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• Permanent supportive housing (PSH) is one setting which aims to provide stability and community to those who have experienced homelessness. • PSH has not been widely studied with young adults. • This paper uses mixed method to explore how young adult residents experience psychological sense of community (PSOC) before and after moving into PSH. • We find that building community takes time and requires opportunities for voices to be heard, along with ongoing personal growth (often related to substance use recovery). • Future PSH settings for young people should consider how to support residents in their individual journeys, and in building community. Amidst chronic stressors and ongoing instability, many young people who have experienced homelessness and housing instability find communities and settings which offer support and care. Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) is one setting which aims to provide stability and community to those who have experienced homelessness, but it has not been widely studied with young adults (ages 18–25 upon moving into PSH). This paper employs a longitudinal convergent mixed methods approach – with quantitative and qualitative survey data over 1.5 years – to explore how young adult residents (N = 27 at T1; N = 20 at T2, N = 13 at T3) experience sense of community before and after moving into PSH. Using McMillan and Chavis' (1986) four-part Psychological Sense of Community (PSOC) framework to frame data collection and analysis, we find that residents' sense of community is shaped by an ongoing negotiation of personal and collective needs. Building community takes time and requires opportunities for voices to be heard (and shape change), along with ongoing personal growth – especially related to substance use recovery. Our findings offer insights for future PSH settings for young people – as well as other residential and community settings which aim to support young people. We suggest the need for future research which explores the tension of policy decision making, about substance use for example, in low-barrier support services like PSH. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Participatory research approaches offer new opportunities for studying mentoring and social capital. • Presents experiences with two user groups: mentoring practitioners and migrant youth (mentees). • Challenges in youth understanding and meaningful engagement. • Challenges in practitioner blending of roles and resource constraints. • Close researcher-practitioner collaboration provided benefits for the mentoring organization, as well as meaningful participation and benefits for a few of the youth. Participatory approaches have gained broad interest among researchers as a vehicle for allowing participants' experiences and voices to inform research, beyond simply being a source of data. However, participants in mentoring programs, particularly young people, often are not included in research partnerships in a meaningful way. Additionally, practitioners often struggle to translate research findings into program improvements. This paper examines the experiences of a research team collaborating with two user groups: mentoring practitioners, and youth with migrant and refugee backgrounds participating in mentoring programs. With ambitions for meaningful user involvement, our aim was to develop and test a digital intervention for supporting social capital in mentoring. The paper draws primarily upon participant observation and qualitative data from a focus group and panel discussions. While youth voices did inform and shape the research, we also experienced challenges related to youth understanding and engagement. The adult practitioners participated actively but encountered tensions due to their dual roles as co-researchers and mentoring professionals, and resource constraints. Ultimately, a close collaboration enabled the co-creation of adaptations to our research approaches, allowing meaningful participation for some of the youth, and facilitating program changes. This paper offers lessons for researchers wishing to conduct participatory research in the context of youth mentoring, as well as specific suggestions for those studying social capital. It contributes to the discussion on participatory approaches with multicultural youth, presenting critical reflections on our experiences within this mentoring context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Young people are rarely included in research & policy that affect their lives. • We conducted youth participatory action research with youth in Cleveland, Ohio. • We show how engaging with youth across all stages of research enriches the work. • Our collaborative research highlights challenges to youth well-being. Research on youth well-being is often driven by adult researcher voices, while youth experiences are neglected. Youth participatory action research (YPAR) is a distinct and powerful approach to capture youth experiences unique to particular social settings and leverage these voices to produce action and change through research. YPAR can be used to challenge oppression, mitigate the researcher-participant hierarchy, and build a social justice-oriented methodology, particularly when it uses a critical and intersectionality lens, rooted in a wider understanding of racial oppression. This methodology paper analyzes our Youth Lens methodology, which uses Critical YPAR to explore African American youth perceptions of how the neighborhood environment shapes health and well-being in Cleveland, Ohio. We describe, in detail, our methodology which was used to examine the history of redlining and systemic racism in the city and how it has driven present-day health and socioeconomic disparities. Further, we reflect in this paper not only on the methodology, but on our own role in the research. We end with implications for collaborative research with youth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The factors that inhibit and promote professional interventions with young adults refer to social, formal-structural, and personal factors. Nevertheless, studies of these factors from social workers' perspective, and research of the inhibitors associated with the socio-cultural context of minority young adults, are few. The aim of the present study was to examine social workers' perceptions of the factors that inhibit and promote interventions in the socio-cultural and formal-structural context of at-risk young Arab-Palestinian women in Israel, who are at an intersection of marginal positions. Semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with 21 social workers. The findings revealed two themes: 1) Social workers' perceptions of the challenges in two dimensions, a) socio-cultural factors which include family centrality in the young women's life, and b) formal-structural inhibitors. 2) Promoting factors which include professional values and the need for cooperation between organizations themselves and with recipients of the services The findings were reviewed according to the intersectional invisibility model, and were based on the concept of institutional discrimination, which showed that at-risk young Arab women experience an intersectional invisibility of their identities and, at the same time, the social workers experience a conflicting situation within the wider context of intersectional discrimination. The paper concludes with recommendations to practitioners and policymakers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract This paper aims to explore the challenges to youth work in capturing the voices of young people in a meaningful way within Meitheal and the Child and Family Support Networks model (Meitheal). This is a prevention and early intervention model for statutory and non-statutory agencies working with children, young people and families. This paper, within the context of Meitheal, will explore how best to achieve positive outcomes for young people, and identify what are the barriers which inhibit their full participation in this model. A total of 16 youth workers completed semi-structured interviews that were transcribed and analysed using inductive thematic analysis. The analysis identified three themes: 'Role of youth work in Meitheal', 'Barriers and facilitators of adolescent voices in Meitheal' and 'The young person'. The study found that youth workers recognise advocacy and support of young people as a key role for their profession within models of prevention and early intervention. Barriers to adolescents' active engagement in Meitheal were the formal structure and agenda, but also the need to achieve outcomes in exchange of professional validation. Youth workers are also concerned about the nature of young people's participation as being fully participatory and voluntary in the process, whilst questioning if their voices are truly being included in a meaningful way. Highlights • Youth workers' role within Meitheal is one of support and advocacy of the young person. • The structured and formal setting of Meitheal challenged the participation of young people. • Meitheal can be unsettling and difficult for young people, this limits their involvement as true partners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Beneficial help relationships go beyond formal professional practice. • Peers and friends are central to youths' beneficial help seeking trajectories. • Family gestures and home practices are embedded in beneficial help relationships. The literature on help engagement of commercially sexually exploited youth has tended to focus on the challenges of such relationships and has been mostly grounded in studies of professional help relations from professional perspectives. This study is part of a large-scale study on help seeking and help related experiences from the perspectives of commercially sexually exploited youth (CSEY). This paper focuses specifically on the beneficial characteristics of help as seen by CSEY. Fifty commercially sexually exploited youths, in the present or in the past. In-depth semi-structured interviews, conducted and analyzed in accordance with the principles of Constructivist Grounded Theory. The study identified four characteristics of beneficial help that were salient both to help relations with professionals and in relations with peers and friends: Continuity and long-term ties; Sharing similarities; brokering help by others; "doing family," and "performing home." The significance of the various help experiences appeared to be more a function of how the help was provided and the nature of the relationship, rather than whether it was provided by formal or informal helpers. Nonetheless, the study underscores the critical importance of care and support by peers and friends and calls for further examination of the ways these might be integrated into services and programs for youths who are subject to commercial sexual exploitation. It also cautions not to "professionalize" informal friendships. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Participants reporting moral injury described a re-orientation of their narratives through meaning making. • Hope, gratitude, forgiveness and courage were themes in the re-orientation of morally injurious narratives. • Supportive relationships, engagement with spiritual beliefs and practices, and prosocial engagement supported narrative re-orientation. • Participants' advice highlighted the need to enhance foster youths' relationships with professionals and care providers. This paper is the second in a series of papers from a mixed methods study examining moral injury in childhood and adolescence as described by emerging adults with histories of child welfare involvement. This paper focuses on the ways emerging adults may alleviate their moral injury, grow and develop. Twenty -eight emerging adults (18–26 years) who reported exposure to morally injurious events during childhood or adolescence on a modified version of the Moral Injury Events Scale (MIES; Nash et al., 2013) participated in life story interviews. Life story analyses of psychosocial contexts considered resiliency, especially any re-orientation of participants' narratives of moral injury away from the anomie, guilt, shame, and rage characteristic of moral injury, and towards themes such as hope, forgiveness, and gratitude. In addition, psychosocial-spiritual contexts that may support these shifts in meaning were explored through thematic analyses. Findings indicate that supportive relationships, especially with caring adults, engagement with spirituality, and access to prosocial activities provide foster youth with opportunities to re-orient their moral injury narratives, and provide a foundation on which to build towards recovery. Implications for policy, practice and research are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Child protection system building in the Middle-East and North Africa is under-researched. • Lebanon's child protection system has undergone significant reform since 2015, moving towards a more integrated, procedural, and standardised model. • Unifying state, non-governmental, and religious stakeholders under one framework however remains challenging. • This paper recommends greater inclusion of community-based protection mechanisms and reengagement with religious family courts. Lebanon's fledgling child protection (CP) system has been criticised for being fragmented and overly crisis-driven to the detriment of the children served. This article conceptualises Lebanon's 'pluralistic' model and is the first to examine the contentious government reforms which have taken place since 2014. Drawing on 54 semi-structured stakeholder interviews, we examine how the state has wrested power from religious authorities, introduced national CP practice standards, and increased supervision of non-governmental services. This paper argues that these reforms have moved Lebanon further towards an integrated, legalistic and procedural CP approach. However, unresolved challenges remain to reconcile the competing roles, interests and capabilities of the state, the non-governmental sector, and religious authorities under one cohesive framework. This paper recommends strengthening support for the non-governmental sector, improving inclusion of community-based protection mechanisms, and reengagement with religious family courts to better meet the needs of children. The study not only has important implications for the development of Lebanon's protection system but also for the theories and practice debates surrounding system building in low and middle-income countries and the Middle-East and North African region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective This paper builds upon the analyses presented in three companion papers using data from the 2003 and 2008 cycles of the Canadian Incidence Study of Reported Child Abuse and Neglect (CIS-2003 and CIS-2008) and the Ontario Child Abuse and Neglect Data System (OCANDS) to examine disproportionality and disparity of child welfare involvement for Asian-Canadian children involved in the child welfare system. Methods This study used CIS-2008 data adjusted by Census child population data to examine rates per 1000 and three disparity indexes (population-based disparity index [PDI], decision-based disparity index [DDI], and maltreatment-based disparity index [MDI]) to determine the representation of child maltreatment investigations for Asian-Canadian versus White-Canadian children involved in the child welfare system. Logistic regression analyses were conducted to determine the odds of case closure for substantiated child maltreatment investigations, and whether Asian ethnicity remained significant while controlling for child demographics and household composition, case characteristics, and clinical concerns. Results This study found that Asian-Canadian children were underrepresented in the child welfare system compared to White-Canadian children (13.9 per 1000 Asian children in the Canadian population vs. 36.1 per 1000 White children in the Canadian population). Child welfare involvement for Asian-Canadian children are almost 2 times more likely to close after an investigation than White-Canadian children. The three disparity indexes (PDI, DDI, MDI) showed substantially different results with respect to the representation of child maltreatment investigations involving Asian-Canadian versus White-Canadian children for physical abuse, sexual abuse, neglect, emotional maltreatment, and exposure to domestic violence. Conclusions Disproportionality and disparity are complex phenomena. The variation in results derived from different methods of calculating representation suggests the need for greater clarity and consistency in the definitions and methodology in examining racial disparity in child welfare research. Some methodological considerations for future child welfare research with Asian-Canadian populations were discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Increased collaboration between the social services and psychiatric care is needed for young people in out-of-home care. • Out-of-home care - more containment than support to undergo change. • Experiences of liminality induce hopes and fears. • Lack of influence of the placement's duration and content. The objective of this paper is to further the understanding of young people's experiences of out-of-home care (OHC). The focus will be on the tension between negative and positive experiences of OHC, refracted through the concept of liminality. The study is based on semi-structured interviews with 10 young people aged 15–22 (7 women, 3 men) with long-term contact with social services and psychiatric care. OHC can be experienced as a liminal space in both a negative and a positive sense. It is negative when perceived as containment rather than meaningful treatment. It can also be a negative experience when connected to fear, a lack of influence, and uncertainty in terms of being in between the social services and psychiatric care. It is positive when it is perceived as a turning point that enables positive change. It is then connected to feelings of meaningfulness, being respected, hope, and empowerment. The young people participating in the study also connect their experiences of OHC to a context of greater austerity in the welfare state. They reflect upon the benfits of OHC in terms of costs for society, but also the costs for the young person if the OHC is not perceived as meaningful support leading towards positive change. The participants have complex, interrelated needs and problems, and they also experience institutional gaps between psychiatric care and social services. It is important to overcome these gaps, so that young people are not located in 'in-between spaces' in terms of service provision. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is a response to Bywaters' (2015) critique of our paper on ‘Cumulative Jeopardy’ (Brown & Ward, 2014), in which we presented data showing a mismatch between timeframes for early childhood development and responses to evidence of abuse and neglect from professionals with safeguarding responsibilities. Bywaters (2015) claims that the study on which it is based is flawed on methodological, empirical, conceptual and ethical grounds. This paper explores each of these grounds for criticism and refutes them. We point out that Bywaters' calculations are inaccurate and lead him to exaggerate the methodological weaknesses of our study. Bywaters argues that we should have collected additional empirical data on deprivation factors; but this would not have significantly improved our classification of risk of future harm or altered our key findings. These show that a high proportion of children in the sample were not adequately safeguarded from harm, an issue that Bywaters ignores. Instead, he asserts that we have an ideological bias towards separation, and this forms the basis for much of his conceptual and ethical criticism. We reject this argument, pointing out that the study focused on those infants who were at greatest risk of compromised development, injury and death from maltreatment, and that these are the babies for whom the fundamental question is whether or not they can safely remain at home. We do not interpret our data as necessarily indicating that more children should come into care, as Bywaters claims, but that more needs to be done to safeguard them from harm, whether they are living with birth parents or placed permanently away from home. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is based on analysis of data collected for a study, commissioned by the Scottish Government, which examined child protection work with disabled children. At a conceptual level, the paper draws on Goffman's frame analysis and on different models of disability. Focus groups were conducted with five Child Protection Committees (40 individuals) and semi-structured interviews with a further 21 practitioners from social work, education, health services, third sector organisations and the police. The findings show that, for various reasons, abuse of disabled children may go undetected. Where it is suspected, effective action does not always follow, for example, where practitioners over-empathise with parents. When child protection work is undertaken, disabled children may remain relatively invisible in terms of participation and professional focus. It is suggested that the ways in which practitioners and managers “frame” disabled children has implications for how abuse is responded to and how well these children are protected. Participants also “framed” disability in different ways, and it is suggested that a social relational model seems particularly applicable. In conclusion, in many respects disabled children experiencing abuse may remain absent from or to some extent hidden within child protection services in Scotland. While some creative work is taking place, considerable changes are required to make child protection services accessible to all disabled children, sensitive to their needs and respectful of their rights. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Young adult men who have spent time in the juvenile justice system, who are disproportionately young men of color, are at high risk for re-incarceration, violent victimization, and premature mortality. Different from their same-aged peers, the transition to adulthood among formerly incarcerated young men is often focused on economic and physical survival, rather than on exploration and gradual independence. In this paper, the authors use a qualitative, narrative methodology to examine formerly incarcerated young men's perceptions of neighborhood risks and the strategies that they use to navigate these risks in their daily lives. Seventeen formerly incarcerated young men from Los Angeles County, ages 19–24, participated in two in-depth interviews and a neighborhood mapping exercise. The authors find that perceptions of risks clustered around the major areas of gang violence, guns, and police presence. Strategies to contend with these risks fell into three main patterns: 1) avoiding dangers and diversions; 2) calculated risk taking; and 3) running and hiding. Each of these strategies entailed a set of consequences for the overall well-being of these young men. This paper is significant in that it reframes the discourse concerning a notoriously high risk group to one of a risky playing field in which every day decisions contribute to strategies for survival. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Protocol for a study of quality improvement in Australian ECEC services. • A sequential three-phase mixed-methods design informed by ecological systems theory. • Research-industry partnerships with government authorities and early childhood researchers. • Scale and depth in sample identification, data selection and analytical techniques. International recognition of the early years as a crucial foundational period has led to the design and implementation of quality rating and improvement systems (QRIS) that define, communicate, and monitor the components of quality in early childhood education and care (ECEC). The aim of these policies is to achieve effective quality assurance and improvement through a system-oriented approach to assessment and evaluation. Informed by ecological systems theory, this paper outlines a three-phase, mixed-methods design for researching a national sample of child care centres that showed overall improvement on the Australian National Quality Standard (NQS) assessment and rating (A&R) criteria. The study samples are drawn from a national dataset of centre-based child care services with two or more A&R rounds and an initial rating of Working Towards NQS (N = 1,935). The results of this study will provide insights into the macro-, exo-, meso- and micro-systems level factors and strategies that support quality in ECEC services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Soviet extracurricular education system provided universal access and equality of extracurricular activities for all children; • After the collapse of the USSR, educational inequality in extracurricular education exponentially increased: territorial and financial accessibility of extracurricular activities decreased, as well as the enrollment rate – on average up to 40% in all 15 former Soviet republics; • There is a gender asymmetry in participation in extracurricular activities, which was not relevant for the Soviet period; • After the USSR's collapse, extracurricular activities became available for children with disabilities and special educational needs: the focus on inclusion is still weak, but it is gradually becoming a trend in the public and private sectors; • Post-Soviet transition has led to more excellent serviceability and competitiveness of extracurricular programs, which try to consider the needs of families and children and integrate into the global and national education development agenda. Broad access to educational services and a universal enrolment policy were declared crucial elements of the Soviet extracurricular education model. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the process of transforming the Soviet model of extracurricular education began. This process included changes in management and financing mechanisms, the structure and scope of the network, and content and ideas. These changes have had a significant negative impact on the equality of opportunities for children in terms of participating in extracurricular activities. The main purpose of this paper is to analyse the above-mentioned inequality in different aspects: territorial, gender and socio-economic. We are also interested in the representation of this problem in the educational policy agendas of post-Soviet countries. We use three data sources: regulation documents, national and departmental statistics, and semi-structured interviews with leading experts and heads of national organisations of extracurricular education in all 15 countries of the former Soviet Union. In addition, we identify common and specific features in the structure and factors of inequality in extracurricular education in post-Soviet countries. Despite the general increase in inequality, we observed increased client orientation and inclusivity in the extracurricular sector. We also note the trend of expanding access opportunities in some countries. We discuss the role of extracurricular educational inequality as a part of broader educational and socio-economic formation and development of inequality in the post-Soviet space. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Adaptation and validation the scale of Positive Parental Practices for children 0- to 3 years. • Exploratory and Confirmatory Factor Analysis were performed with 950 participants. • This study provides the standardization of the Spanish scale scores in parental competences. • The final version for the Spanish population is composed of 27 items and 7 subscales. • This scale is considered useful for assessing parental competences in parents of young children. This study aims to adapt and validate the scale of Positive Parental Practices of the Caregiver (SP + C), in the version for children from 0 to 3 years. First, the process of cross-cultural adaptation was performed. Subsequently, for the validation of the scale, we analyzed a sample of 950 participants, with children aged between 0 and 3 years. The participants' native language was Spanish or it was the language spoken at home. Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) was performed with Sample 1 (n = 483 participants), yielding 7 factors: Daily Involvement, Mentalization, Sensitivity, Promoting Learning, Attention and Organization of Daily Life, Monitoring of Parental Activity, and Parental Self-Care. Confirmatory Factory Analysis (CFA) was performed with Sample 2 (n = 467), which confirmed the factor structure of the scale. Reliability analysis showed that the scale had an adequate internal consistency. To determine criterion validity, bivariate correlations were calculated with other variables that evaluate parental competence, expecting to find significant positive relationships between them. This paper provides the standardization of the Spanish scale scores. In conclusion, the final validated scale is composed of 27 items and 7 subscales, with adequate psychometric properties. It is considered useful for the evaluation of parental competences in parents of young children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The paper explores the treatment effect associated with a placement prevention program. • Novel methodological approaches are undertaken to address selection bias. • Intercept prevented placement with a sustained effect 12 months after services ended. In this paper, we describe our assessment of whether Youth Villages' Intercept program had a demonstrable impact on the likelihood a young person will be placed in out-of-home care given the young person was at risk of placement by virtue of having been the subject of an investigation for maltreatment. Intercept is an integrated approach to intensive in-home parenting skill development that offers a variety of evidence-based and best practices to meet the individualized needs of a family and young person. Intercept staff work with families with children who are at risk of entry into state custody (i.e. foster care) to prevent placement. Using a quasi-experimental design with exact matching, we found that Intercept did reduce the risk of placement into foster care following a maltreatment report. In addition, we found that the treatment effect was particularly strong during the first six months after maltreatment report was made. We also found sustained effects after treatment ended. The findings are considered alongside other evidence that speaks to the efficacy of placement prevention programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is limited literature on the processes of choice-making in families of young people with learning disabilities. This paper examines the factors considered by parents of young people with learning disabilities when deciding their own and their child's role in a range of significant choices (health, social care and education) about their child's life. The paper reports data collected from a sub-sample of 14 parents recruited from 11 families participating in a longitudinal (2007–2010) qualitative study based in England. The parents all had children with learning disabilities and participated throughout the study. Data were collected over three semi-structured interviews. Parents' accounts demonstrated a continuum of parental involvement ranging from young people being unaware a choice was taking place to young people being fully involved in choice-making. Parents did not always adopt the same approach to choice-making; different approaches to their own and their son/daughter's level of involvement emerged when parents discussed different choices. Five choice-making factors are presented. These factors were used by parents to guide their own and their child's level of involvement. Although young people's level of understanding was considered, it was not always the most important factor. Other factors were important and, at times, could be considered more important by parents. The other factors were: parents' views on the nature of the choice, protecting their child, parents' personal attitudes/beliefs and confidence in practitioner knowledge. Insights from these factors highlight some important practice issues when practitioners work with families of young people with learning disabilities making significant life-choices. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This paper provides an overview of an on-going ‘research-to-practice synthesis’ project that explores the education and learning supports provided to youth in residential group care in Ontario. The project is focused on how group care programs support the education and learning of youth in the context of the residential program itself, since there is already much evidence that support for education in the everyday living environment from direct care givers strongly impacts on education and learning performance. The project synthesizes input from a range of stakeholders that include executive leadership of agencies, front line staff as well as youth. In addition, the project provides for a detailed review of policies and procedures for residential group care programs and their relevance to the promotion of education and learning. One outcome of the project is a Self Assessment Tool attached to this paper that allows group care providers to monitor their performance with respect to supporting the education of youth living in their programs. Although the project at the time of writing is not entirely completed, it is already apparent that there is a need for systematic and broad change in the purpose and design of residential group care across service sectors. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Maltreated children face disproportionate risks for developmental delay and behavior problems. Federal legislation passed in 2003 and 2004 mandates referrals of maltreated children under the age of 3years to Early Intervention (EI) services. This mandate has been variably implemented within and across states. Knowledge transfer is highlighted in this paper as a conceptual framework to understand mandated referral to EI services for young children with open child welfare cases. In-depth, semi-structured qualitative interviews and focus groups were conducted with child welfare workers, EI providers, and public health department officials. These data were used to examine barriers to and facilitators of referral and service use for this population. Specifically, provider perspectives were solicited on how organizational culture, structures and standard operating procedures, and resources can support the mandated referral process. Findings highlight the importance of facilitating knowledge transfer within and between human service organizations, a process that requires an understanding of the various attributes of each participating system. This paper contributes to current knowledge by considering both intra- and inter-system barriers to knowledge transfer, extending examinations of mandated referral to consider downstream service provision, and informing future actions taken to address the developmental needs of young children in child welfare. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract This paper reports a qualitative study of parents' experiences of participating in an Australian adapted trial of the Strengthening Families Program (SFP). The SFP is an internationally recognised family-based prevention intervention found to be effective in improving child mental health. The study explored parents' perceptions of how the Australian adapted program influenced parent, child and family functioning. A purposive sample of 15 parents who had taken part in the program in 2015 were interviewed, and thematic analysis was undertaken using a general inductive approach. Parents reported benefits experienced through the program based around eight major themes: (1) the anger diminished; (2) making a connection; (3) a shift towards positive dialogue within the family; (4) greater understanding of parenting and the child; (5) "the clouds lifted a little bit"; (6) engagement in school; (7) my child's behaviour improved; and (8) coping and resilience. Themes relating to parent-child connectedness and communication appeared central to improved child behaviour and family functioning. Collectively, the findings are promising, and themes encapsulated familial factors found to be protective of child psychosocial health. Highlights • Parents felt a stronger connection with their child after participating in the SFC program. • By parents' accounts, there was improvement in parent-child communication. • Themes indicated reduced parent and child anger and improved child behaviour. • Parents reported increased awareness and adjustment in parenting expectations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract There is a range of stakeholder benefits when youth- and young adult-serving agencies include service recipient "voice" in advising and decision making regarding agency policies and programming. Yet many agency stakeholders lack awareness of strategic best practices to ensure the consistent and meaningful participation of young people in decision-making processes, and few tools exist to evaluate agency efforts. This paper describes the development and validation of the Youth/Young Adult Voice at the Agency Level (Y-VAL), an assessment of the extent to which agencies have implemented best practices for supporting meaningful participation. The Y-VAL is intended for research purposes, as well as to provide agencies with direct guidance about strengths and challenges regarding their efforts to promote youth/young adult voice. Highlights • Youth-serving agencies benefit when young people have "voice" in decision-making. • Few tools measure the inclusion of young people in advising and decision-making. • We validate the new Youth/Young Adult Voice at the Agency Level (Y-VAL) assessment. • The Y-VAL measures the presence of best practices for the inclusion of youth voice. • The tool guides agency efforts to include youth in policy and practice decisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract There is now considerable evidence to suggest that children placed in foster care experience greater levels of adversity compared to those in the general population. Early adversity has been shown to continue across the lifespan: those who have experienced the sustained trauma of threat or deprivation have a range of poor life outcomes including homelessness, poor mental health, and over-representation in the criminal justice system and low educational attainment. This paper reports on a study of a program response to children who have experienced trauma and are placed in out-of-home care. The program model, known as Treatment and Care for Kids (TrACK), introduced a paradigm shift in the treatment and care of children in Australia, in that it was designed to provide intensive, home-based therapeutic intervention for children presenting with complex trauma and challenging behaviours. This program sought to integrate knowledge about the neurobiology of trauma with therapeutic practice and care, reflecting growing recognition that 'care is not enough' to achieve holistic and effective healing for children who have experienced severe trauma. As such, the relationship that encircles the child was seen as the vehicle for recovery. The study examined client files and interviewed carers, key professionals and young people who had experienced the therapeutic care program since its inception 18 years ago. Data, informed by narrative inquiry methodology, were analysed. Key findings highlight the significance of relational practice to interrupt the projected trauma trajectory and for young people to stabilise and self-regulate. Highlights • Children had experienced a high level of adversity prior to entry into this home-based therapeutic program. • Seven of the 48 children had experienced more than 10 placements, with one child having experienced 30 placements. • The program was overwhelmingly successful in stabilising children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The purpose of the current study was to revise and test the preliminary trauma-informed self-care (TISC) measure to clarify items, test additional items related to the trauma-informed and self-care literature, confirm the preliminary factors, and to further test the reliability and validity of the revised measure. The sample consisted to 177 child welfare workers who completed paper and pencil surveys. Measures included a revised TISC measure, burnout, secondary traumatic stress, compassion satisfaction, psychological well-being, and organizational supports and resources. Results indicated a three factor 10-item TISC-R measure with the following subscales: Utilizing Organizational Resources, Organizational Practices, and Professional Self-Care. Overall reliability was good (0.84) with reliability coefficients for subscales ranging from 0.68 to 0.88. As expected, the TISC-R measure was negatively associated with burnout and secondary traumatic stress, and positively associated with compassion satisfaction, psychological well-being, and organizational resources provided. The brief TISC-R measure may be a practical tool that child welfare case managers and supervisors could use to assess, monitor and improve trauma-informed self-care practices to help workers who often face high stress environments. Future research on the utility of the measure with child welfare workers and other helping professions who work with traumatized individuals is needed. Highlights • Trauma-Informed Self-Care-Revised demonstrated strong psychometric properties. • TISC-R is a brief 10-item measure. • TISC-R was negatively associated with burnout and secondary traumatic stress. • TISC-R was positively associated with compassion satisfaction, and well-being. • TISC-R was positively correlated with organizational resources and supports. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Community-based group intervention appears acceptable for high-risk families. • Intervention appears feasible to implement. • Self-reported anxiety, depression, and experiences of IPV decreased. • Increasing motivation to change at outset may improve outcomes. Intimate partner violence (IPV) is associated with several negative outcomes for victims and their children and is often considered a form of child maltreatment by child protection services (CPS). Despite this, there is a gap in the literature regarding IPV interventions for higher-risk families involved with CPS. This paper describes preliminary effectiveness, feasibility, and acceptability of a parenting/IPV intervention provided to an underserved and socioeconomically disadvantaged community sample of women, many of whom were referred by CPS. This group intervention was implemented within a community agency serving low-income families. Seventy-nine women participated in the intervention, 67 of whom also participated in the research component of the study. Participants completed self-report questionnaires at pre- and post-intervention to obtain quantitative measures of IPV, parenting, and mental health. Participants also completed a semi-structured interview to obtain qualitative data regarding acceptability and feasibility of the intervention. Reduced depression (t (41) = 3.53, p <.01, d = 0.52), anxiety (t(41) = 2.70, p <.05, d = 0.39), and frequency of exposure to IPV (t(36) = 2.94, p <.01, d = 0.28) were observed from pre- to post-intervention. Qualitative data suggests participants found the intervention to be acceptable and feasible. Additionally, participants reported increased recognition of their own experiences with IPV and its impact on them, their parenting, and their children. Results suggest this intervention is feasible to implement and acceptable to participants and the community agency in which it was implemented. Future directions for research and program development are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Survey respondents had their first suicidal thoughts, on average, at 13.6 years. • Forms of suicidal thoughts were passive, active and chronic suicidal ideation. • During and after leaving care, suicidal thoughts can re-occur and intensify. • English and German samples show similar occurrences of suicidal thoughts. • English participants judge their care experience to affect their attitude towards life. This paper investigates the range of suicidal ideation among people with care experience. People who grew up in care have an elevated risk of suicidal ideation, behavior and dying by suicide compared to people without care experience. However, a comprehensive and in-depth understanding of when suicidal ideation occurs and how care-experienced people experience suicidal thoughts, especially when leaving care in England and Germany, is currently not available but would help to inform suicide prevention tailored to care-experienced people across different ages. Aiming to address this gap, the current study applied a mixed-methods approach, combining an online survey and semi-structured interviews with young adults with care experience from England and Germany. The survey included 45 adults with care experience, age 18–40, and interviews were conducted with 13 care-experienced young adults from both countries. Descriptive statistical and significance tests were conducted to analyze the survey data with SPSS. Framework analysis was used to analyze the interviews. The findings show that many participants experienced suicidal thoughts from a young age and at different times up to adulthood. A range of suicidal thoughts and trajectories are identified with an increased risk of suicide for young people with care experience, especially during transitions such as when leaving care in early adulthood. The study underlines the need for a stronger recognition of suicide prevention in social work and the (leaving) care system across different countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Visual methodology allows to invite children showing their lifeworld instead of seeing children in lifeworld. • Visual methodology demands researchers to present a well-founded methodology and to learn research skills for sensual understanding instead of intellectual explaining. • Non-directive and non-text based methods ensure inclusive and participative research. Relativisation of subject status as empowerment of all those involved in research. • The presented study divides "environment of growing up" in three dimensions; young children need to shift or oscillate between. • Safe environments need to offer young (adopted) children 3 dimension: 'My Cosmos' (exclusively accessibility), 'My Possibilities' (safe things and places), and 'Our Places' (commonly used or negotiated places and things). Despite much discourse on growing-up environment as a central dimension of "child-well-being", little is still known about why, how, and where meanings are created in it for children. For despite ongoing efforts in childhood research, children's perspectives remain methodologically poorly embedded. Therefore, the author of this paper asks about relevance settings in children's lifeworld - derived exemplarily from adopted preschool children's environments. For this purpose, the author sets the demanding methodological balancing act between trivialising and exaggerating childhood in the research process as a central challenge. He makes it possible by a visual immersion in photographs taken by young children. In doing so, the arguments sometimes push into the hybrid and transformative. As a result, not only possibilities to always switch between dimensions of 'My Cosmos', 'My Possibilities' and 'Our Places' become apparent as relevant to environment of growing up. The findings can also be read as an encouragement to research and argue more consistently and creatively. They show step by step why and how new paths can be taken and socio-scientific fears of the non-linguistic overcome to take research and thinking decisively further. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• During COVID-19, care leavers in Wales looked to their corporate parents for support. • Social care workers sought to provide continued support despite lockdown restrictions. • Some young people felt supported, but others felt neglected and forgotten. • Corporate parenting responses had the potential to mitigate or compound adversities during COVID-19. • Evidence from this study supports on-going efforts in Wales to strengthen corporate parenting. This paper considers the support available to care leavers during the Covid-19 pandemic from their corporate parents. The paper contributes to a developing evidence base concerned with social work efforts to adapt and maintain support provision during the unprecedented circumstances, and provides insight into how such support was perceived and experienced. Funded by Voices from Care Cymru and Cardiff University, a qualitative, mixed method study was conducted which included a survey of Welsh Local Authority professionals (n = 22) and interviews with Welsh care-experienced young people aged 17–24 (n = 17). The findings of this paper show the propensity of corporate parents to provide protection against the adversities of the pandemic, or to compound difficulties. While some young people reported being both practically and emotionally supported, for others corporate parenting support was perceived as unavailable, unhelpful and / or uncaring. The Covid-19 pandemic provides a unique lens to consider the strengths, flaws and future opportunities for corporate parenting. The findings emphasise the need for parity of support for young people leaving care and consideration of national, local and individual responses is included. Yet consistent with findings pre-dating the pandemic, the findings reaffirm the enduring importance of both relationships and resources in ensuring good support for care leavers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Relative deprivation theory suggests that perceived socioeconomic standing has implications for multiple aspects of life. Early childhood is critical for later development and concern about effects of rising inequality on children has grown along with inequality in recent decades. However, one of the key requirements for relative deprivation to matter for child outcomes is that children must have a sense of social class and their socioeconomic standing. Because the voices of children are often lost among current debates, this paper poses two questions: 1) How do young children conceive of social class and their standing in the distribution in the context of high inequality; and 2) How do these conceptions develop over time? We conducted longitudinal, semi-structured interviews with 44 young children (ages 5–6), who attend the same three elementary schools in a small Midwestern city. By following the same children over two years, this study is uniquely able to shed light on how conceptions of class develop over time. We found that, as children got older, they increasingly associated money with differences in quality, became more likely to assign value judgements to money, and became less reliant on verbal proof of wealth. Although many children misreport their own socioeconomic standing, our findings suggest young children are aware of social class inequality and may therefore experience relative deprivation. Reducing inequality could mitigate potential implications of relative deprivation for child development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines issues of affordability and justice using the concept of “basic structure” as developed by Iris M. Young in order to produce a more nuanced account of the Pre-primary Education Voucher Scheme. We draw on the experiences of Hong Kong mothers of different socio-economic status who have participated in the voucher scheme. The scheme aims to provide affordable quality early education by giving parents a flat-rate voucher so as to assist them in enrolling their children in non-profit local kindergartens. We base our arguments on the central premise that socially just policy requires meticulous attention to the basic structure that determines distributive patterns. We go on to argue that the basic structure is governed by institutional assumptions, rules, and practices about class, gender, and markets. Our analysis references both quantitative and qualitative data of a three-phased mixed-method study with > 1400 mothers. The key findings reveal how mothers of different socio-economic backgrounds experienced the voucher scheme where power structures and relations are legitimized, thus contributing to the structural processes that reproduce constraints and injustice. Mothers' articulation regarding the policy recommendation of free early education adds insights into the constraints they experience and a notion of collective responsibility in supporting the education of young children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Becoming parents implies redefining the complex relationships with birth families. • This process opens up to care-experienced parents new relational adjustments, but also several challenges. • Care-experienced parents are able to cope in part by using skills learned within the Child Protection System. • The key role of positioning/protecting vis-à-vis the birth family. • The need to assuage concerns about the lack of an extended family for their children. This paper studies how care-experienced parents, i.e. parents with a looked-after background, represent their relationship with the birth family. This relationship appears to be crucial in the intergenerational transmission of maltreatment and may enable an understanding of the dynamics that mediate its reproduction. Constructivist Grounded Theory approach was used in this qualitative study. I conducted online in-depth semi-structured interviews with 17 care-experienced parents in Italy from May to November 2021. The interviews were analysed using open, focused and theoretical coding with the support of NVivo12 and the analysis itself was discussed with a board of care-experienced parents. The relationship with the birth family is an aspect that frequently emerges in the interviewees' narratives. Birth family is represented through the more physical dimension of its presence in everyday life, as well as in the more symbolic one linked to one's inner experience. This means that birth family is crucial even when contacts are sporadic or no longer possible. Interviewees see parenting as an opportunity to create new relational adjustments, particularly in reference to their relationship with birth families. In fact, an internal daily dialogue and renegotiation with their own complex family history appears to take place. New parents compare their own childhoods with their children's, with this placing further pressure on the actual relationship with the birth family. In this process parents show interesting resources, possibly acquired within the child protection system. This study highlights relevant aspects of the relationship between the birth family and care-experienced parents. It represents a promising approach to a better understanding of the links affecting the intergenerational transmission of maltreatment, also vis-à-vis the role of the child protection system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Holistic mentorship model for children in difficult circumstances to access rights. • Holistic child development indicators to measure the all aspects of child development. • Children's identity and holistic mentorship for safe and inclusive program approach. • Technological support for measuring the child development indicators and establishing collective accountability. • Triangulation of children's participation, mentorship and technology for innovations in child development. Every child has a right to dream for their future. Children are vulnerable and face challenges in accessing their rights, including but not limited to joyful family and community life; quality health, education, and career facilitation; and an understanding of their ecosystem. Innovations in holistic child development are essential and require child-centered and right-based approaches in the welfare system. There is a need for a customized and personalized approach to bridge the gap in the child development process and to help children explore and enjoy their rights and realize their full potential as rights-holders in society. To address this need, Trust for Youth and Child Leadership (TYCL) initiated N'KaNa , a holistic mentorship program for children living in difficult circumstances, such as institutional care and vulnerable communities such as slums and Dalit and tribal villages of Puducherry and Tamil Nadu regions of India. N'KaNa aims to build brother/sister relationships between needy children and local pre-assessed and pre-selected professional mentors. The program relationships include a mentee (child), a mentor (professional), and a student volunteer. Mentorship progress is tracked through a mobile application. This paper has been developed based on the impact measurement of the N'KaNa project. The researchers adopted a decolonizing research methodology to theorize a postcolonial indigenous way of conducting research and applied a triangulation strategy to qualitative research approaches. Focused life story interviews with children of N'KaNa assessed holistic child development indicators such as education, health, relationships with friends and family, community support, safe environment, and personal hygiene. Triangular feedback and child mentorship tracker data was used to cross-validate the qualitative data. The study found that the children's lived experiences highly influenced their career goals and that the program helps them track their progress systematically. The research also observed positive indicators of change in children's education, health, family safety, community environment, attitude, and behavior. This paper captures the model of the N'KaNa project, a participatory holistic child development process, its outcomes, challenges, and lessons learned from the process and recommendations for key stakeholders of the child welfare system in India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The Center is guided by a relational, Anishinaabe worldview. • The Center facilitates child welfare systems change Center staff creates bridges across Tribal Nations and child welfare systems. • Exemplars: state legislation to strengthen ICWA, continuing education, & ICWA court. The dramatic overrepresentation of Indigenous families in North American governmental child welfare systems remains one of the most pressing and neglected issues facing Tribal Nations, child welfare policymakers and practitioners today. This paper is the third in a series of three papers (Authors) presenting an ethnographic study of the Center for Regional and Tribal Child Welfare Studies in the Department of Social Work, University of Minnesota – Duluth. The current paper focuses on the perspectives of the Center's staff and allies, which is grounded in an Anishinaabe worldview, on the process of systems change in child welfare. It draws upon in-depth, semi-structured interviews with 13 participants with diverse roles and extended relationships with the Center. Participants provided knowledge and wisdom on how to create and sustain trusting, collaborative relationships within sovereign Tribal Nations, county and state child welfare systems. They described how Center staff members are then able to create bridges (mesosystems) across Indigenous communities and child welfare systems with the trust built within each of those systems. These mesosystems are sustained over time through continued opportunities for engagement and collaboration. These processes are illustrated through several case exemplars of change affected by the Center, tribes and their collaborators: state legislation to strengthen ICWA, implementation of statewide continuing education for child welfare professionals, and an innovative ICWA court. The primary barrier to system change noted by participants is structural racism. Advice for those motivated to support systems change includes establishing close links with Indigenous communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous international literature describes a lack of systematic research about cross-institutional cooperation in social and health services although the need is indicated. More and more children and adolescents have complex psychosocial needs. Thus, they require help from different institutions and professions to receive optimal care. However, there is a great need of improvement of the cooperation between institutions in social (e.g. Youth Welfare Office) and health services (e.g. Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (CAP), even in Germany. Therefore, an official Agreement of Cooperation (AoC) between these institutions was implemented as a first attempt to enhance and structure cross-institutional work in Dresden, Germany. This methodological paper describes the corresponding evaluation project that includes cross-sectional and longitudinal assessments. It thereby focuses on the employees' and families' satisfaction as well as the psychosocial development and mental health of children at the intersection of the aforementioned institutions before and after the implementation of the AoC. In addition, it gives a review of literature about cross-institutional work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Diaper Bank of North Carolina provides a supplemental supply of free disposable diapers, baby wipes, and diaper rash cream to low-income families. Rather than providing the diapers directly to families in need, the diaper bank formed partnerships with service-providing community-based organizations (CBOs) that distribute the diapers to their own clients. During a multi-phase mixed methods evaluation, we conducted qualitative key informant interviews with staff members (n = 9) of CBOs that distribute diapers. Analysis of the interviews informed development of an electronic survey distributed to CBO staff members (n = 42) who did not participate in key informant interviews. Key findings demonstrate the provision of diaper bank diapers allowed CBOs to assist families in meeting a basic need while: (1) positively impacting their organization and program budgets, (2) enhancing communication with clients, (3) improving program retention, (4) teaching problem solving and critical thinking skills, and (5) connecting families with other services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the experiences of caregivers in the Eastern Cape Province regarding the alleviation of child poverty, and presents a case for the expansion of monetary support to effectively address the multi-dimensional focus of child poverty in South Africa. The Social Development Approach (SDA) 1 1 Social Development Approach (SDA) addresses the “implementation of policies and programmes to meet needs, promote rights, manage social problems and facilitate maximization of opportunities to achieve social well-being and the promotion of human empowerment and social inclusion” ( Patel, 2005 ). was used together with the Child Focused Multi-dimensional Model (CFMDM) 2 2 Child Focused Multi-dimensional Model (CFMDM) is a model that is ‘child focused’ and is relevant to the child's life. It considers the different domains of deprivation, good access to quality services and, at its core, contains the absolute component that is complemented by the relative dimension which is based on the child's ability to participate fully in society and most importantly considers the applicability for different age groups. to explore the research problem. A phenomenological research design was followed by conducting semi-structured interviews and a focus group discussion with 20 participants who were purposively drawn from four urban and rural areas in the Eastern Cape. The findings concur with the view that the Child Support Grant (CSG) 3 3 Child Support Grant (CSG) is a non-contributory cash transfer programme paid to caregivers with children under the age of 18 years who meet the minimum requirements of the South African Social Security Agency (2016a, 2016b) . monetary support should be increased to better accommodate the multi-dimensional child poverty needs of the CSG recipients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adverse family conditions, abuse and neglect during childhood present important risk factors for the appearance of emotional and behavioral problems. The main aim of this paper is to describe the presence of these kinds of disorders in children in residential child care and to explore individual, socio-family and care process factors associated with the use of mental health services. The sample consisted of 1216 children 6–18 years old in residential care in several Spanish regions. Information about emotional and behavioral problems was gathered according to two criteria: receiving some kind of treatment services and/or being identified as within the clinical range in the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL). Results showed that 49% of cases were receiving some kind of mental health treatment and 61% were identified as within the clinical range in some of the broad band scales of the CBCL. In terms of agreement between referral to treatment and CBCL scores, results showed that four out of ten cases identified as within the clinical range were not receiving any kind of treatment. Several factors related to the type of problems detected in the CBCL, personal variables, and child care arrangements are associated with greater use of mental health services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mentor programs have been recognized as an integral tool in the child welfare services array. However, there are few conceptual frameworks for planning and developing mentor programs for a key constituency group: foster parents . This study employed Concept Mapping (CM) with a convenience sample of 59 foster parents in one southeastern state. CM is a participatory, mixed-method research approach that utilizes non-metric multidimensional scaling and hierarchical cluster analyses to analyze qualitative data. As a result, pictorial representations of the data are generated. Results yielded seven (7) distinct clusters: Ongoing Supports, Matching Practices , and Program Evaluation , among others. Participants viewed the Recruitment cluster as most pertinent and most important for mentor programs. Contrariwise, Program Evaluation and Matching clusters were viewed as least feasible and least important, respectively. After a review of pertinent literature, this paper explicates CM methodology as applied to the current study, reports results, and discusses lessons learned as they apply to child welfare research and practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the extent to which regional variations in poverty and health and social services spending impact the risk of placement, after controlling for individual-level risk factors and regional latent differences in delivery of child protection services. Clinical administrative child protection data were merged with income and health and social services spending data for the province of Quebec; the final data set included all children ( N = 122,466) investigated for maltreatment for the first time between April 1, 2002 and March 31, 2010, of which 22.6% ( N = 27,710) were placed in out-of-home care. Multilevel hazard results indicate that poverty, controlling for health and social services spending, contributes to the increased risk of placement. Specifically, poverty and health and social services spending account for 57.1% of the variation in regional placement for younger children < 5 years of age and 38.1% for children age 5 to 11 years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Examining adolescent perceptions of their parents influence on their access and use of mental health services. • Use qualitative face to face interviews. • Parents were highlighted by adolescents as prominent influences in adolescent mental health journeys, however this influence could be positive and negative for the adolescent. • Highlights the complexity of the involvement of parents in their child's mental health service use. To explore adolescent experiences of accessing and utilising mental health service in Perth, Western Australia. This paper focusses on the adolescent identified influence of parents in accessing and using mental health services. Qualitative semi-structured face-to-face interviews with 22 adolescents aged 14–18 years old in Perth, Western Australia. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and analysed thematically. The influence of parents on adolescents' experiences within the mental health system were grouped under three themes: parental involvement in accessing and continued use of mental health services for their children; parental understanding and awareness of child's mental health problems; parent–child relationship. It was common for adolescents to report that the influence and involvement of their parents could create facilitators and barriers to mental health care. This research highlighted the complexities in how parents can be both supportive and hindering influences in their child's mental health care. Adolescent experiences highlight the need for parents to be a key area of focus for mental health services and future reforms to support and improve adolescent mental health service use. Additional research is needed to explore how to effectively increase parental mental health literacy in the community and what factors are needed to create trusted parent-adolescent relationships. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2013, San Francisco was one of eight sites funded by Partnership for a Healthier America to implement Play Streets, a smaller-scale Open Streets-type initiative, aimed at increasing physical activity (PA) among children and youth by closing neighborhood streets for recreational activities. This paper evaluates the pilot Play Streets events held in summer of 2013 in San Francisco with a focus on examining the characteristics of users of such events, the impact on youth and children's physical activities, use of open space and level of community engagement. The study uses survey data, observational data, existing secondary data as well as GIS mapping to measure the space created by Play Streets. Demographic characteristics, levels/types of PA and level of community engagement for a sample of 1364 participants were examined. Engagement in vigorous PA increased three-fold (11.5% to 35%) during PS and 93.3% of participants agreed that “PS strengthens our community.” Open space for PA and recreation added through Play Streets ranged from 47%–100% of available space depending on the site. Play Streets offers a significant opportunity for neighborhoods and small communities to implement a health-benefiting recreational event for its youth and families. However, specific programming is an important key to the success of Play Streets implementation and for attracting the targeted participants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is well known, based on previous research, that adolescents' thoughts and feelings about their future are related to the risk of delinquency, alcohol use as well as health. However, other well-known facts are that adolescents' actions are substantially shaped in interaction with peers and that, during adolescence, individuals spend a considerable amount of the day at school, in interaction with classmates. Despite this, there is an almost complete lack of studies exploring to what extent the school climate, as measured by thoughts and feelings about the future, can influence individual adolescents. The aim of the current study is to investigate whether the future orientation (FO) climate, measured at the school class level, is related to delinquency, alcohol use and internalizing problems at the individual level, among a sample of Swedish students 14–15 years of age. The data used come from the Swedish part of the Youth in Europe (YES!) study, which is part of the larger project Children of Immigrants - Longitudinal Survey in Four European Countries (CILS4EU). In the present paper, we use data from the first wave, collected among 8th grade students in 2010/11 (n = 4119–4364). The method used was multilevel modeling (linear probability models (LPM) and linear regression analysis). The results showed that, in school classes where a high proportion of students had a positive future orientation, the risk of heavy alcohol use at the individual level was lower, also after adjusting for individual FO and for individual- and class-level socioeconomic conditions. A similar, but not statistically significant, tendency was found for delinquency. In addition, having a high proportion of students with a positive FO in a school class was associated with fewer internalizing problems, also after controlling for individual FO and socioeconomic conditions at the individual and school class level. We conclude that the surrounding school class, in terms of its general future orientation climate, may play a role for individual outcomes in the form of problem behaviors and mental health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper, framed by risk and resiliency theory, presents findings from a youth led collaborative social research study exploring the facilitators of educational success and college attendance among former foster youth. A simultaneous component/parallel process mixed method design was conducted to explore factors associated with educational success among youth in foster care. Findings suggest that stability and positive relationships with peers and adult mentors ease transitions, and reinforce emotional connections impacting educational success and post-secondary attendance. This manuscript attempts to raise the volume on youth's successful experiences of education and highlight the implications for trauma informed practice in child welfare and school settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• High-performing youth are overrepresented in the youth council. • A Young Politics lacks formal institutionalization. • Start-up Academy and Festival Lyafest are neither political nor institutionalized. The paper takes an explorative approach to illuminating how national youth policy is constructed in Denmark and how youth civic engagement is operationalized on its municipal level. Before shedding light on these questions, the paper first conceptualizes the theoretical framework of youth civic engagement, which will be used as an analytical tool in the conclusion of contextualizing municipal cases. Armed with 11 indicators produced by The European Youth Forum, the paper moves on to identify features of youth policy on the national level, followed by the examination on the municipal level. Three specific municipalities-Gentofte, Silkeborg, and Rudersdal-are brought into the spotlight, which represents three distinctive mechanisms of youth civic engagement. Through the means of in-depth semi-constructed interviews with youth-related officials, the paper reveals different structures and corresponding pragmatic challenges of different forms of strategies in each municipality. In conclusion, the paper puts the previously conceptualized framework at work by summarizing the key theoretical attributes of strategies adopted by there municipalities, makes a critical evaluation respectively and acknowledges the limitations and the strengths of the case study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper is to investigate the potential of online group activities alongside one-to-one offline counselling in youth work targeted toward young adults not in employment or education. The study examines the feasibility of moderated anonymous online group (MAOG) discussions from a comprehensive standpoint, with reference to the perspectives of end-users, service providers and further research. The paper is based on a two-arm, quasi-experimental and mixed methods study. To this end, the data consists of group interviews with young adults and youth workers arranged at the beginning of the study, baseline and follow-up interviews, online discussion threads, as well as evaluations of the online group activities. The piloted intervention was most acceptable to young adults who suffered from loneliness and had difficulties in joining face-to-face groups. Most youth work professionals considered the pilot viable. Finally, several modifications are suggested prior to implementing an experimental setting to study the effectiveness of the intervention. • Few services are targeting loneliness among young adults. • Web platforms offer a low-threshold opportunity to join group activities. • Feasibility is a comprehensive perspective for studying interventions. • Piloted intervention potentially enhances the wellbeing of certain young adults. • An RCT setting to study the effects of the intervention is presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Child wellbeing is identified as one of the three primary goals for child welfare outcomes, thus strong wellbeing assessment tools are crucial to the monitoring of child welfare success. Data from wellbeing measures can serve to identify child needs, inform case planning, monitor change over time, and evaluate intervention impact at the individual, local, state, and national levels. This paper examines the goals, strengths, and challenges of four wellbeing measures currently used with child welfare populations, namely: the Child and Adolescent Functional Assessment Scale (CAFAS), the Child and Adolescent Needs and Strengths Assessment Tool (CANS), the Child Behavior Checklist and related tools from the Achenbach System of Empirically Based Assessment (CBCL/ASEBA), and the Treatment Outcomes Package (TOP). For each measure, we describe the content, practical attributes, clinical applications, and evidence of reliability and validity. We explore implementation considerations and provide recommendations for system changes to ensure the optimal use of each instrument. Agencies are encouraged to carefully consider their needs, goals, capacities, and implementation infrastructure to inform selection of tools that will aid them in successfully supporting and monitoring child wellbeing over time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carers are at the frontline working with children in the care of the child protection system. This paper reports carer's views about key factors influencing the placement trajectories of children and young people living in out-of-home care in Queensland, Australia. The study sample included 21 foster and kinship carers with a minimum two-year experience in the carer role. Study data were from semi-structured telephone interviews in which carers shared their experiences of the factors impacting upon placement stability and placement movement. Carers' responses were analysed thematically. Data analysis yielded an overarching theme regarding placement trajectory: Carer engagement, and its three sub-themes; with the child; with the child protection system; and, with the caring role. Findings suggested that carer engagement and ‘fit’ are complex constructs that play critical influential roles in placement outcomes (stability or movement) for individual children in out-of-home care. It is argued that practice needs to be better grounded in these relational dynamics, and better aligned concerning the power differentials that exist. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores young people's perspectives on the services that were provided to them by one NGO in sub-Saharan Africa. Semi-structured interviews and discussion groups were carried out with 71 young people, aged between 10 and 18 years old, who lived and worked on the street. Volunteer facilitators ( n = 26) who run the groups and who had either previously lived on their street themselves or who lived in the ‘informal slum areas’ also took part in the discussions. A number of challenges and tensions became apparent from discussions including issues around capacity building, empowerment, participation and the depoliticised nature of social action. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study is to examine the strategies used by Latino immigrant parents to protect their children from the deleterious effects of anti-immigration policies. In-depthsemi-structured interviews were conducted with 54 immigrant parents. Informed by constructivist grounded theory, a constant comparative approach was used between and within transcripts during initial and focused coding. Our study highlights the strength and resiliency of immigrant parents as they strive to mitigate the harm of anti-immigrant policies on their children. Common strategies to protect their children focus on securing and promoting safety and well-being( let children live their childhood , be prepared , consejos ), enhancing their own capacity to provide ( pursue education , obtain papers ), and engaging in change efforts within their community. Parents believed these efforts could diminish the negative effects of anti-immigration policies. Immigrant Latino communities will be better served in the future if engaged professionals incorporate empowerment and strength based models within their practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intensive supports are needed for students with emotional disturbance during high-risk transitions. Such interventions are most likely to be successful if they address stakeholder perspectives during the development process. This paper discusses qualitative findings from an iterative intervention development project designed to incorporate parent and teacher feedback early in the development process with applications relevant to the adoption of new programs. Using maximum variation purposive sampling, we solicited feedback from five foster/kinship parents, four biological parents and seven teachers to evaluate the feasibility and utility of the Students With Involved Families and Teachers (SWIFT) intervention in home and school settings. SWIFT provides youth and parent skills coaching in the home and school informed by weekly student behavioral progress monitoring. Participants completed semi-structured interviews that were transcribed and coded via an independent co-coding strategy. The findings provide support for school-based interventions involving family participation and lessons to ensure intervention success. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]