Search results for ‘Subject term:"looked after children"’ Sort:
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Longitudinal trajectories of behavioral problems among children in out-of-home care: a systematic review
- Authors:
- LEE Jane Jiyoun, HOLMES Lisa
- Journal article citation:
- Children and Youth Services Review, 127, 2021, p.106086.
- Publisher:
- Elsevier
While there are many studies that examine the adverse effects of behavior problems among children in out-of-home care, evidence to understand the cumulative evidence of factors that may change such behavioral paths is limited. Research indicates that children in out-of-home care tend to have higher levels of internalizing and externalizing symptoms, conduct disorders, depression levels, and suicidal behavior compared to children in the general population. To effectively mitigate the risk of behavioral maladjustment, it is important to determine variables that may change behavioral paths, and lead to better outcomes. To address this evidence gap, this study presents a narrative systematic review to examine the quantitative evidence on factors associated with behavioral development of children in out-of-home care. Findings from a total of 146 studies were extracted to investigate what the longitudinal trajectories of behavior problems for children in out-of-home care look like and what variables are associated with particular developmental paths. Results indicated that various individual and ecological variables significantly influence the level of problem behavior that developed over time. Evidence gaps, implications and recommendations for researchers, policy makers and practitioners are presented. (Edited publisher abstract)
Implementation of system-wide change in child welfare and behavioral health: the role of capacity, collaboration, and readiness for change
- Authors:
- WINTERS Andrew M., et al
- Journal article citation:
- Children and Youth Services Review, 108, 2020, p.104580.
- Publisher:
- Elsevier
Children who enter out-of-home care are at risk for trauma and behavioural problems, however the child welfare and behavioural health systems do not effectively communicate to provide evidenced-based treatment. This case study describes the implementation of an intervention to address these concerns. The project was driven by shared recognition in child welfare, behavioural health and their stakeholders that the system was not adequately identifying and responding to the behavioural health needs of children in out-of-home care. Utilising survey research, the study presents findings from four cohorts of child welfare and behavioural health staff as they began implementation of the intervention (N = 1370). Guided by the implementation stages framework, this five-year project was required to examine capacity, collaboration, and readiness in the needs assessment phase, and chose to identify these constructs as outcomes in themselves. As such, the researchers were able to trend data in their implementation teams and other periodic dissemination efforts to show progress and support recommendations for course correction as needed. This study revealed statistically significant differences in the perceptions of workers from each system in capacity for trauma-informed knowledge, collaboration (in the interaction between cohort and provider type), and organisational readiness for change. While the study found differences between cohorts and providers in the perception of these factors, it is certain that implementation in real world child welfare and behavioural health settings present a vast array of contextual factors that may influence them, both related to and totally external to the project being implemented. Leadership and policy change can facilitate growth in these implementation drivers throughout stages to full implementation and ultimately sustainability. (Edited publisher abstract)
A-Points in their favour
- Author:
- LOMBARD Daniel
- Journal article citation:
- Community Care, 1.9.11, 2011, pp.20-21.
- Publisher:
- Reed Business Information
Some children's homes use rewards to encourage good behaviour. The A-Points scheme used at Anderida Adolescent Care, which runs four units in East Sussex for teenagers with acute behavioural problems, is described. Critics of the approach also give their views.
Children with problematic sexualized behaviours in the child welfare system
- Authors:
- BAKER Amy J.L., et al
- Journal article citation:
- Child Welfare Journal, 87(1), 2008, pp.5-27.
- Publisher:
- Child Welfare League of America
This study assessed the utility of the Child Sexual Behaviour Inventory (CSBI) in a child welfare sample of 97 children aged ten to 12 from foster or boarding homes or a residential treatment centre. Researchers interviewed foster parents or primary therapists about children’s sexual behaviour, traumatic events, clinical symptoms and their attitudes towards the child. Findings revealed that problematic sexualised behaviours were more prevalent in the residential treatment centre (RTC) sample than in a normative sample. The pattern of associations between sexual behaviour problems, traumatic events and clinical syndromes in both the RTC and the foster boarding home samples was similar to what has been found in the samples in which biological custodial parents were the respondents. Analyses comparing youth who did and did not meet the criterion for problematic sexualised behaviours revealed that the groups differed on clinical symptoms, prior traumatic events and negative reports from caregivers. Results confirmed the utility of the CSBI measure for this population and highlight several important clinical and programmatic concerns for addressing problematic sexual behaviour in children in the child welfare system.
What would a good parent do?
- Author:
- CAMERON Sean
- Journal article citation:
- Children Now, 14.09.05, 2005, p.22.
- Publisher:
- Haymarket
Traditionally, the care system has focused on looking after children rather than actively parenting them. The author looks at how the staff at one residential children's home, Ingleside Children's Home in Croydon, have come up with the 'Pillars of Parenting' to help them examine ways of dealing with challenging behaviour and educational attainment.
Safe from harm? Youth self-report of physical assault in child welfare placements
- Authors:
- HELTON Jesse J., GOCHEZ-KERR Tatiana
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 36(3-4), 2021, pp.995-1004.
- Publisher:
- Sage
Although most child welfare placements receive a rigorous assessment and ongoing safety monitoring, it is still unclear which is safest in terms of physical abuse. Our goals for this study were to assess the relative risk of physical assault for different child welfare placements in a national sample of youth and examine that risk within placement types for children with various levels of behavioral problems. Unlike previous studies of assault prevalence, we constrained our analysis to youth self-reports of assaults within a current placement to increase validity. Data from the 2010 National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being (NSCAW II) were used. The final analytic sample included children 8-18 years of age at Wave 3 interview in 2012 (n = 1,302). Physical assault was measured using youth reports of being thrown at, shoved, slapped, beat-up, or stabbed, shot, or threatened with a knife or gun. Multiple bivariate contingency table analyses using Pearson χ2 tests and ordinal logistic regressions were used. Overall, 8% of youth reported a minor assault, 9% a serious assault, and 14% any assault. Ordinal logistic regression models showed that children with more severe behavioral problems were at increased odds of more serious physical assault (odds ratio [OR] = 1.03, 95% confidence interval [CI] = [1.01, 1.05]) and youth in adoptive homes were at decreased odds of assault (OR = 0.22, 95% CI = [0.03, 0.82]). Interaction effects showed that one point increase in behavioral problems resulted in increased odds of more serious assaults only for youth reunified with biological parents (OR = 1.11, p = .01) and youth living with traditional foster parents (OR = 1.06, p = .02). Our results indicate that permanent adoptive homes are the safest child welfare placements irrespective of child characteristics, which is supportive of recent efforts to increase number of youth exiting care to adoption. (Edited publisher abstract)
Program records as a source for program implementation assessment and youth outcomes predictors during residential care
- Authors:
- GROSS Thomas J., et al
- Journal article citation:
- Children and Youth Services Review, 58, 2015, pp.153-162.
- Publisher:
- Elsevier
This study used point card information from a residential programme to generate treatment fidelity metrics and determine if the metrics predicted youth outcomes after six months in care. Youth outcomes included staff (n = 52) and youth (n = 143) ratings, youth conduct records kept by the residential program's teaching-family homes and school records. Treatment fidelity metrics included the program components: (a) percentage of positive interactions, (b) number of privileges earned, and (c) a skills taught to interactions ratio. The percentage of positive interactions averaged 90% per youth; 76% of the point cards indicated that privileges were earned; and a variety of life skills were typically taught to the youth. The data from the treatment fidelity metrics supported that the programme was implemented consistent with program expectations. The range of implementation quality for each measured component was then used to predict youth outcomes. Increased percent of positive interactions predicted significantly decreased externalising behaviours as reported by staff and youth, and significantly fewer incidents of non-compliance and school problems as indicated on the program records. The skills ratio indicated similar trends across outcomes, although non-significant at the p < .01 level. Permanent products may be helpful to develop programme treatment fidelity metrics, which may be useful for monitoring implementation and may be associated with improved youth outcomes. (Edited publisher abstract)
Delivering the Incredible Years parent programme to foster carers in Wales: reflections from group leader supervision
- Author:
- HUTCHINGS Judy
- Journal article citation:
- Adoption and Fostering, 37(1), 2013, pp.28-42.
- Publisher:
- Sage
Growing numbers of children in the UK enter the care system with significant emotional and behavioural problems. The recent increase in numbers of children and the reduction in residential children’s homes have contributed to a growth in foster carer provision. As a result, carers are looking after more vulnerable children. Challenging child behaviours and carers’ lack of skill in dealing with them are the two most common reasons for placement breakdown and foster carers need comprehensive support and additional training to avoid this happening. This article describes carer-specific issues discussed during group leader supervision during a small platform trial of the Incredible Years (IY) parent programme delivered to foster carers in three local authorities in Wales (Bywater et al, 2010). The positive trial results, which are summarised, included reductions in children’s challenging behaviour and carer depression. Issues related to the specific challenges of looking after a fostered child, which were discussed by leaders in preparing for groups and raised by the carers attending, were explored and are presented here. The beneficial effects of the programme on child behaviour and carer mental health, coupled with carer and leader feedback, confirmed the relevance and effectiveness of the IY parent programme for dedicated foster carer groups. (Publisher abstract)
The SDQ as a mental health measurement tool in a Canadian sample of looked-after young people
- Author:
- MARQUIS Roby
- Journal article citation:
- Vulnerable Children and Youth Studies, 4(2), June 2009, pp.114-121.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
- Place of publication:
- Philadelphia, USA
The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) is used increasingly internationally in child welfare as a tool for mental-health screening, referral and outcome measurement. This study compared the SDQ scores, based on ratings by foster parents or other caregivers, of 492 young people aged 11-15 years and living in out-of-home care in Ontario, Canada, with normative SDQ scores, based on parental ratings, of a large sample of young people aged 11-15 years from the British general population. Of the Ontario looked-after young people, 57% were male and 43% female, with 86% residing in foster homes and 14% in group homes. As expected, a considerably higher proportion of the Ontario looked-after sample had SDQ scores in the at-risk range, compared with the British normative sample. The findings suggested that the SDQ is likely to prove useful as a mental health measurement tool in Canadian child welfare services.
Screening for trauma and behavioral health needs in child welfare: practice implications for promoting placement stability
- Authors:
- AKIN Becci A., et al
- Journal article citation:
- Child Abuse and Neglect, 122, 2021, p.105323.
- Publisher:
- Elsevier
Background: Although the child welfare field has initiated efforts to use standardized screening for trauma and behavioral health needs, research has rarely examined whether these screenings have influenced permanency outcomes. Objective: Using data from three states' federal demonstration projects, we examined whether receipt of trauma and behavioral health screening and results of screening were associated with placement stability (i.e., fewer placements). Our inquiry focused on whether similar patterns of statistical associations would be observed in three distinct state settings. Participants and setting: Samples comprised children in out-of-home care in three states newly implementing trauma and behavioral health screening. The states included a South Central state, New England state, and a Central Midwestern state. Results: In all three states, findings showed children who received screening had a higher number of placements (i.e., placement instability). Likewise, all three states found that children whose screening results indicated greater need, such as higher number of trauma symptoms or lower behavioral health functioning, were more likely to experience a higher number of placements (i.e., placement instability). Conclusion: Despite differences in screening tools and state-specific approaches, findings suggest that early screenings may provide important information that could be used to identify children's needs, make appropriate service referrals, establish well-matched placements, and support resource parents and birth parents toward better permanency outcomes. Regardless of potential benefits of early screening, it may be underutilized in the field. Future research is needed to replicate these findings and continue to build an evidence base for trauma and behavioral health screening. (Edited publisher abstract)