The article presents the results of developing and testing an integral assessment of the well-being of children in Russia. The authors build on an approach used by international organizations such as UNICEF and the OECD, which defines child well-being as a set of parameters that influence the lives of children now and in the future. Particular attention is paid to solving the research question of what indicators, given the availability and reliability of the empirical base, should be presented in the index of child well-being to cha- racterize its economic component. The Statistical Index of Child Well-Being (SICW), proposed by the authors, includes 27 indicators based on official statistics and the results of sample surveys of Rosstat, which allow for assessing the level of well-being of children in the regions of Russia. Each of the 27 indicators can be attributed to a specific domain and a specific type of results. The SICW's «material well-being» domain includes six indicators and indicators reflecting the availability of resources for a child and his family to achieve the ultimate goals of his development. The paper presents the results of testing the «material well-being» subindex based on data for 2020–2022 at the regional level. They make it possible to analyze the dynamics of this subindex, compare the levels of economic well-being of children in Russian regions, objectively evaluate achievements and highlight problems in ensuring children's well-being in general.
Good policy making for child well-being calls for government ministries, agencies and other service providers to better collaborate and focus on a small number of key child well-being issues. "Integrated policy making for child well-being: Common approaches and challenges ahead" takes stock of OECD countries’ recent initiatives to strengthen the integration of child well-being policies. It documents OECD countries’ experiences of implementing integrated policy plans for child well-being and child-specific policy tools, specifically child indicator sets, child impact assessments and child budgeting. It lays out the challenges facing countries as they work to push the child well-being policy agenda forward and discusses what countries can do to become more effective. Pursuing efforts to strengthen the integration of child well-being policies is costly. Accordingly, it’s important for countries to proactively consider the arising challenges and to look at options to overcome or avoid altogether the common pitfalls.
Aims and objectives: The aim of this scoping review is to investigate the association between bilingualism in the family and child subjective well-being, by reviewing the literature to identify key themes to date and remaining questions for future research. Methodology: Scopus, Web of Knowledge, ERIC, Psych Articles and PsychInfo were searched systematically between September and October 2018, and after title, abstract and full-text screening, 17 of the initial 1433 articles were included in this review. Data and analysis: Each study was coded for the discipline from which it emerged, the language combination studied, the measures of well-being and language proficiency it used, the geographical location of the study and the number of participants. Data on the link between bilingualism and well-being was extracted from each study. Findings and conclusion: Two main themes were identified: ‘The effect of language proficiency on family relationships’ and ‘The acculturation of parents and children as mediated by language’. Across studies, there was significant heterogeneity in definition of concepts and a diverse range of measures employed. In addition, the studies identified suggest a positive link between minority language maintenance and child well-being, and a positive influence of bilingualism, rather than knowledge of only the home or the majority language. However, the directionality of these relationships will need to be investigated in future research. Originality: This is the first scoping review conducted systematically to explore the link between bilingualism in the family and child well-being internationally. It builds on previous work such as a narrative review which examined this association in the European context.
Lisa‐Maria Müller, Katie Howard, Elspeth Wilson et al.
This policy brief provides an overview of the child labour situation in the Republic of Serbia, presenting key findings, conclusions and recommendations derived from multiple sources.
AbstractThis study focuses on Switzerland where child-care is limited in offer and costly. It examines what child-care patterns parents of 0- to 4-years old children use; and, how different arrangements relate to several domains of mothers’ and fathers’ cognitive and affective subjective well-being (SWB). A major contribution of the present study is the distinction between child-care provided by parents, grandparents, relatives, formal institutions and mixed arrangements. Based on data from the Swiss Household Panel (SHP) from 2002 to 2017, multilevel regression models are applied to estimate the relationship between child-care arrangements and both parents’ SWB. The results demonstrate that grandparental care relates positively to both parents’ SWB: Compared to grandparental child-care, relatives and formal or mixed child-care arrangements tend to decrease most of the satisfaction dimensions. Formal child-care and child-care provided by relatives as well as mixed arrangements relate to a decrease in positive affect. Negative affect is not significantly associated to the different child-care arrangements.
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.
