alone from northern Central America to the U.S. – entering, navigating and leaving the U.S. reception and care system and transitioning to community life – this report presents eight overarching recommendations for the realization of a better and more equitable system of care and support for every child.

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Has deinstitutionalization improved the situation of children in Bulgaria?

Joanna Rogers, Elayn M. Sammon, Luba Devetakova - UNICEF Bulgaria

UNICEF Bulgaria's project, "Family for Every Child," aimed to demonstrate that viable alternatives to institutionalization exist, and that as long as a network of suitable support services is in place, deinstitutionalization is achievable. UNICEF Bulgaria commissioned this evaluation to establish whether the project had been successful

Governing belonging through attachment: marriage migration and transnational adoption in Denmark

Mons Bissenbakker & Lene Myong - Ethnic and Racial Studies

Based on analysis of legal documents on family reunification and educational material concerning transnational adoption in Denmark, this article suggests that the concept of attachment may be conceptualized as a specific operationalization of belonging, and that belonging and biopower may be viewed as intertwined (rather than opposites).

A Systematic Review of Internet Communication Technology Use by Youth in Foster Care

Melanie Sage & Sebrena Jackson - Child and Adolescent Social Work Journal

This systematic narrative review of the literature reports on the experiences of foster youth regarding the use of Internet Communication Technologies (ICTs) such as social media, focusing only on studies that include youth voice.

Effectiveness of a Brief Preventive Parenting Intervention Based in Self-Determination Theory

Wendy S. Grolnick, Madeline R. Levitt, Alessandra J. Caruso & Rachel E. Lerner - Journal of Child and Family Studies

This study examined the effectiveness of a two-session preventive parenting intervention, the Parent Check-In. The intervention, grounded in Self-Determination Theory (SDT), is designed to facilitate adaptive parenting, specifically autonomy support, structure and involvement, and parenting efficacy, and to increase autonomous self-regulation and decrease behavior problems in children.

The Haitian orphanage crisis: Exporting neoliberal family ideals in the debate on vulnerable childhoods in Haiti

Diane M. Hoffman - Children & Society

This article offers a critical cultural reading of narratives on family reunification in Haiti in social media and advocacy discourse, revealing how this approach privileges Northern assumptions about proper parenting and family life.

The intersection between the Child Protection and Youth Justice systems in South Australia

BetterStart Child Health and Development Research Group, The University of Adelaide

The purpose of this research was to examine the overlap between the Youth Justice (YJ) and the Child Protection (CP) systems in Australia, and profile selected characteristics of children and young people who have YJ and CP system involvement.

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Impacts of Positive Parenting Intervention on Stress Management of Mothers Having Children with Intellectual Disability in Birhan Lehetsanat Rehabilitation Center, Addis Ababa

Tadele Zebrea, Belay Tefera, and Bhatara Mohit - European Journal of Molecular & Clinical Medicine

The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of the Positive Parenting Program (Triple-P) in enabling mothers to manage stress related to parenting a child with intellectual disability (ID).

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Psychosocial Dynamics in Attachment Styles Among Runaway Children

Srishti Kapoor, Kailash Panwar, Kshitija Wason - Institutionalised Children Explorations and Beyond

The present research study is an exploratory study to examine factors like lack of communication and attachment to parents, abuse, poverty and peer influence with a sample size of 100 runaway children (50 girls, 50 boys) residing in a non-governmental organisation in NCR, Delhi.

The Child Maltreatment Prevention Landscape: Where Are We Now, and Where Should We Go?

Brenda Jones Harden, Cassandra Simons, Michelle Johnson-Motoyama, Richard Barth - The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science

In this article, the authors trace how government responsibility for the prevention of child maltreatment became centered within the U.S. child protection response.

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Racial Disproportionality and Disparities in the Child Welfare System: Why Do They Exist, and What Can Be Done to Address Them?

Alan J. Dettlaff, Reiko Boyd - The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science

This article summarizes the causes of racial disproportionality, arguing that internal and external causes of disproportional involvement originate from a common underlying factor: structural and institutional racism that is both within child welfare systems and part of society at large.

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Arabic Version - Children, Isolation and Quarantine: Preventing Family Separation and Other Child Protection Considerations during the COVID-19 Pandemic

UNICEF

This document provides interim guidance for child protection and health actors in the context of quarantine and isolation measures to mitigate related child protection risks, minimize family separation, and promote family unity and social cohesion.

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Дети, изоляция и карантин: Предотвращение разлучения семьи и иные аспекты защиты детей во время пандемии COVID-19

UNICEF

Настоящий документ представляет собой временное руководство для субъектов в области защиты прав детей и в системе здравоохранения в контексте карантинно-изоляционных мероприятий с целью снижения рисков, связанных с защитой прав детей, минимизации случаев разлучения семей, а также содействия единству семей и социальной сплоченности.

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Los niños, el aislamiento y la cuarentena: prevención de la separación familiar y otros aspectos sobre la protección de la infancia durante la pandemia del COVID-19

UNICEF

En este documento se ofrece orientación provisional a los agentes de protección de la niñez y de la salud en el contexto de las medidas de cuarentena y aislamiento para mitigar los riesgos conexos de protección de la niñez, reducir al mínimo la separación familiar y promover la unidad familiar y la cohesión social.

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Enfants, isolement et quarantaine: Prévention de la séparation des familles et autres considérations relatives à la protection de l'enfance durant la pandémie de COVID-19

UNICEF

Le présent document fournit des orientations provisoires aux acteurs des secteurs de la protection de l’enfance et de la santé, dans le contexte des mesures de quarantaine et d’isolement, pour leur permettre d’atténuer les risques liés à la protection de l’enfance, de réduire au minimum la séparation des familles et de favoriser l’unité des familles et la cohésion sociale.

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The Contemporary U.S. Child Welfare System(s): Overview and Key Challenges

Lawrence M. Berger, Kristen S. Slack - The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science

This introduction sets a foundation for understanding the contents of this volume of The ANNALS, which aims to increase awareness among scholars, policy-makers, and practitioners of the size, scope, and functions of child welfare services in the United States.

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Child Welfare Financing: What Do We Fund, How, and What Could Be Improved?

Ron Haskins - The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science

This article provides an overview of the funding streams that finance the U.S. child welfare system, reviews the federal legislation since 1970 that has led to the current funding structure, and ends with a discussion of how the Family First Prevention Services Act of 2018 has the potential to create better outcomes for children and families by promoting prevention activities and program support with strong evidence of success.

The Evolution of Federal Child Welfare Policy through the Family First Prevention Services Act of 2018: Opportunities, Barriers, and Unintended Consequences

Mark F. Testa, David Kelly - The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science

This article considers how U.S. child welfare agencies can best leverage the opportunities presented by the Family First Prevention Services Act of 2018 while addressing potential barriers posed by the paucity of evidence-supported prevention programs and avoiding the unintended consequences of limiting reimbursement to only selective prevention services that meet rigorous evidence standards of effectiveness.

The UN Global Study on Children Deprived of Liberty: The Role of Academia in ‘Making the Invisible and Forgotten Visible’

Manfred Nowak and Manu Krishan - Crime Prevention and Justice in 2030

This chapter summarises the detailed findings of the United Nations Global Study on Children Deprived of Liberty and exemplifies the significant leading role of academia in ‘making the invisible and forgotten visible’ throughout the world.

Exploratory Research on the Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic in the Lives of Working Children and their Families

Kindernothilfe

This exploratory research led by Kindernothilfe between May – July 2020 shows how the challenges facing working children and their families have been exacerbated since the outbreak and it presents their recommendations for effective and relevant responses to the pandemic.

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The role of attachment to the foster parent with regard to suicidal risk among adult survivors of childhood maltreatment

Camille Danner Touati, Raphaële Miljkovitch, Aino Sirparanta, Anne-Sohpie Deborde - Child Abuse & Neglect

The aim of this study was to examine whether 1) attachment to the biological parents mediates the association between abuse and suicidal risk (SR) and 2) attachment to a foster parent (whether from a foster home or an institution) moderates the effect of attachment to biological parents on SR.