Growing up in a nurturing environment is one of children's fundamental rights. For maltreated youth, both foster care and adoption are alternative care measures that may give them something they haven't had the chance to experience previously: secure and protective family care. However, as a temporary measure, abrupt transitions from foster care families to adoptive ones may feel disruptive to children and families alike. We propose to understand how transitions are perceived and experienced by everyone involved, under the Family-to-Family program, a practice model developed to assure the quality of the transitions, marking them as continuities instead of disruptions of caregiving. This project will integrate quantitative and qualitative methods within a participatory approach, and it is our expectation that findings will provide empirical support to the Family to Family program implementation and, more broadly to an evolved understanding of these transition processes, ensuring that every child’s journey into adoption is as supportive and seamless as possible.
Background/rationale Children and young people in residential care often face multiple, complex traumas, including the distress of being removed from familiar environments. Trauma-responsive care (TRC) offers a framework for understanding and responding to these experiences, yet there is no standardised TRC intervention specifically designed for children's homes in the UK. This lack of tailored guidance contributes to inconsistent care quality and limited support for staff and service providers. Objectives/aims The NEST Study aims to co-produce, pilot, and evaluate a trauma-responsive care intervention for children's homes through co-production and realist methods. NEST seeks to understand how, when, and why TRC interventions work for cared-for children and to develop an implementation toolkit that supports sector-wide improvement. Study design overview This multi-phase realist co-production study comprises three workstreams: 1. A Rapid Realist Review to develop an initial programme theory of TRC in residential settings. 2. Experience-Based Co-Design (EBCD) with children, staff, and stakeholders to co-create the intervention, in alignment with the programme theory. 3. A Realist Evaluation of the intervention across six children's homes in Northern England, followed by refinement of the implementation toolkit. Methods Up to 150 children and young people, 60 staff, and 30 stakeholders will participate. Mixed methods will include qualitative interviews, creative participatory techniques, and validated and adapted quantitative measures (e.g., SDQ, RCADS, ProQOL). Quantitative data will be analysed using descriptive statistics and regression modelling. All data will be analysed using realist logic to identify, refine and test context-mechanism-outcome configurations. The intervention will be piloted over 12 months. The interpretation of emerging findings will be supported by a Lived Experience Advisory Group and Stakeholder Advisory Board. Key outcomes and analyses Anticipated outcomes include a refined realist programme theory of TRC in homes for cared for children and an implementation toolkit for care providers to use. Wellbeing and quality of life measures will provide insights into the impact of the pilot for the children, young people and staff who experience the trauma-responsive care pilot throughout the evaluation process. Clinical Trial Registration identifier ISRCTN17921858.
Sarah Louise Parry, Geoff Wong, Steven Ariss et al.
Abstract Background Levels of physical activity (PA), sedentary behavior (SB), and sleep, as important determinants of children’s health and weight status, may have been significantly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. This cross-sectional study aimed to determine factors associated with parental perception of COVID-19 negative impact in PA, SB, and sleep during the COVID-19 period, and whether the parental perception of COVID-19 negative impact was associated with actual post-lockdown behavioral levels among 2nd and 3rd grade elementary school students in Croatia. Method Data was gathered on a nationally representative sample of Croatian children participating in the CroCOSI 2021/2022 study. The final sample consisted of 5438 children (male = 51.4%, female = 48.6%) aged 7 to 10 years ( M = 9.03, SD = 0.61). Risk and protective factors included children’s weight status, demographics, and socioeconomic status (SES) variables. Parents completed the paper surveys on children’s actual post-lockdown behavioral levels in PA, SB and sleep, and the perceived COVID-19 negative impact on these behaviors. Results Multinomial logistic regression models showed that the parental perception of negative COVID-19 impact on active play, screen time, and learning time was associated with various SES indicators, child-related variables, and degree of urbanization. Parents with high education levels were more likely to perceive a negative impact across all behaviors. Children of parents with high education compared to low had a higher likelihood of parental perception of COVID-19 negative impact on screen time (weekdays: OR = 0.48; CI = 0.40, 0.56; weekend: OR = 0.59; CI = 0.50, 0.70), learning time ( OR = 0.49; CI = 0.41, 0.58), and active play (weekdays: OR = 0.57; CI = 0.48, 0.68; weekend: OR = 0.71; CI = 0.59, 0.86), but also to a higher likelihood of parents perceiving positive changes in active play. On the other hand, lower perceived family wealth increased the odds of parental perception of COVID-19 negative impact on active play (weekdays: OR = 1.40; CI = 1.08, 1.81; weekends: OR = 1.42; CI = 1.10, 1.82) and screen time (weekdays: OR = 1.36; CI = 1.07, 1.74; weekends: OR = 1.51; CI = 1.19, 1.91), while on weekends it was also linked to perceived positive changes in screen time ( OR = 2.07; CI = 1.11, 3.83). Regarding the second study aim, complex samples of general linear models showed that the parental perception of negative COVID-19 impact was significantly associated with actual post-lockdown active play and screen time levels. A parental perception of COVID-19 negative impact on active play corresponded to about 12 min less active play per weekday and weekend day post-lockdown, while a parental perception of increased screen time was associated with about 12 min more screen time per weekday and 28 min more screen time per weekend day post-lockdown. Conclusion The study results suggest that the parental perception of COVID-19 impact on children’s movement behaviors varied according to sociodemographic factors of the children and their families, and was also associated with certain post-lockdown movement behavior in children. These findings highlight the need for targeted public health strategies that provide safe and accessible opportunities for play and physical activity while reducing excessive screen time. Continuous multisectoral efforts are important for promoting healthy lifestyles and preventing childhood obesity.
Tamara Balja, Helena Križan, Slaven Krtalić et al.
Refugees and forced migrants coming to the 'Global North' experience high rates of stress and isolation. Migrant communities are concerned about their young peoples' long-term health, educational and social outcomes; there are reports of their children being referred at higher rates with early developmental difficulties and subsequently learning difficulties and conditions such as autism. We argue that these distressing experiences are interconnected and understandable in context, and we would like to engage with these accounts as indicating a need for more understanding, debate, negotiation, opportunities, connections and resources. Parents from cultures where 'it takes a village to raise a child' may find it particularly challenging to bring up children in individualistic western societies when they also experience stress, trauma, isolation and environmental disadvantage. In a linked paper, we describe an Ecocultural model that seeks to explain challenges to parental wellbeing and early child development for Somali refugee families in its local and international context, and the development of a flexible approach to targeted, preventive peer support intervention we have called Find Your Village, which has the potential to meet these challenges. In this debate paper, we advocate for the development of culturally coordinated understanding and action, describing three 'pillars' to build a 'village' for migrant children and families in the Global North, and suggest resources and approaches that have the potential to stop cycles of disadvantage, provide multiple benefits, and save costs to society through co-production, inequality reduction and integration.
This study explores nursery teachers’ lived experiences of inclusion within mainstream early years classrooms in Northern Ireland (NI) over the past ten years. An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) approach was employed to examine how teachers experience and interpret inclusion within their everyday professional practice. Data were generated through eight semi-structured interviews (SSIs) with nursery teachers working across a range of statutory early years settings. IPA was selected to enable an in-depth exploration of participants’ lived experiences and the meanings they attribute to inclusion, moving beyond dominant research focusing on attitudes or barriers. The analysis identified that teachers’ experiences of inclusion are shaped by the interaction between personal values, professional identity, and wider structural and systemic influences. Participants described inclusion as emotionally and cognitively demanding work, involving ongoing interpretation and negotiation within contexts characterised by limited resources and support. Inclusion was frequently articulated through accounts of moral tension, particularly in relation to balancing the needs of individual children within group settings. Findings also indicate that inclusion is experienced as a values-based and ethical commitment, central to teachers’ professional identity, rather than as a procedural or curriculum-driven requirement. While tensions were evident between teachers’ commitment to inclusion and the constraints shaping their practice, participants’ accounts suggested a high level of professional skill, adaptability, and ethical engagement, which were often experienced as insufficiently recognised within the wider educational system. The study contributes to existing literature by providing a phenomenological account of inclusion as lived and interpreted within early years practice. It highlights the importance of recognising the relational, emotional, and systemic dimensions of inclusion, and demonstrates the need to consider teachers’ experiences in the development of policy and practice.
Pedagogies in early education should enable children with different characteristics, abilities, and backgrounds to access, participate, and learn. The objective of this study was to analyze the peer-reviewed literature on Teaching Strategies published from 2021 to 2026 to include practices that help promote Inclusive Education in Early Childhood. A descriptive-analytical literature review was conducted. Evidence was identified and selected following the PRISMA 2020 statement. The search was conducted in ERIC, SciELO, Dialnet, DOAJ, and academic publisher websites, while additional references were obtained by following bibliographic references. There were 96 records; after removing duplicates, checking for duplicates, and assessing them for inclusion, 30 studies were included in the synthesis. The results of the studies were organized into six themes: adaptations of learning experiences and accessibility, inclusive routines, play and peer interaction, integrated culturally responsive and anti-bias practices, and Assistive Technology. The most important findings focused on integrated routines and a form of supportive accompaniment, while Universal Design for Learning, peer mediation, and culturally responsive practices provided context and relevance dependent on teacher education. It was concluded that, in Early Education, inclusive practices become a reality by incorporating daily activities and providing collaborative support and institutional resources.
This record contains the dataset and supplementary materials of a systematic literature review examining how artificial intelligence (AI) applications used in school education relate to students' engagement, psychological and socio-emotional well-being, and self-regulated learning (SRL), the pedagogical and psychological mechanisms through which these effects are reported to occur, and the contextual, learner-related, teacher-related and technological conditions that shape them. The review covers early childhood, primary, lower and upper secondary, vocational and special education settings; higher education was excluded by design. Records were retrieved from Scopus, Web of Science, ERIC and APA PsycInfo (EBSCO) using a search string combining AI-related terms (e.g., artificial intelligence, machine learning, learning analytics, intelligent tutoring, adaptive learning, chatbots, conversational agents, generative AI, large language models), school-education and population terms, and well-being, emotional, motivational, engagement and self-regulation terms. After the application of formal filters (peer-reviewed journal articles, full-text availability, English or Italian language, publication year ≥ 2014), 4,304 records were retained; following duplicate removal, 3,624 records were screened by title and abstract, 130 full-text reports were assessed for eligibility, and 84 empirical studies were included. Screening was conducted independently by multiple reviewers, and inter-rater agreement data for both screening stages are provided. Annex A (Systematic Dataset) contains the extraction codebook, the PRISMA flow data with reasons for full-text exclusion, the bibliographic records exported from each database, the screening decisions at the first (title/abstract) and second (full-text) stages, the inter-rater agreement data, and the list of included articles. Annex B (Supplementary Material) contains the list of included studies (Table S1), the analytical codebook with operational definitions and inclusion/boundary rules (Table S2), the code-document matrices exported from ATLAS.ti for each research question and analytical domain, the characteristics of the included studies (geographical area, research methodology, AI system, educational context), and the outcome × mechanism co-occurrence analyses (absolute co-occurrence, conditional percentages, Jaccard similarity, phi coefficients, interpretive summary and heatmap data).
Beatrice Doria, Grazia De Angelis, Elena Dell’Aquila et al.
Introduction Research has consistently highlighted key pedagogical dynamics that shape children's engagement, exploration, and learning. Crucial elements include the flow of daily routines, opportunities for child agency and participation, and the intentional integration of indoor and outdoor learning contexts. The aim of this study was to use a person-centered approach to identify profiles of pedagogical dynamics in Portuguese ECEC contexts and to examine how these profiles relate to professionals’ perceived quality of the organization of the educational environment. Method We used the EduIn&Out Organization of ECEC Environments Questionnaire to explore educators’ characterization of their pedagogical dynamics (routine flow, children's agency, and the use of indoor and outdoor contexts) and explored educators’ perceptions of various aspects of the quality of ECEC environment, including the organization of the space, materials and equipment (both indoor and outdoor), time management and daily routines, family and child participation, coordination with the educational team and with the center's leadership. The questionnaire was completed by 757 Portuguese educators with experience in preschool education (ages 3 to 6). Latent profile analysis was used to identify profiles of pedagogical dynamics:. Results Four distinct profiles were identified, characterized by different combinations of pedagogical dynamics: (1) Constrained-Fragmented – unstable routines, predominantly adult-led activities, and indoor-centered practices; (2) Balanced-Neutral – moderately structured routines, balanced agency and balanced use of indoor and outdoor spaces; (3) Collaborative-Integrated – highly structured routines, collaborative agency and integrated indoor-outdoor practices; and (4) Participatory-Dynamic – dynamic routines, child-led agency and outdoor-oriented practices. Discussion Profiles characterized by more structured routines, collaborative or child-led agency, and greater integration of indoor and outdoor contexts were associated with higher perceived educational environment quality, highlighting the importance of coherent pedagogical dynamics for high-quality ECEC settings.
Natalie Nóbrega Santos, Mónica Pereira, Lourdes Mata et al.
Sleep regulation in children and adolescents relies on the interaction between homeostatic and circadian processes. The internal biological clock, located within the suprachiasmatic nuclei, is primarily synchronized by light. This light is detected by intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells (ipRGCs), which are highly sensitive to short-wavelength blue light. Evening exposure to LED lighting and electronic screens can suppress melatonin secretion, promoting sleep phase delay. Children and adolescents are exceptionally vulnerable to this effect due to both anatomical and developmental factors. Combined with cognitive arousal from social media and the Fear of Missing Out (FOMO), this creates a "perfect storm," resulting in behavioral bedtime procrastination and a natural shift toward an evening chronotype. While it is crucial to distinguish this common developmental and behavioral shift from a clinical disorder, cumulative circadian disruption and social jetlag remain significant risk factors for Delayed Sleep-Wake Phase Disorder (DSWPD). Furthermore, chronic sleep restriction exhibits observational associations with poorer academic performance, potential long-term metabolic disturbances (such as obesity and insulin resistance), and an elevated risk of mood disorders and depression. Available evidence highlights the critical importance of light hygiene, including limiting evening screen exposure and promoting morning natural light. Medical interventions, such as melatonin and chronotherapy, should be carefully reserved for severe clinical cases. Finally, future longitudinal studies utilizing personal light dosimetry are needed, alongside systemic solutions like delayed school start times, to protect pediatric sleep health.
Krzysztof Leś, Magdalena Kronenberg, Tomasz Męcik-Kronenberg
Purpose The purpose of this study is to describe the clinical presentation of the HLA-DRB1*15:01 positive non-anterior uveitis phenotype in paediatric uveitis and to determine if early markers that may indicate a possible risk of MS, white matter lesions on brain MRI and OCT RNFL or GCL thinning, are present in this subgroup.Methods In a cohort of 65 patients with non-infectious non-anterior paediatric uveitis patients we retrospectively characterized the uveitis phenotype based on underlying HLA-DRB1*15:01 genotype and described the clinical parameters on OCT and FA of 87 HLA-DRB1*15:01 negative and 37 HLA-DRB1*15:01 positive eyes.Results HLA-DRB1*15:01 positive patients had intermediate uveitis almost three times as often as HLA-DRB1*15:01 negative patients with uveitis (70.0% versus 24.4% respectively, p = 0.001). Cells in the anterior chamber were seen less often in HLA-DRB1*15:01 positive patients compared to in HLA-DRB1*15:01 negative patients (55.0% versus 90.7% respectively, p = 0.001). Meanwhile, vitreous floaters were found more frequently in HLA-DRB1*15:01-positive compared to -negative cases (80.0% versus 53.3% respectively, p = 0.041). Also, fern-like capillary leakage was almost twice as common in HLA-DRB1*15:01 positive compared to HLA-DRB1*15:01 negative patients (64.7% versus 34.1% respectively, p = 0.032). Multiple sclerosis developed in one HLA-DRB1*15:01 positive patient (5.0%), 15 years after intermediate uveitis was diagnosed.Conclusion The HLA-DRB1*15:01 allele is associated with intermediate uveitis in children, with absence of anterior chamber cells, presence of vitreous floaters and peripheral capillary fern-like leakage as distinct clinical features. At this point the usefulness of HLA-DRB1*15:01 typing for predicting the risk of multiple sclerosis is yet to be determined.
Jytte Hendrikse, Viera Kalinina Ayuso, Annette Ossewaarde‐van Norel et al.
