The current study examined the effects of implementing a new program model on the quality of relationships between direct care providers and residents in group care agencies. Children and Residential Experiences (CARE), an organization-wide program model that involves a range of structural change and staff-development activities, was implemented in 13 group care agencies in one Southeastern state. CARE implementation lasted three years and involved the application of six evidence-informed principles throughout the organization in order to create more therapeutic environments and improve the quality of care for children. We used a stepped-wedge design in which one cohort of agencies began CARE immediately and a second cohort waited 12 months before beginning, allowing them to serve as a comparison group during the waiting period. Children in each agency were surveyed annually about the perceived quality of their relationships with staff using a new instrument developed for this study. Results of a linear mixed model indicated that after accounting for clustering at the agency and cottage levels and controlling for several important covariates, child perceptions of relationship quality increased significantly in the three years after CARE implementation began. The strength of the CARE effect was stronger for residents with several previous placements, but did not differ by age, gender, race, length of stay, DSS referral, or problem behavior. Results provide evidence that supports the effectiveness of CARE as an intervention to help group care agencies improve the quality of children's daily interactions with caregiving staff, a critical aspect of their experience while living in care. The process requires a long-term commitment and an organization-wide focus on serving the best interests of children.
Charles V. Izzo, Elliott G. Smith, Deborah E. Sellers et al.
Childhood sexual abuse (CSA) can have major implications for child mental health on the short-term, but also for developmental outcomes later in life, especially when left untreated. Yet, there is no consensus about best practices in psychotherapy for child and adolescent CSA-victims. In this study, we therefore systematically reviewed existing literature on the effectiveness of different types of psychotherapy, as well as specific treatment components, for improving CSA-victims’ mental-health outcomes. We searched databases (PsycINFO, PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science) for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) examining effectiveness of psychotherapy for child or adolescent victims of CSA. This search yielded 32 RCTs testing effectiveness of cognitive behavioral therapy (with and without adaptation to CSA), trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy, group therapy, prolonged-exposure treatment, eye movement desensitization and reprocessing, and play therapy. For each type of psychotherapy, some studies demonstrated evidence for its effectiveness in improving CSA-victims’ mental health, but other studies did not. We also found some evidence that certain therapy approaches might be specifically effective for specific groups of clients, i.e., TF-CBT for highly vulnerable and traumatized clients, group therapy for girls, and briefer approaches for younger children. Regarding treatment components, trauma narration and pharmacotherapy appeared to enhance effectiveness of psychotherapy. A thorough comparison between studies was difficult, because control-groups and measured outcomes differed greatly. Therefore, the field needs more rigorous large-scale RCTs, with long-term follow-up and more uniformity in outcome measures, investigating the effectiveness of specific treatment components, to be able to draw evidence-based conclusions about best practices for CSA-victims.
Henny K. Tichelaar, Maja Deković, Joyce J. Endendijk
Foster children are at risk for becoming less well-adjusted in their social-emotional functioning due to possible abuse and neglect prior to placement. There is no consistent evidence that foster children’s social-emotional functioning improves in foster care, and externalizing behavior has specifically been linked to placement disruption. Investigations of foster children’s functioning over time and with multiple informants are scarce. Our first aim was to investigate foster children’s social-emotional functioning (externalizing, internalizing and total problem behavior) reported by female and male caregivers, as well as by teachers, at 8 years (T3) of age, as compared with a non-foster group. Our second aim was to investigate the predictive power of internalizing and externalizing behavior from age 2 (T1) and 3 years (T2). Results showed that foster children were reported to show more problem behavior at age 8 years compared to the comparison children, although their scores were within the normal range. Externalizing behavior reported by foster mothers at age 2 and 3 years, and by foster fathers at age 3, strongly predicted externalizing behavior at age 8 years. The results suggest that social-emotional functioning in early childhood predicts externalizing and internalizing behavior in middle childhood. This study highlights the clinical importance of investigating such behavior among young foster children in order to help them move towards a healthy developmental pathway in early school years.
Heidi Jacobsen, Hans Bugge Bergsund, Tore Wentzel‐Larsen et al.
The Children’s Commissioner is a statutory position created by the Children Act 2004. The Commissioner’s remit is to promote and protect children’s rights in accordance with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. In the Commissioner’s role, she has met and heard from parents of children with serious, and sometimes life limiting health conditions. Some of these parents have experienced high levels of often preventable stress and hardship because of inflexible working conditions, which has meant they have either left their jobs to care for their children or they are struggling to hold down work. Precarity in their parent’s employment has a significant effect on children whose wellbeing is intimately connected with their families. In her recent report, ‘Children waiting to leave hospital’ about children experiencing delayed discharge and prolonged hospital stays, the Children’s Commissioner found that within one generation of children born in or after 2007, 260,141 children spent over three weeks in hospital. Over a thousand (1,342) children spent over a year in hospital over their childhoods. Long hospital stays disproportionately affect children living in more deprived areas, and children from ethnic minority backgrounds. In conversations with parents and professionals, they detailed the financial consequences, including poverty, of long and recurrent hospital stays endured by seriously ill children.[i] This consultation seeks answers on how the proposed changes to carer’s leave and a new form of leave for parents of seriously ill children will impact employees with caring responsibilities and their employers. The office’s response sets out the positive impact the proposals will have specifically on parents with caring responsibilities for a child who is seriously ill and / or disabled. However, these proposals will also have a significant impact on individuals who need care from their loved ones – and notably for this office’s response – children growing up with disabilities and health conditions. These children may experience difficulty and pain because of their disability or health condition, be admitted to hospital, have time out of school and away from friends. And while children’s complex needs can unavoidably alter aspects of their childhood, it should never change the fundamentals of quality of life: Children should not miss out on is the love and care of their parents who are facing decisions between earning a living and caring for their child with complex needs; they should not face poverty and precarity as a result of inflexible working conditions; and they should not ever be made to feel like the financial challenges their families face are because of their parents’ caring responsibilities. Although this group is not considered within the consultation’s questions, how children will be affected by any changes made by the Department should be a key factor. The steps being proposed by the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade are welcome. Focusing on how carers can be better supported to stay in employment, providing stability for their families, is something the Children’s Commissioner called for in the report. It is a step forward in better supporting families, and children growing up with disabilities and health conditions that mean they need additional care. Looking ahead, more must be done across government, in particular in the NHS and children’s social care, to provide children with complex needs with more support, and a better quality of life. [i] Children’s Commissioner’s office, Children waiting to leave hospital, Link The post Response to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade’s consultation on employment rights for unpaid carers and parents of seriously ill children appeared first on Children's Commissioner for England.
Based on the General Aggression Model (GAM), this study which was crosssectional explored the relationship between VVGE and aggression in Chinese adolescents, taking into account the effects of individual difference trait (i.e., moral disengagement, anger, hostility) and family situation (i.e., parental rearing patterns). The study sample consisted of 630 Chinese adolescents (Mage = 15.43 years, SD = 1.40). Results showed that VVGE was positively associated with moral disengagement and adolescent aggression. Furthermore, when controlling for gender, moral disengagement played a partial mediating role between VVGE and adolescent aggression and physical aggression; anger and hostility played a partial mediating role between VVGE and physical aggression and a full mediating role between VVGE and verbal aggression. Father’s preference and mother’s denying of the parental rearing patterns moderated the relationship of moral disengagement on aggression. The findings suggest that moral disengagement, anger, hostility and parental rearing patterns may be the factors that increase in the risk of higher levels of adolescent aggression after repeated exposure violent video games.
The Department for Education (DfE) is consulting on proposed changes to the 16-19 performance measures they publish, which are uploaded online allowing parents, students and policymakers to compare schools and colleges based on standardised measures. The publication of performance measures enables parents and young people to make informed choices about their education. The measures also act as accountability measures for schools and colleges and may drive their practices. This response from the Children’s Commissioner aims to highlight that performance measures should enable child-centred education practices and outcomes. It focuses on consultation questions about the proposals which are focused on: Making 16-19 performance measures more consistent and comprehensive 16-19 English and maths progress measure and qualification achievement rates The post Response to the Department for Education consultation on proposals to improve 16-19 school and college performance measures appeared first on Children's Commissioner for England.
Purpose To explore the factors that differentiate trafficked homeless youth from not-trafficked homeless youth. Methods From November 2015–February 2017, homeless youth served by Covenant House New Jersey, aged 18–22, received a trafficking assessment. Youth were stratified based upon trafficking experience, and their responses to demographic and social history questions were examined for association with trafficking occurrence. Results Of 344 participants, 9.6% had a trafficking experience. Having an Individualized Education Program/504 plan was, for the first time in anti-trafficking literature, associated with a trafficking experience in bivariable analysis. IEP/504 plans are developed for school-aged children whose ability to succeed in traditional educational formats is challenged by learning, social, or functional problems. In the multivariable analysis, a history of arrest was associated with being trafficked while the presence of a supportive adult was associated with not being trafficked. Gender was not associated with a trafficking experience. Conclusions This study is the largest to specifically assess homeless youth's demographic and social variables for association with trafficking experience. Homeless youth who are and are not trafficked share similar life experiences, but those with a supportive adult in their life had lower odds of being trafficked. Building upon our research, future investigations exploring order of occurrence will elucidate the risk factors for and protective factors against trafficking among homeless youth, contributing to evidence-based prevention efforts.
Makini Chisolm‐Straker, Jeremy J. Sze, Julia Einbond et al.
The Big Conversation: In conversation with the Children’s Commissioner and her youth Ambassadors is my podcast series where I share the voices and views of England’s children. The podcast draws on themes children and young people have said are most important and will focus on the most important issues that are impacting young people’s lives, with solutions developed with children from across England. In Episode 15, Children’s Commissioner Youth Ambassadors, Penelope, Anna, Arianne, Fasanya, Sebastian and Temi speak to BBC Commissioning Editor, Melissa Harding, and Content Creator, Big Manny, about the children’s media landscape, edutainment – from Horrible Histories to science explainer videos, and the future of children’s TV. Tell the Children’s Commissioner what it’s like to be a child or young person in England today – what you love, what worries you, how you have fun, and the changes you want for a better future by having your say in The Big Future Survey: www.childrenscommissioner.gov.uk/the-big-future. #TheBigConversation #TheBigFuture Listen here or on Apple podcasts, Spotify and Amazon music/Audible: Children's Commissioner for England · The future of children’s TV and edutainment: BBC commissioning, social media content and youth voices – Melissa Harding, Big Manny Children and young people can have their say in The Big Future Survey. The post The future of children’s TV and edutainment: BBC commissioning, social media content and youth voices – Melissa Harding, Big Manny – The Big Conversation Podcast – Episode 15 appeared first on Children's Commissioner for England.
This report comes at a particular time in our national discussion around education. It is written with this moment in mind. This discussion focuses on the rising numbers of young people who are not in education, employment, or training (NEET), with proposals to fix this problem suggesting measures that reverberate all the way down the age range and throughout our education system. It is, of course, good that we are focusing on young NEETs. I hear so often from young people about their desires to get on in the labour market, and the current NEET crisis is felt in communities across the country. When young people from an area go away to university, only to return to limited employment opportunities, children notice. When their friends cannot find Saturday jobs, children notice. Employment is a children’s issue. But if we are going to focus on NEETs, we have to know who and where they are. Without that, you cannot begin to address the problem. You cannot know what might work. You cannot assess the impact of any interventions. As I considered this problem, I found myself thinking about one of the major concerns of my time as Children’s Commissioner: educational attendance. I firmly believe that education is the path to a good future for England’s children, and that everything begins with attendance. Over the last five years, the way we measure attendance in schools has dramatically improved with far more transparency and visibility where attendance is too low. This has been a crucial first step, although progress on actually improving attendance, particularly for severely absent children, has been far too slow. However, at the critical point, where children start their transition from education into the world of work, we lose that visibility. Further Education settings, where most children go when they leave school, are not required to collect or report attendance data like schools are. The national picture of attendance for FE is simply not where it should be. And so, I began to worry about one cohort in particular – what about those children who were on roll, but whose attendance was so low that they might as well not be? Who would even know about them? Precisely because the data collection is poor, this cohort is uniquely vulnerable in any proposed reforms. After all, they will show up in the data as ‘in education’. We could, in theory, achieve ‘NEET Zero’ and do nothing for this cohort. They would be, for all intents and purposes, ‘Hidden NEETs’, with all the negative impacts of being NEETs, yet none of the targeted interventions reaching them. And so, for the second time in two years, I used of my data powers under the Children Act on colleges; this time to request data from all colleges about their overall attendance levels. I wanted to see if there were indeed hidden NEETs, and if so, how many there were. I have found tens of thousands of these children. Children who, otherwise, would have simply slipped through the cracks, who existing data collections would not have taken into account, and whose very existence existing systems genuinely do not have the ability to understand. Understanding children like this is, in my view, the purpose of the Children’s Commissioner. This is, to my knowledge, the most comprehensive data set currently available on FE attendance, and the results are stark. Half of the children in colleges are persistently absent by the standards that we apply to schools. I hope that this data collection adds real light to the existing and fast-moving policy debate around NEETs in England. I hope it acts as a call for us to make sure that we have a full understanding of children’s lives. This data shows clearly that attendance recording in FE settings needs to improve, and that the Department for Education should act as soon as possible to ensure that it does so. As we are getting ready for a world in which a greater proportion of our young people across the nation attend an FE setting. We are fixing some of the quirks in FE policy to do so – such as fully funding college places. These fixes are useful, and overdue, but I believe that the Government must act urgently on FE attendance. We need to do far more to understand the reality of attendance at college, and it is mystifying to me that we have not done so already. I know how much this matters. As Alan Milburn’s recent report has highlighted, further education colleges are the primary institutional bridge for the most at risk young people. 40.9% of students aged 16 and 17 attend an FE or sixth form college. Young people with lower attainment and less advantaged socio-economic backgrounds are more likely to enrol in FE colleges at 16. There is no path to improving their outcomes that does not run squarely through understanding, standing with, and working together to improve, our FE sector. The post Hidden NEETs: The attendance of 16 and 17-year-olds in further education colleges in England appeared first on Children's Commissioner for England.
Young people suffering from mental health problems is a public health issue, and it is important to listen to adolescents’ views on the issues that affect their lives. This qualitative study describes adolescents’ perceptions of the prevalence of and public stigma towards mental health problems among young people. A total of 32 Swedish adolescents, aged 15–18 years old, took part in either semi-structured focus groups or individual interviews. The data were analyzed using systematic text condensation, resulting in three themes: Having mental health problems is the new normal; What others think of you affects you; If others lack experience and knowledge, they don’t respond well. The adolescents considered mental health problems to be common in young people and a normal feature of their lives. They displayed an in-depth understanding for reasons of the increase in mental health problems in young people, and factors such as pressure from school, stereotypical gender norms, rumors and prejudice were suggested as possible explanations for the increase, alongside improved openness about mental health problems. The adolescents’ perceptions of the stigmatization of mental health problems were consistent with a trifold definition of stigma, comprising stereotypes, prejudice and discrimination. The adolescents suggested that better education about mental health problems, and more inclusive gender norms, would help reduce stigma and improve young people’s mental health.
Veronica Hermann, Natalie Durbeej, Ann‐Christin Karlsson et al.
