Child & Family Social Work最新文献

Children from single-parent families typically face severe developmental risks, especially those with prior experience in child abuse. This study aimed to investigate the child abuse experience and social competence of children from single-parent families and discuss the possible mediation effect of resilience in Mainland China. This study analysed 431 single-parent children samples collected in China (50% females, M_age = 13.10). Group comparison analyses were conducted to illustrate group differences in social competence between single-parent children with and without child abuse experience. In addition, path analyses were conducted to examine the mediation effect of resilience between child abuse and social competence. This study findings indicated that single-parent children with physical and emotional abuse experience did not perform significantly worse in social competence, but those with emotional neglect were found to do worse. Resilience fully mediated the effect of physical abuse and partially mediated the effect of emotional neglect on single-parent children's social competence, while it did not mediate the impact of emotional abuse. This study contributes to understanding the mechanisms between child abuse, social competence and resilience of children from single-parent families in Mainland China. The findings have implications for social services for single-parent children who are abused.

Research suggests that the demands of parenting have increased during the COVID-19 pandemic, especially for mothers. Widespread loss of childcare and in-person schooling forced parents to make adjustments to care for their children in new ways, many while working remotely. This qualitative study, guided by Walsh's theory of family resilience, examines mothers' experiences with stress and resilience as they adapted to the COVID-19 pandemic. Data were gathered as part of a longitudinal, mixed-methods study that examined family stress and resilience among mothers of children ages zero to five. The authors conducted in-depth interviews between June and August 2020 with mothers (n = 15) of children under age six. Three themes emerged to characterize pandemic parenting: 24/7 parenting, changing expectations, and making it work. Recommendations are provided for researchers and practitioners working with mothers of young children, with emphasis on mothers' aptitudes for resilience in times of crisis.

Research on the challenges child protection social workers (CPSWs) face has increased remarkably in developed nations with the goal of finding sustainable solutions. There is a significant number of vulnerable children in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), yet little is documented and known about the role of CPSWs in supporting the children, and the challenges they face that must be addressed to ensure effective and efficient service delivery. The study presents findings from in-depth interviews with 11 certified social workers recruited from five non-governmental organizations in Lagos and Kano states, Nigeria. A realist thematic methodological analysis was performed on the data. Findings were organized and discussed around two major themes including child-focused remedial work and challenges encountered. Providing essential remedial services such as food, clothing, shelter and counselling/therapeutic services emerged as the primary responsibilities of Nigerian child protection social workers (NCPSWs). Their work-related challenges include frustration due to limited resources and resistant children, shortages of social workers and high caseloads, whereas systemic challenges include the non-adoption and non-implementation of the 2003 Child Rights Act (CRA), the lack of legal recognition for the profession and government support. Implications and recommendations are drawn for practice, policy, and research.

Preparing children for adoption is one of the major goals of the child welfare system. Research on adoption preparation has mainly focused on the perspective of adults, and studies addressing the views of children eligible for adoption are meagre. This study aimed to contribute to filling this gap by exploring the child's perspective on adoption and preparation for adoption. Twenty children aged 9–13 years old (seven girls) and living in residential care institutions, participated in three semi-structured focus group interviews. Thematic analysis of the data revealed three major themes: understanding of adoption, challenges associated with adoption and preparation and other factors that facilitate adoption. The results suggest that children perceive adoption as an opportunity for a better life that involves challenges such as navigating ambivalence, distancing from biological parents and anticipated risks. Preparation for adoption is key to overcome the expected difficulties. We discussed these results considering the importance of prioritizing children's best interests and exploring practical applications of incorporating their perspectives in adoption preparation. Addressing the views of children eligible for adoption may contribute to promoting the quality of child-centred care in adoption preparation practices.

Experiences of family conflict are common in young people's accounts of homelessness, yet in-depth explorations and conceptualisations of these experiences remain sparse. Drawing on focus group discussions with 29 participants, this article explores the accounts of young people and carers and parents about the dynamics, interactions and characteristics of family conflict. Findings highlight the primacy of verbal insults, criticisms or threats, as well as acts of aggression and violence in young people's and parent's understandings of family conflict. Feelings of mistrust, instability and a lack of safety also pervade family conflict and are considered its most impactful elements. We contend that these impacts are best understood via the concept of ontological (in)security, whereby young people's sense of self, belonging and stability are undermined by family conflict. This provides important insights for developing practice in this space, where working to remove long-term patterns of family conflict, restoring young people's sense of self and belonging within their family, and supporting the stability and trust within a family may prove beneficial.

Adolescent exposure to substance-related marketing is associated with subsequent substance initiation and progression. The extent to which adolescents are exposed to such content may be associated with adolescent cognitions about digital privacy and media-specific parenting behaviours. The present study assesses whether the relationship between screentime and online marketing risk is mediated by adolescent digital privacy-related cognitions and moderated by media-specific parenting behaviours. Parents and their 10–14-year-old adolescents (n = 960) completed an online survey on media parenting techniques and adolescent media use and attitudes. Associations between screentime, Adolescent Cognitions about Online Privacy (ACOP; comprising privacy-related attitudes, subjective norms and perceived behavioural control), TECH parenting (Talk, Educate, Co-Use, House Rules) and adolescent online marketing exposure were explored via a moderated mediation model. A significant total effect between screentime and online marketing exposure was identified, including an indirect path via ACOP. TECH parenting significantly strengthened ACOP's mediation of the relationship between screentime and online marketing risk. This study indicates that adolescent privacy-related cognitions may be an important mechanism for future studies related to adolescent online risk behaviour. Implications for child and family social work are discussed.

Marital satisfaction is a key indicator of family members' life satisfaction and mental and physical health. Parents' marital functioning affects their children's development. Given the significant impacts of marital satisfaction on children's psychological and behavioural development, the influencing paths need to be explored. This study aims to extend prior research by examining the direct effect of marital satisfaction on children's aggression and the intermediary roles of parents' and children's psychological distress. Using multi-stage cluster random sampling, a total of 971 children and their parents were recruited in Shaanxi Province in Mainland China. Self-reported questionnaires regarding marital satisfaction, psychological distress and aggression were completed. Results showed no significant direct impact of marital satisfaction on children's aggression, but children's psychological distress mediated this link. Moreover, parents' and children's psychological distress served as sequential mediators in the nexus between marital satisfaction and children's aggression. It means that a chain mediating mechanism existed. A better understanding of the underlying mechanisms may offer valuable insights that would aid policymakers and clinicians in designing effective prevention and interventions targeting children's behavioural problems.

Unique service needs exist for expectant or parenting youth with foster care histories (EPY) and their families. Informed by Critical Ecological Systems Theory (CEST), this exploratory qualitative study presents findings from an inductive content analysis of in-depth interviews and focus groups with EPY and service providers. The study included nine in-depth face-to-face interviews with service providers (n = 5) and EPY (n = 4) as well as five focus groups with service providers (n = 23) and three with EPY (n = 7) to identify the characteristics of service providers, agencies and systems that may act as barriers to service utilization among EPY with a foster care history (n = 10) or juvenile justice history (n = 1). Service provider characteristics included negative attitudes towards EPY and/or those with child welfare experiences. Agency characteristics included a lack of workforce diversity, employee turnover, lack of training about diverse communities, restrictive enrolment processes and eligibility requirements, lack of childcare and transportation and limited accessibility of services. System characteristics included a lack of up-to-date information about existing services, territorialism, funding sources that do not prioritize interagency collaboration and a lack of communication/coordination among agencies. Implications include hiring and retaining a diverse workforce, providing training about diverse communities and implicit biases concerning young parents, developing navigation services specifically for EPY and developing processes for sharing data and communicating across systems that interact with EPY.

Family Group Conference (FGC) is a participatory decision-making process for families with children at risk, for whom concerns were recognized by the family, the professionals and/or the community. In its initial stages, FGC is organized, and the families are accompanied, by independent coordinators. The study used a qualitative, action-oriented methodology to explore what practices coordinators use to foster FGC's family-led dynamic. The data collection included 13 semi-structured, in-depth interviews and two research group discussions with coordinators to learn about their perspectives and practices. The study found that these practices were guided by three main principles of action: to affirm the family's control and responsibility, to highlight the family's ability and to orient the family towards the future. The article explores how these practices contribute to the family-led dynamic of FGC and situates them within the context of the welfare system and the positioning of the coordinators as ‘outsiders-within’ to both the family and the welfare services. This study contributes to the body of knowledge on participatory child welfare models and agentic practices and offers implications for policy and implementation of FGC in a manner that recognizes and respects families' agency.

Research highlights the importance of supportive relations for young people leaving care. Foster carers give an important contribution to such support. However, there is less knowledge about foster carers' views about the relational contact after the young person has aged out of care. This article explores foster carers' perspectives building on interviews with foster carers from both Norway and Sweden about their views on relational continuity. Life course and network theory are used as theoretical lenses to understand the opportunities and challenges for further contact both with cares and extended foster family. Findings suggest that foster carers have a lifelong perspective, still the relationship can be uncertain and some result in breaks. Viewed from a life course perspective, the relationships can also be renewed, and foster carers and other members of the foster family seem to be important sources of support for young people with a care background.