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ABSTRACT Foster parents encounter significant and diverse obstacles in receiving support when caring for children affected by relational trauma and mental illness. These issues extend to their interactions with welfare systems, mental health professionals and personal networks. This study is aimed at understanding foster parents' needs in navigating the support systems and finding a balance in their responsibilities. To address this, we conducted interviews with 22 foster parents caring for children receiving mental health treatment in a specialized outpatient clinic in Norway. We present the findings as a general meaning structure comprising four interconnected constituents: (1) the challenge of being an ‘employee’ and a parent, (2) encounters marked by inadequate information, (3) wanting a closer relationship with the child welfare services and (4) feeling a need for confidential conversations and support. This study underscores foster parents' struggle with systems that fail to provide adequate child information and holistic support, highlighting a pressing need for context‐aware and tailored systemic improvements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT It is of paramount importance that children are equipped with the requisite digital parenting skills to protect them from the risks and threats that they may encounter in the digital environment while also enabling them to seize the opportunities that the digital realm presents. Mobile recommendation systems (MRS) represent a significant intervention for the development of digital parenting competencies among adults. Nevertheless, there is no evidence in the literature of any attempt to develop the system. The objective of this study is to examine the process of developing an MRS for parents' digital parenting skills and to evaluate the effectiveness of the developed system through a pilot study. The study employed the developmental research Type 1 model. The study was structured in three stages: the design of the MRS, the development of the recommendation system (RS) and the pilot study. In order to facilitate the development of the MRS, three distinct working groups were established. The research yielded several key findings. Primarily, it established the theoretical foundation of the MRS, delineated the design principles to be considered in system design and elucidated their application in the system. Additionally, it identified the essential components and functions that should be incorporated into the system. In light of the expert opinions on compliance with andragogical principles, it was observed that the consideration of environmental factors emerged as a prominent theme. It was observed that the experts assigned the highest suitability scores to fault tolerance, low physical effort and an instructional environment in the system design. The system was found to be effective in terms of redundancy, sound and picture quality for all content titles and multimedia principles. The findings of this study indicate that the MRS may be an effective tool for fostering digital parenting skills. However, further research is necessary to develop age‐appropriate measures and to assess the long‐term impact of the system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The importance of acknowledging the grief and loss integral to the experiences of foster carers, has long been understood. However, in a complex area of practice and an increasingly pressured out-of-home care sector, there is a need to refocus foster care program and practitioner attention on supporting carers and their families with the difficult experience of placements ending. This article reports on findings from research that aimed to understand current carer experiences of grief and loss, their coping strategies, their support needs, and the implications for a foster care agency’s duty of care towards its workforce. Through a mixed-methods exploratory methodology, data were collected through an online survey and semistructured interviews with carers affiliated with a foster carer provider operating across three Australian jurisdictions. Carers called for acknowledgement of the deep feelings they develop for the children they look after and help for the grieving process, through training, preparation, and tailored support based on authentic relationships with professionals. The need for well-trained and strongly supported agency workers was emphasised.IMPLICATIONS Providing updates to carers about foster children who have left their care can alleviate the pain of grief and loss.Training, preparation, and step-by-step support for carers can promote healthy grieving processes.Tailored support for grieving carers needs to be founded on authentic relationships with foster care professionals and open and honest communication.Providing updates to carers about foster children who have left their care can alleviate the pain of grief and loss.Training, preparation, and step-by-step support for carers can promote healthy grieving processes.Tailored support for grieving carers needs to be founded on authentic relationships with foster care professionals and open and honest communication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Post-World War II, the vocational parent system was established in Japan in 1951―based on the Child Welfare Law―to provide aftercare for older dependent children. The vocational parents lived with the children and provided the guidance necessary for them to live independently. The evolution of the vocational parent system is divided into three periods for this study: the 1950s, the end of the 1950s to the mid-1960s, and the mid-1960s to the 1970s. Vocational parents were primarily from small- and medium-sized business establishments who could provide personal guidance. This prevented the children from becoming skilled workers and seeking employment in large companies. Vocational parents were expected to provide "parental love" to the children without compensation, despite having to bear the childcare costs and blunders at work. The more the government, welfare personnel, and newspapers sought the welfare ideal of parent-like assistance, the more detached they became from the realities of the working environment and the needs of the children. Consequently, the disparity may have contributed to the decline in aftercare in post-war Japan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Foster homes promote optimal outcomes among youth who experience difficulties in their original families. However, foster caregivers often face various challenges and difficulties. Guided by ecological framework, the current study examined how multiple factors from foster caregivers' surrounding environments impact satisfaction and retention among 462 foster caregivers in the United States. Regression analyses suggested that certain demographics, parenting characteristics, and agency characteristics were associated with foster care retention, levels of satisfaction, and overall foster care experience. To probe these findings further, results from latent profile analyses suggested that foster caregivers fell into two profiles—those who experienced a large amount of challenges or few challenges during their time as foster caregivers. On average, those who experienced few challenges reported significantly more satisfaction with foster caregiving, greater intention to continue fostering, and a better overall fostering experience compared with those who experienced more challenges. Implications and limitations are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Justice services have begun to integrate the use of mobile applications into treatment, support, and rehabilitative programs for forensic clients. One such application that been adopted to support forensic clients is "eRecovery": a smartphone application that provides clients recovering from a substance addiction with support for managing relapse. In this article, we report on evaluation findings from a trial of eRecovery in an Australian Community Justice Centre, and reflect on several issues relating to fostering and sustaining client engagement with similar applications within forensic and justice settings. We propose the Service Design Engagement Model to organize, visualize, and describe the stages and factors important to adoption, appropriation, and on-going routine use of the software by forensic clients. The model recognizes the role of contextual and environmental factors in supporting users through the early stages of engagement, and the importance of user agency in longer-term engagement with therapeutic apps. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

According to government data, there is a slow decline in foster care in Italy, especially for teenagers, caused by an insufficient number of available foster families. The need to provide an intense stimulus to foster care is evident. This study conducted individual qualitative interviews with 126 foster parents of teenagers, transcribed and analysed using Atlas.ti software. Valuable indications for social services were individuated. The importance of the foster parents' intrinsic motivations and the suggestion for social services to emphasize them in the recruitment campaigns were reaffirmed. The appropriateness of directing the proposal towards foster parents with previous experience in parenting, foster parenting or working with teenagers was also confirmed. Additionally, results revealed that foster parents connected to foster parents' associations/networks and religious groups are preferred. The importance of the relationship between foster parents and social services and suitable support for the ongoing fostering is pivotal. Establishing a relationship based on trust and the diffusion of the foster care invitation through testimonies and word‐of‐mouth was also highlighted. The initiatives promoting spaces and occasions for teens needing foster care and potential candidates for fostering to meet them have promising outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Early childhood teachers routinely facilitate play-based learning experiences in their physical classrooms; however, the pivot to virtual teaching platforms created a barrier for providing age appropriate, play-based learning opportunities during the COVID-19 pandemic. There are few studies exploring how to promote play in the virtual classroom or what types of activities and learning experiences promote play in synchronous and asynchronous settings. Therefore, this study explored the barriers and challenges to fostering play through virtual teaching and the types of play-based instruction teachers were effectively able to implement in their virtual classroom. This study used content analysis along with descriptive analysis of an online survey with open-ended prompts that early childhood teachers completed (n = 76). Findings revealed two major themes related to challenges and barriers in teachers' efforts to foster play-based learning through virtual formats. Even though teachers noted significant challenges and barriers they identified multiple play-based activities they were able to facilitate effectively through virtual formats. These activities were categorized through the theoretical framework of Piaget's stages of the development of play with the addition of guided play. Implications for how play can be fostered through virtual teaching in early childhood classrooms were discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

America's juvenile justice system was founded on the notion that the juvenile court would serve as the "ultimate parent" for youth. Yet, the history of youth punishment challenges the promise of juvenile "justice." To offer a more comprehensive account of the family systems in juvenile court, this study draws from the insights of historical research on youth punishment and family criminalization to examine juvenile court outcomes in Arizona. Combining a historical lens with insights from attribution theory, we use quantitative and qualitative methods to examine the relationship between diverse family systems, including single mothers, single fathers, extended families, and foster care families, and juvenile court outcomes (i.e., diversion, preadjudication detention, petition, and judicial dismissal). Our findings suggest the need for more complex understandings of both family and punishment, and more expansive theorizations of the sorts of solutions that match the scope and scale of the problem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using a descriptive research method, the study examined parental involvement in the Mother Tongue-Based Multilingual Education (MTB-MLE) Reading Intervention Program for Grade One learners in the Division of Quezon. Data were collected through a questionnaire from 370 participants, treated and analyzed using statistical tools including percentage, mean, Kruskal Wallis H-Test, and Dunn Test. Results showed that most of the respondents were aged 31-40, predominantly female, held regular job positions, were college graduates, earned 15,000 pesos or less, had 3 to 4 family members, and were active members of the Parent-Teacher Association (PTA). Moreover, findings revealed that parents actively participated in the reading intervention program, focusing on teaching their children letter sounds and words for Oral Language Development. It was also evident that the parents participated during the program's implementation and post-implementation stages. Challenges faced by parents included limited instructional materials both at schools and at home. While there were no significant differences in parental involvement assessments based on most demographic profiles, occupation, and educational attainment showed notable distinctions. Recommendations include fostering collaboration with parents for reading skill development, continuous monitoring and evaluation of program implementation, providing training and lectures to enhance parental involvement in homebased reading activities, and enhancing intervention programs, and consultation with parents to ensure their participation. Lastly, further research is recommended using upgraded intervention programs coming from the monitoring and evaluation of the existing program while utilizing different population and location. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drawing upon Vygotskian and Piagetian learning theories, recent research reveals children's learning can be maximized through a specific Active Playful Learning (APL) approach called guided play. The deepest and most engaging learning happens during guided play. In guided play, adults might prepare an environment and set a learning goal, but children get to direct their own play and exploration towards that goal. Research suggests that guided play fosters math skills, shape knowledge, task switching, spatial vocabulary, literacy, language, social interaction, and physical activity. The intersection of play and the intentionality of having a learning goal holds great potential as a pedagogical approach that can be applied to technology, community spaces, and to classrooms. We describe current directions in: (1) the conceptualization of guided play, (2) areas for implementing this approach in formal and informal education (including television and digital applications, as in the case of Sesame Street), and (3) future opportunities and challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Trauma negatively impacts on the ability of children in out‐of‐home care to experience safety in their relationships. Trauma rearousal can continue to occur even when children are living in a safe and stable setting due to environmental triggers. Carers who are emotionally regulated themselves can model and support emotional regulation (known as coregulation) when their child becomes dysregulated. To do this, carers need agencies to provide trauma‐informed and therapeutic models of care, so they in turn can offer an emotionally secure experience for their child. This article reports on participatory action research with caseworkers from two nongovernment and one government organisation who supported foster and kinship carers to coregulate with children in long‐term care. Reflective practice meetings were held over an eight‐month period to capture the perspectives and experiences of 16 caseworkers who trialled practice changes for coregulation. An inductive analysis approach was used to elicit themes. Findings revealed a three‐phase process took place for caseworkers and carers to (1) acknowledge the presence of trauma and stress, (2) become aware of their own emotional capacity and (3) apply coregulation strategies. This process was possible when organisations promoted trauma awareness and relational safety, thereby creating a ‘holding environment’ for their caseworkers and allowing coregulation to be experienced by carers and their children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explored facilitators of and barriers to mental health services for children in foster care in a Southeastern state. We thematically analyzed 10 interviews with foster parents. Throughout the interviews, a wide range of facilitators and barriers that promote the use of mental health services among children in foster care at the child welfare system, children in foster care, foster parents, biological parents, and mental health provider levels, were identified. Findings suggest that all stakeholders must collaborate to address both systemic and individual barriers to improve the use of mental health services among children in foster care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current study relied on community‐based participatory action research and qualitative methodology to explore the necessary skills and knowledge psychotherapists need to work effectively with foster youth and their families. In this study, the research team conducted interviews and focus groups with stakeholders (n = 48) in child welfare to learn how to support therapeutic relationships with foster youth clients. Using qualitative content analysis, the research team identified eight categories for needed knowledge and/or skills, such as collaboration with and inclusion of others in a client's system; flexibility and open‐mindedness to individualize care follow the client's lead; and a solid understanding of trauma and attachment supported by therapist training and regular consultation specifically around foster care. These findings offer tangible suggestions for skills that psychotherapists can learn and practice in order to support beneficial mental health services for foster youth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A surge in scholarship on minoritised gender and sexual identities has supported the advancement of LGBTQ+ family rights in many developed countries internationally. However, further work is needed to ensure LGBTQ+ families are fully included within integrated care systems. This article presents a subset of empirical findings from a narrative inquiry conducted in the United Kingdom. Eight LGBTQ+ participants were interviewed about their experiences and perspectives on adoption, fostering and birth children. Findings indicate that social work has a key role in addressing the cisgenderism prevalent in services, to enhance inclusivity within integrated care systems that support LGBTQ+ family life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Obligate brood parasites pass all their parental duties to foster parents of a host species. While best understood in birds and hymenopteran insects, obligate brood parasitism has evolved independently at least 59 times across many lineages. The ancestors of brood parasites often provided no parental care to their offspring. Instead, a trophic association with their eventual hosts commonly appears to precede the origin of a brood parasitic strategy. Here, we used a game theoretical model to explore the conditions under which brood parasitism can evolve from predation and be maintained in the population. Our model was inspired by the relationship between the cuckoo catfish (Synodontis multipunctatus) parasitizing mouthbrooding cichlid fishes in the African Lake Tanganyika. Our model demonstrates the facilitatory role of host egg predation on the origin and evolutionary maintenance of brood parasitism through the exploitation of the host response to egg predation by brood parasites. We found no conditions under which brood parasitism as a pure strategy is evolutionarily stable, but we describe a range of evolutionarily stable equilibria when predators and parasites coexist. While our model is tailored to the cuckoo catfish, it generally applies to other systems where brood parasitism has evolved from other antagonistic behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Kinship foster care has increasingly become the first line of support in child removal cases. Case managers, kinship foster caregivers, and foster parents have perspectives that can inform and enhance services for families and children. The authors investigated the lived experiences of 18 families by conducting 38 qualitative interviews with 20 case managers, 10 kinship foster caregivers, and 8 foster parents. These participants reflected on five themes: starting points for placement, perceptions of and motivations for kinship foster caregiving (e.g., placement considerations, risks in kinship foster caregiving arrangements), informational support (e.g., opportunities, hurdles), barriers and challenges related to support (e.g., financial and instrumental support, child care, respite care), and access to improved social and professional support. The authors describe study limitations, implications for practice, and conclusions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Norwegian youth in out‐of‐home care move three times as frequently as their peers. Such placement instability is linked to negative outcomes in terms of social attachment, well‐being, educational achievements, health, and future opportunities. Norway implemented a new child welfare service reform in 2022 that increased the municipalities responsibilities for out‐of‐home care. The "incentive package" and "Barneløftet" were measures implemented to prepare the municipalities for these changes. This study evaluates how the implemented measures affect the number of moves within out‐of‐home care in Trøndelag county. An event‐study design with difference‐in‐difference estimates was used to study the effect of the measures. The data are Norwegian registers that include most children in out‐of‐home care from 2013 to 2021. The findings of this study indicate that increased support for foster care homes significantly reduces the number of moves. Increased placement stability is associated with an increased sense of belonging, thus facilitating positive development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID−19 pandemic has impacted child welfare practice and outcomes. This study examines the perspectives of families and professionals on child welfare practice during the COVID−19 pandemic. Qualitative data from feedback surveys and focus groups were used to provide a comprehensive examination of the concepts being explored. Results of this study suggested positive outcomes of virtual meetings and trainings and raised attention to delays in achieving permanency during the pandemic. This study will provide important implications for navigating social work best practices and strategies for addressing children and families' needs to improve child welfare outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines how fostered individuals, foster carers, bio-legal children of foster carers and birth parents use discourse to construct and maintain family identity and what may influence this use. Focus group and interview data show how family terminology may create a sense of family, affirm and strengthen ties, erase distinctions, promote inclusion and conformity and protect, refute and explain ties to in- and outsiders. Family terminology use is dynamic and can be influenced by (conflicting) beliefs about who is entitled to these terms and the difficulty of sharing terms. Stakeholders showed many commonalities. Practice and research implications are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research on foster youth often focuses on risk, rather than adaptation, strengths, and assets. Some researchers have shifted the narrative by examining resiliency, but there is limited understanding on how to define and measure resilience specifically among current and former foster youth. This study begins with a meta-synthesis of the qualitative research (n = 31, 1990-2020) that discuss resilience with foster youth. We then examine data from twenty-two qualitative interviews regarding resilience with key stakeholders in child welfare. The findings inform an understanding of resiliency that is inclusive and culturally responsive to current and former foster youth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This article aims to identify new risks for foster families and their institutional environment resulting from the COVID‐19 pandemic. Background: During the pandemic, the government in Poland introduced significant restrictions, including social isolation and closures of public institutions. It caused challenges in the foster care system where self‐care has been major issue. Method: In‐depth interviews were conducted with 45 people who were involved in the foster care system. Participants were recruited using a purposive approach and the snowball method. The interviews were analyzed using a six‐stage thematic analysis. Results: The functioning of the foster care system in response to the COVID‐19 pandemic evidenced some practices that challenged carers and children. Conclusion: The foster care system, which is based on the deinstitutionalization paradigm, requires changes and procedural approaches that need to be put in place for the system to be able to adapt to a similar crisis. Implications: This article suggests some social policy solutions to improve the quality of care and parenting services, and the conditions for foster families when institutions in the social environment are closed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Professional quality of life (ProQOL) refers to workers' subjective feelings associated with work involved in helping others who have experienced trauma. It consists of positive and negative aspects, that is, subscales of compassion satisfaction, and burnout and secondary traumatic stress. Foster and kinship caring inherently involves risks associated with exposure to the trauma responses of children in their care. This exposure can lead to poor ProQOL, carer attrition, and placement instability. While limited studies specifically explore ProQOL of carers, many studies have examined factors and interventions related to ProQOL. However, there is a lack of synthesis of these studies. To fill such a research gap, we undertook a scoping review of 70 empirical studies from Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States, published from 2012 to 2022 reporting on ProQOL, and its related factors and concepts. We applied a multilevel ecosocial construct to examine complex interrelationships between private and governance settings to better understand factors related to ProQOL of carers and interventions aimed to improve it in these dynamic systems. In our review, some studies showed positive outcomes for carers, such as reduced stress or burnout associated with training. However, there was insufficient attention to factors associated with ProQOL at relational and sociopolitical levels. It is crucial to improve carers' ProQOL or well-being to ensure their retention and placement stability. Long-term systemic improvements require interventions across different levels of the system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In their care of children and young people, foster carers report experiencing social isolation and a lack of support. This study examines the social network experiences of Australian foster carers who are members of Mockingbird Family. While well established in the United States and United Kingdom, Mockingbird Family was introduced to Australia offering a new approach to address the unique challenges of foster caring for vulnerable children and young people. The model geographically networks 6–10 foster care households in a 'constellation' with a central 'hub home provider' tasked with providing information, support, and respite care. This study employed a cross-sectional explanatory sequential mixed methods approach to investigate social connections and supports in the first four Australian Mockingbird Family constellations. A social network tool was used to survey participants (n = 27) and two focus groups (n = 20) to gather their experiences. Analysis found the highest mean social network connections with people from within their own Mockingbird Family constellations. Three measures of centrality were used indegree, betweenness and closeness, to report the connections and role of members within each constellation. Comparing constellations at different stages of maturity, the hub home provider was consistently ranked with high betweenness centrality as the bridge. In the longer-running constellations, the hub home provider was ranked with high indegree centrality or the primary source of advice or expert support. This indicated micro-network evolution that may potentially result in reduced reliance on statutory and other formal system supports over time. Changes to micro-dynamics in social support within constellations were explained qualitatively through three themes: leadership and expertise, information diffusion and communication, and trust and familiarity. Mockingbird Family was found to provide social connections and support networks amongst foster carers, indicating the model's capacity to strengthen supports to carers thereby strengthening the immediate environment of children and young people in care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Ensuring the rights and well-being of the child is one of the main priorities of modern society. As Ukrainian and foreign legislation states that every child has the right to a family. However, due to different life circumstances, unfortunately, not every child has the opportunity to live in a family with their parents. That is why the question arises, how to ensure the realization of all the rights of a child who has lost his parents, or whose parents have given up their child. In this way, the institution of placement of a child was born. To date, Ukrainian legislation distinguishes such forms of placement of children as foster family, guardianship and care, adoption, family-type orphanage, placement in the family of relatives, acquaintances. All of these forms of placement have a clear procedure for placing a child in a family and a legal mechanism for regulating the rights and responsibilities of the person who took the child into their family, as well as the rights and responsibilities of the child. Each case of placement of children is unique and requires a specialized approach taking into account specific situations, circumstances and needs of the child. However, one form of placement should be singled out, such as placement of a child in the family of an actual caregiver. It is this form that has shown itself to be the most unexplored and at the same time convenient, first of all for a child. However, the problem of legislative implementation of temporary placement of a child by the actual guardian remains unsolved, since the existing legislation quite briefly describes the mechanism of such placement. This form of placement requires clear regulation from the side of the legislation, because the legal mechanism of placement of a child in the family of an actual tutor, the rights and obligations of the actual tutor and the pupil himself need to be researched. The article examines the advantages and disadvantages of such a temporary form of placement of a child as placement in the family of an actual tutor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study compared the child welfare outcomes for families who participated in a private foster care support program, Promise686, compared to all other families in Georgia’s foster care system. Using AFCARS data for three fiscal years and utilizing case identifiers to link the Promise686 families to the AFCARS data, child welfare outcomes were compared, including the average number of removals and placements, average length of placements, and the likelihood of adoption or reunification. The positive results of the Promise686 program are noteworthy and expanding such services would allow more foster parents to receive support, ultimately resulting in more children and youth obtaining better child welfare outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although authoritarian parenting is claimed to be conducive to the development of collectivistic values like filial piety, inconsistent results are documented in the literature. We examined how filial piety, consisting of reciprocal (love, affection) and authoritarian (obedience, obligation) forms, can be fostered in Indonesia through authoritarian parenting. We propose that authoritarian parenting should be broken down into smaller variables, like behavioral and psychological control, and that this can provide insight as to how values are instilled through parenting practices. We tested a mediation model where perceived parental behavioral and psychological control mediates (perceived) parental authoritarianism to reciprocal and authoritarian filial piety. Participants were 329 late adolescents (age 18–24) from Indonesia who filled measures of the aforementioned variables. Results showed perceived parental authoritarianism has competitive effects on the two filial pieties which can be isolated by the mediating variables. We find effects mediated by perceived behavioral control tend to be positive, while those mediated by perceived psychological control tend to be negative. Our results demonstrated that authoritarian parenting can be decomposed into distinct control variables, namely behavioral and psychological control, and that this decomposition is useful in explaining how parenting can instill filial piety and other collectivistic values. We conclude that collectivistic values are fostered through parents' positive autonomy-regulation measures, and that research on specific practices would be more productive and less ambiguous compared to the use of broad parenting typologies. Future research should study how different, more precise practices of autonomy-regulation influence value development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Foster families may represent an alternative model for dependent older adults in many countries where nursing homes are insufficiently developed. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of malnutrition and its determinants in older adults living in foster families in Guadeloupe (French West Indies). Methods: This cross-sectional study was gathered from the KASAF (Karukera Study of Ageing in Foster families) study (n = 107, 41M/66F, Mdn 81.8 years). Nutritional status was assessed with the Mini Nutritional Assessment Short‐Form (MNA‐SF). Clinical characteristics and scores on geriatric scales (Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), Activities of Daily Living (ADL), Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB), Center for Epidemiologic Studies- Depression (CESD) and Questionnaire Quality of Life Alzheimer's Disease (QoL-AD)) were extracted. Bivariate analysis and logistic models adjusted for age and gender were performed to test the association of nutritional status with socio-demographic variables and geriatric scales. Results: Thirty (28.0%) older adults were malnourished (MNA-SF score ≤7). In bivariate analysis, malnutrition was associated with an increased prevalence of cardiovascular diseases (46.7% versus 19.5%, p = 0.004), the presence of hemiplegia (30.0% versus 6.5%, p = 0.003), a poorer cognitive status (MMSE score 4.7 ± 7.1versus 9.7 ± 10.7; p = 0.031), higher risk of depression (CESD score 27.3 ± 23.0 versus 13.5 ± 14.4; p = 0.035) and dependency (ADL score 1.9 ± 1.9 versus 2.3 ± 2.1; p<0.001). Malnutrition was also associated with lower caregivers'rating of QoL (QoL-AD score 21.8 ± 6.4 versus 26.0 ± 5.7; p = 0.001) but not by older adult's rating (24.1 ± 11.2 versus 28.3 ± 7.7; p = 0.156). Similar associations were observed in logistic models adjusted for age and gender. Conclusion: Malnutrition was common among foster families for older adults. Special attention towards the prevention and treatment of malnutrition in older adults from cardiovascular diseases, cognitive impairment, dependency and depression is necessary in this model of dependency support. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adolescents in foster care are removed from their families of origin and are placed with foster families for temporary care until they are able to be granted a more permanent placement. This purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the bonding experience of adolescents in foster care = with their foster parents. This study included 10 foster parents who had an African-American adolescent between the ages of 12 to 18 in their care. Interviews were audio recorded and transcribed verbatim. The analysis began with coding to develop an understanding of the bonding experiences between adolescents and their foster parents. Four processes emerged that seemed to influence bonding: communicating in conflict with empathy or assertion, sharing personal time, creating rituals, and offering support. Foster parents appeared to demonstrate the processes when there was a focus on the adolescent being a part of the family. This present study has implications for theory, research, and practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Summer camp is an experiential learning setting that supports youth development. Due to high fees, youth from low-income backgrounds often have fewer opportunities to attend. Subsequently, there is little literature about these youth's camp experiences. Purpose: This research examined growth and the characteristics supporting growth in memorable camp experiences shared by youth more than one year after attending camps for youth from low-income backgrounds. Methodology: We collected written narratives via an online survey distributed May 2022. A total of 352 youth (M age=16.06; SD age=0.88) provided narratives. About 56% of youth identified as female and about 23% of youth identified as a youth of color (36% identified as white; race/ethnicity data was not available for about 40% of youth). Considering the entire narrative as the unit of analysis, we inductively coded narratives for growth and characteristics supporting growth. Findings: We identified growth in 33% of youth's narratives (e.g., adopting new perspectives, discovering passions, value clarification, developing resilience). Growth occurred when youth had opportunities to try new activities, overcome challenges, or felt accepted and connected with peers or staff. Implications: These findings provide useful information for practitioners and serve as a foundation for research about youth from low-income backgrounds' camp experiences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective : This study examines implementation and predictors of caregiver participation in Connecting , a self-directed prevention program to reduce substance use and other behavioral health outcomes among teens in foster care. The program was adapted for foster family settings from an evidence-based universal program. Method: Data are from 110 foster caregivers of youths ages 11 to 15 randomly assigned to the intervention. We describe implementation efforts, level of engagement, and satisfaction. Thirteen predictors of program initiation and completion across multiple domains (e.g., family stressors, relationship quality) were tested using logistic regressions. Results : Among foster families, 89% initiated and 52% engaged in 60% or more of the curriculum activities (completed). Reasons for noncompletion were lack of time, competing needs of other family members, and major stressful events. Program satisfaction was high. Twelve predictors were unrelated to program initiation or completion. Caregivers who smoked cigarettes were less likely to complete the program. Conclusions : Self-administered family-focused interventions reduce many of the barriers to program participation for foster families. Strategies to improve uptake might include reducing the amount of time needed, delivering the program in stages rather than all at once, and better integrating program activities into other family activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The gradual decline in learners' performance in addition prompted the researcher to devise a teaching strategy aimed at improving their academic performance and fostering collaboration with parents. The Concrete-Pictorial-Abstract Learning Toolkit was developed to address this issue while also aiming to eliminate students' fear of numbers and cultivate confidence in math learning. For the research design and methodology, the descriptive-comparative method, specifically the Test-Retest Method, was employed. The study focused on the first grading period of the 2021-2022 school year, centering on the topic of addition. Purposive sampling was utilized to select eighteen Grade 2 learners from Yugno Elementary School as study participants. The weighted mean was calculated to determine the average scores of the respondents before and after implementing the strategy, while t-test statistics were employed to assess the significance of any differences between the pre-test and post-test scores. The findings revealed notable improvements in the performance of Grade 2 learners in addition. The pre-test results showed a mean score of 6.38 with a Mean Percentage Score (MPS) of 33.88%, which increased to a mean score of 14.44 with an MPS of 82.78% in the post-test. This suggests that the Concrete-Pictorial-Abstract Learning Toolkit effectively contributed to enhancing students' performance in addition. Moreover, the t-value was found to be higher than the critical value, further confirming the significance of the results. However, it's essential to note the limitations and implications of the study. The research was conducted solely among Grade Two pupils of Yugno Elementary School in San Andres District, Division of Quezon. While the study yielded promising results, its applicability may vary across different educational settings and grade levels. Nonetheless, the development of a learning toolkit tailored to enhance students' performance in addition presents an opportunity for further research and potential implementation in other educational contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fernandez-Duque et al. (Evol Ecol 37:859-869, 2023) reported instances where fledglings, able to move freely, were found in the nests of others of the same species containing chicks that were too young to fly. Interestingly, the foster parents fed these intruder fledglings. The researchers identified this as a novel behavior and termed it "Nest Integration." However, this behavior had been documented previously as "nest switching" in both ornithological and behavioral literature. By integrating the findings of Fernandez-Duque et al. with the literature on nest switching, the evolution of nest switching highlighted by them, and the conditions that might promote it, could be better understood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates parents' perceptions of the impact of cultural diversity on their children and their role in facilitating their children's navigation through diverse cultural landscapes. A questionnaire, part of the Erasmus+ REACT project (the reciprocal maieutic approach), was distributed among 243 parents of secondary school children in Bulgaria, Italy, Greece, and Spain. It aimed to shed light on the effects of cultural diversity on young individuals and the influence of parents in fostering intercultural competences and critical thinking. The findings reveal a strong positive perception among parents regarding cultural diversity, with a significant majority acknowledging its beneficial impact on their children's development. Parents identify themselves as crucial educators and role models, emphasizing the importance of open dialogue, positive exemplification, and the teaching of tolerance and respect. Despite recognizing the general adeptness of their children in interacting with cultural diversity, parents perceive challenges, particularly related to differences in beliefs, religions, and social classes. Parents favor experiential and participatory activities over traditional academic methods for fostering intercultural competence, suggesting a shift toward more inclusive educational practices that involve family and community. This study calls for educational initiatives that promote active participation, connection with the community, critical thinking, and empathy toward cultural differences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reforms of the child protection systems, provision of family- and community-based alternative care has been developed to a certain level in all countries in Central and Eastern Europe and has increased the role of care provided by foster families replacing institutions to ensure that the best interests principle is taken into consideration when children are separated from their families. The research describes the foster care system in the so-called Visegrád countries: the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia, and the results based on at least 50 interviews in each country conducted by local experts on subjective well-being of foster parents, their perceptions about their roles and place in their respective countries and their needs. The article includes the legal framework, recruitment, preparation and support to foster families, their subjective well-being and needs in the four countries, including the history of their child protection systems to better understand the current situation. The outcomes show differences in approach to foster care, the perception on the roles, responsibilities and needs based on the different traditions, earlier and current policies and practices. Understanding the attitude changes related to the rights of children, those in vulnerable situations, and to their families of origin would be essential to further develop and improve the child welfare and protection systems, and listening to children on their perceptions and the realisation of their rights.

JBI protocol for umbrella reviews was applied in the narrative synthesis of data from four systematic reviews and one meta-analysis through an intersectionality lens to isolate empirical evidence specifically related to foster parents and placement stability. Twelve of sixteen foster parent factors identified as associated with placement stability are related to social-emotional competencies (SEC). Recommendations include further exploration of the connection between SEC of foster parents and placement stability, more research regarding foster parent emotional health, and increased focus on intersectionality of variables related to placement types and outcome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The emergence of COVID-19 created a global health crisis and impacted children and families, disproportionately affecting minoritized communities. Simultaneously, protests and anti-racist uprisings against police violence occurred worldwide. This mixed method study examined how a group of racially diverse resource parents navigated these two pandemics. Resource parents (N = 527) in Los Angeles County were surveyed about concerns related to COVID-19, racial injustice, and the sociopolitical climate. Quantitative findings revealed that increased difficulty coping with COVID-19 was associated with the increased reported impact of events surrounding racial injustice. Qualitatively, resource parents expressed a concern for children and stress, anxiety, and fear. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The All4Children project addresses the urgent need to transition from institutionalization to family-based care for out-of-home children in Portugal. Despite evidence highlighting the detrimental effects of institutionalization, only a small percentage of children (less than 4%) are currently placed in family foster care in the country. In response to European directives for deinstitutionalization, Portuguese legislation now prioritizes non-kinship family foster care as the preferred alternative for young children in need of care. To facilitate this transition, the Integrated Model of Family Foster Care (MIAF) was developed, offering a comprehensive framework covering the entire spectrum of family foster care. Objective: This research aims to investigate the initial implementation stage of the MIAF to promote high-quality family foster care in Portugal. Method: The study will conduct a mixed-method and longitudinal research project in family foster care agencies across different regions of Portugal, focusing on evaluating the implementation and outcomes of the MIAF model using a multi-informant and multi-method approach. The participants will include caseworkers, children aged 0–9 years entering foster care, and their respective foster families enrolled in the MIAF program. Process evaluation will assess fidelity, feasibility, appropriateness, and acceptability of MIAF modules, while outcome evaluation will examine child safety, stability, well-being, as well as foster family well-being and quality of relational care. Outcomes: The insights gained from this research initiative will serve as a foundation for the ongoing enhancement of MIAF. Consequently, this project has the capacity to advance evidence-based child welfare practices by refining processes and strategies to better serve vulnerable children and youth. Conclusion: Facilitated by a multidisciplinary team, this project will contribute to advancing research in the field, enhancing practice, and informing policy during a pivotal stage of deinstitutionalization in Portugal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Under the backdrop of economic globalization and the digital economy, entrepreneurial behavior has emerged not only as a focal point of management research but also as an urgent topic within the domain of family finance. This paper scrutinizes the ramifications of financial literacy on household entrepreneurial behavior utilizing data from China's sample of the China Household Finance Survey spanning the years 2015 and 2017. Employing the ordered Probit model, we pursue our research objectives. Our findings suggest that financial literacy exerts immediate, persistent, and evolving positive effects on households' engagement in entrepreneurial activities and their proclivity toward entrepreneurship. Through the mitigation of endogeneity in the regression model, the outcomes of the two-stage regression corroborate the primary regression results. An examination of heterogeneity unveils noteworthy disparities between urban and rural areas, as well as gender discrepancies, in how financial literacy influences household entrepreneurial behavior. Furthermore, this study validates three potential pathways—namely income, social network, and risk attitude channels—demonstrating that financial literacy significantly augments household income, expands social networks, and enhances risk attitudes. Moreover, through supplementary analysis, we ascertain that financial education amplifies the impact of financial literacy on entrepreneurial behavior. Our study contributes to the enrichment of human capital theory and modern entrepreneurship theory. It advocates for robust efforts by governments and financial institutions to widely disseminate financial knowledge and foster family entrepreneurship, thereby fostering the robust and stable operation of both the global financial market and the job market. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic has afflicted people from all sectors of life, and families have faced unprecedented challenges. In this study, researchers explore how intergenerational disparities impact the self-efficacy coping and resilience of family members during a crisis. With family members of different ages forced to live together, the pandemic has tested the resilience and self-efficacy coping of each individual. Using a descriptive-correlational research design, the researchers examined the relationships between resilience behavior, sense of coherence, and self-efficacy in family members from different life-stage cohorts. Our findings show that resilience behavior is associated with Sense of Coherence, however, self-efficacy coping shows no variation by generation. Further analysis revealed unique strengths among Generation X and Boomers, who demonstrated greater resilience and a greater sense of coherence compared to other cohorts. In the context of salutogenesis, our work emphasizes the importance of intergenerational differences in fostering family mental health in times of crisis. Our research illuminates family coping mechanisms and attitudes at different life stages, making communities more resilient. This study can help build a more cohesive society where intergenerational support networks thrive and mental health is a priority for all generations. These insights can help future generations overcome challenges together. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While scholarship exploring well-being outcomes among child welfare workers is burgeoning, few studies have examined predictors of well-being among foster parents. Utilizing the Professional Quality of Life (ProQOL) Scale, this study examined factors associated with foster parent burnout, secondary traumatic stress, and compassion satisfaction. Results demonstrated that several demographic factors predicted the ProQOL of foster parents. Strengthening foster parent well-being is important to achieving positive outcomes with children and families engaging with child welfare systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social media practices are situated within the contexts that people are located in, including family and peer relationships. LGBTQIA+ young people carefully curate social media spaces to find similar others in careful ways. However, less is understood about how existing connections to families of origin (re)shape social media practices. Drawing on interview and focus group data with 65 LGBTQIA+ young people, we examine family considerations in social media practices and curation strategies. Findings reveal that considerations about familial relations play an important role in how young people use social media for maintaining and fostering ties with family members. Young LGBTQIA+ people narrativise their social media practices as intensely affective experiences, where issues of care, concern, and love for family, (re)shapes their social media use. We argue that queer young people's social media practices can be conceptualised as family practices and consider the implications this has for making sense of social media for queer young people. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Laying a strong foundation for emotional development in children birth to 5 is of critical importance, but the extent to which this is considered following child abuse and/or neglect, foster care placement, reunification, and potential re‐entry into foster care remains unclear. Using a convergent mixed methods design, we investigated perceptions among child welfare professionals given the contributing role they could play in both initiating provider–parent dialogue and connecting families with timely resources to better support early emotional development post‐abuse/neglect. Fifty eight child welfare professionals in an urban, Northeastern County of the USA participated (73% response rate). Survey data and focus group insights shed light on satisfaction with and roadblocks to supporting foster and biological parents in promoting emotional development. A low proportion of respondents offered advice on emotional development, referred families to relevant parent education, or perceived biological or foster parents as extremely prepared. Self‐reported likelihood of providing advice to families was positively associated with access to information on emotional development, years employed, and job satisfaction. Multilevel roadblocks were identified. Results inform systems‐level, family‐centred initiatives and information sharing to better support emotional development post‐abuse and/or neglect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Given that the number of children and young people needing care keeps rising and fewer people are becoming foster carers, efforts to support carers and workers in foster caring are essential. This paper considers the experiences of carers and foster care agency workers involved in Australia's piloting of the Mockingbird Family. With a view understanding experience, data were collected via focus groups with carers and agency workers (n = 20) involved in piloting, implementation and evaluation. Deductive analysis applied the theory of experience to generate understanding of experience, as both intrinsic and extrinsic dimensions to capture strengths in the Mockingbird Family's foster caring networks. These dimensions of experience included collective passions of carers and workers; experiential change over time; collective experiences as a moving force; and experiences as transformational. Understanding of experience associated with the perceived strengths of the Mockingbird Family, including strategies to promote strong professional relationships between carers and workers, is an important element in strengthening environments of children and young people in care. Safe and stable environments are crucial for wellbeing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This longitudinal study examines the child's place in the foster family through the use of conventional names for familial figures (e.g., 'mum/dad') and through the foster parents' intention to adopt the child. Data were collected at two time points during childhood and adolescence, among children placed in kinship and non‐kinship foster care in Norway. Children placed at a younger age and children in non‐kinship foster care were more likely to call their foster parents for 'mum/dad'. Children placed at an older age and children in non‐kinship care were more often presented as 'foster child' by their foster parents. Only 25%–34% of foster parents reported having considered adoption. The most common reason for not considering adoption was that they already deemed to be a family. The use of conventional names for familial figures in foster families might not necessarily reflect the child's integration into a foster family as it seems to be related to the age of the child at placement rather than to the duration of placement. Intention to adopt was relatively low, mostly because foster parents considered adoption as not necessary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Literature on the delivery and impact of foster parent training, such as the Nurturing Parenting Program (NPP), is sparse, particularly for relative foster parents. This study investigates (a) how NPP referral, initiation, and completion rates vary between relative and non-relative foster parents, (b) reasons for not initiating NPP, and (c) changes in parenting attitudes and behaviors for relative and non-relative foster parents after participating in NPP. The study analyzed data from the Illinois Birth to Three (IB3) study for 722 relative and 397 non-relative foster parents of children ages three and younger. Relative and non-relative foster parents had similar NPP referral and initiation rates, but relatives had significantly lower completion rates. Content analysis of case notes for 498 cases showed that relative foster parents more frequently noted barriers (e.g., childcare, transportation) to NPP initiation. Among NPP completers, both groups reported similar levels of improvements in parenting attitudes and behaviors at the end of NPP, but a pattern of lower scores was observed for relative foster parents. The findings suggest a need for more support for foster parents, particularly relative foster parents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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