Pub Date : 2020-12-01DOI: 10.1177/2516103220985873
Sonam Rohta
A very large number of children live without parental care in the entire world. Poverty is considered to be the main reason behind institutionalization of the children because 80% of children living in care have at least one parent alive. The present paper emphasizes on the trends of institutional care in India where the large population is poor. Keeping in view the socio-economic conditions of the country, it is an attempt to explore the challenges and living conditions of children in institutional care run by government and non-governmental organizations in the regions of Punjab and Chandigarh in northern India. The findings of the study are based on the empirical data that included around 177 institutionalized children both boys and girls between the age group of 5 and 18 years living in four different children’s institutions. The study also provides suitable recommendations for better alternative care in countries with large populations of vulnerable children.
{"title":"Children living in institutional care in northern India: A study","authors":"Sonam Rohta","doi":"10.1177/2516103220985873","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/2516103220985873","url":null,"abstract":"A very large number of children live without parental care in the entire world. Poverty is considered to be the main reason behind institutionalization of the children because 80% of children living in care have at least one parent alive. The present paper emphasizes on the trends of institutional care in India where the large population is poor. Keeping in view the socio-economic conditions of the country, it is an attempt to explore the challenges and living conditions of children in institutional care run by government and non-governmental organizations in the regions of Punjab and Chandigarh in northern India. The findings of the study are based on the empirical data that included around 177 institutionalized children both boys and girls between the age group of 5 and 18 years living in four different children’s institutions. The study also provides suitable recommendations for better alternative care in countries with large populations of vulnerable children.","PeriodicalId":36239,"journal":{"name":"Developmental Child Welfare","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1177/2516103220985873","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46125120","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2020-12-01DOI: 10.1177/2516103220985872
S. Hammond, Julie K. Young, C. Duddy
This scoping review was undertaken to provide an overview of peer-reviewed empirical evidence concerning the undertaking of Life Story Work (LSW) with children and young people with care experience (CYPCE). Our search identified 1,336 potentially relevant publications. Of these, 24 empirical studies met our inclusion criteria and examined a wide range of practices in different countries. Using a thematic approach, key findings and characteristics related to current conceptualizations of LSW are explored and knowledge gaps identified. Our review shows that predominantly small-scale qualitative studies have been undertaken. These studies typically reported participants’ experiences and perspectives on pre-existing LSW practices (17 articles), or evaluations of innovative practices (7 articles). However, both lacked efficacy data. We identified numerous LSW practices that were consistently identified as providing “high-quality” experiences: young person-led approaches; consistent support to access and process personal information, including chronological facts, reasons for care entry and beyond; the use of artifacts; and assistance/training for carers supporting LSW. The included studies also identified practices that undermined LSW: rushed, incomplete accounts, using insensitive language that failed to include different voices from a young person’s past. The discussion appraises the findings through a critical lens and concludes that LSW is a clear priority for all and represents an intervention that has potential to help the unaddressed mental health needs of CYPCE. Unfortunately, without better evidence on how this intervention works best, for whom, over what period, and at what cost, practice cannot move forward. This paper challenges all stakeholders to realize this potential.
{"title":"Life story work for children and young people with care experience: A scoping review","authors":"S. Hammond, Julie K. Young, C. Duddy","doi":"10.1177/2516103220985872","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/2516103220985872","url":null,"abstract":"This scoping review was undertaken to provide an overview of peer-reviewed empirical evidence concerning the undertaking of Life Story Work (LSW) with children and young people with care experience (CYPCE). Our search identified 1,336 potentially relevant publications. Of these, 24 empirical studies met our inclusion criteria and examined a wide range of practices in different countries. Using a thematic approach, key findings and characteristics related to current conceptualizations of LSW are explored and knowledge gaps identified. Our review shows that predominantly small-scale qualitative studies have been undertaken. These studies typically reported participants’ experiences and perspectives on pre-existing LSW practices (17 articles), or evaluations of innovative practices (7 articles). However, both lacked efficacy data. We identified numerous LSW practices that were consistently identified as providing “high-quality” experiences: young person-led approaches; consistent support to access and process personal information, including chronological facts, reasons for care entry and beyond; the use of artifacts; and assistance/training for carers supporting LSW. The included studies also identified practices that undermined LSW: rushed, incomplete accounts, using insensitive language that failed to include different voices from a young person’s past. The discussion appraises the findings through a critical lens and concludes that LSW is a clear priority for all and represents an intervention that has potential to help the unaddressed mental health needs of CYPCE. Unfortunately, without better evidence on how this intervention works best, for whom, over what period, and at what cost, practice cannot move forward. This paper challenges all stakeholders to realize this potential.","PeriodicalId":36239,"journal":{"name":"Developmental Child Welfare","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1177/2516103220985872","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"41625440","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2020-11-10DOI: 10.1177/2516103220971296
K. Eadie, Ashleigh Wegener, Warren Bergh
The purpose of this study is to test the validity of the Assessment Checklist measures in assessing complex mental health and behavioural difficulties of children and young people in care attending a specialist mental health service in Queensland, Australia. Fifty-eight consumers (53% male) with an average age of 8 years were assessed by carers on the Assessment Checklist for Children—Short Form and Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, and 44 consumers (36% male) with an average age of 13 years were assessed by carers on the Assessment Checklist for Adolescents—Short Form and Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. Results showed that the Assessment Checklist for Children—Short Form total score correlated with the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire total score. There were some correlations between subscales on both the measures. The Assessment Checklist for Adolescents—Short Form and Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire correlated on very few domains. Domains of the Assessment Checklist measures that assess emotional dysregulation, trauma, interpersonal/attachment styles, sexual behaviour and food maintenance appear to provide additional clinical information about consumers that the standard Child and Youth Mental Health Service carer-report measure (Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire) does not. It is recommended that the Assessment Checklist measures be used as an additional measure to assess the complexity of the children and young people in care who attend specialist mental health services.
{"title":"Assessment of mental health difficulties in children and young people in care attending a specialist mental health service","authors":"K. Eadie, Ashleigh Wegener, Warren Bergh","doi":"10.1177/2516103220971296","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/2516103220971296","url":null,"abstract":"The purpose of this study is to test the validity of the Assessment Checklist measures in assessing complex mental health and behavioural difficulties of children and young people in care attending a specialist mental health service in Queensland, Australia. Fifty-eight consumers (53% male) with an average age of 8 years were assessed by carers on the Assessment Checklist for Children—Short Form and Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, and 44 consumers (36% male) with an average age of 13 years were assessed by carers on the Assessment Checklist for Adolescents—Short Form and Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. Results showed that the Assessment Checklist for Children—Short Form total score correlated with the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire total score. There were some correlations between subscales on both the measures. The Assessment Checklist for Adolescents—Short Form and Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire correlated on very few domains. Domains of the Assessment Checklist measures that assess emotional dysregulation, trauma, interpersonal/attachment styles, sexual behaviour and food maintenance appear to provide additional clinical information about consumers that the standard Child and Youth Mental Health Service carer-report measure (Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire) does not. It is recommended that the Assessment Checklist measures be used as an additional measure to assess the complexity of the children and young people in care who attend specialist mental health services.","PeriodicalId":36239,"journal":{"name":"Developmental Child Welfare","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-11-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1177/2516103220971296","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"44372855","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2020-10-21DOI: 10.1177/2516103220963139
D. Collin-Vézina, D. Brend, Karen R. Black, I. Beeman, Steven M Brown
Background: There is increasing recognition of the need to integrate trauma-informed care (TIC) into child welfare practices, given the high rates of trauma experiences among children and youth across these settings. The implementation of TIC is facilitated by various elements, including worker attitudes, yet further research is needed to illuminate the factors that influence child welfare workers’ positive regard for TIC. Objectives: This study aims to explore the relationship between child welfare worker attitudes regarding TIC with workers’ and clients’ individual characteristics. Methods: N = 418 child welfare workers from 11 agencies completed two measures: a demographic questionnaire as well as the French translated version of the ARTIC-35 questionnaire comprised of five subscales. Linear mixed effects models were run for each ARTIC subscale, examining how child and worker factors affect attitudes toward TIC. Results: Participants indicated relatively positive attitudes toward TIC. Managerial staff in offender units scored higher on the subscale regarding their beliefs about the causes underlying child behaviors and on the subscale regarding beliefs about the secondary effects of trauma, than their counterparts in protection units serving boys. Managers scored higher than frontline staff on worker self-efficacy, response to problem behavior, and on-the-job behavior subscales. Workers with a community college degree—and not a university degree–indicated greater sense of self-efficacy. Conclusions: This study points to the importance of paying attention to the characteristics of both workers and clients that may influence inclination toward TIC principles, as a means to build effective integration of this approach in child-serving settings.
{"title":"Impacts of child welfare worker and clientele characteristics on attitudes toward trauma informed-care","authors":"D. Collin-Vézina, D. Brend, Karen R. Black, I. Beeman, Steven M Brown","doi":"10.1177/2516103220963139","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/2516103220963139","url":null,"abstract":"Background: There is increasing recognition of the need to integrate trauma-informed care (TIC) into child welfare practices, given the high rates of trauma experiences among children and youth across these settings. The implementation of TIC is facilitated by various elements, including worker attitudes, yet further research is needed to illuminate the factors that influence child welfare workers’ positive regard for TIC. Objectives: This study aims to explore the relationship between child welfare worker attitudes regarding TIC with workers’ and clients’ individual characteristics. Methods: N = 418 child welfare workers from 11 agencies completed two measures: a demographic questionnaire as well as the French translated version of the ARTIC-35 questionnaire comprised of five subscales. Linear mixed effects models were run for each ARTIC subscale, examining how child and worker factors affect attitudes toward TIC. Results: Participants indicated relatively positive attitudes toward TIC. Managerial staff in offender units scored higher on the subscale regarding their beliefs about the causes underlying child behaviors and on the subscale regarding beliefs about the secondary effects of trauma, than their counterparts in protection units serving boys. Managers scored higher than frontline staff on worker self-efficacy, response to problem behavior, and on-the-job behavior subscales. Workers with a community college degree—and not a university degree–indicated greater sense of self-efficacy. Conclusions: This study points to the importance of paying attention to the characteristics of both workers and clients that may influence inclination toward TIC principles, as a means to build effective integration of this approach in child-serving settings.","PeriodicalId":36239,"journal":{"name":"Developmental Child Welfare","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-10-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1177/2516103220963139","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"44439365","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2020-09-01DOI: 10.1177/2516103220960154
J. Singer, D. Brodzinsky
When children are removed from their birth parents and placed in foster care, child welfare policy and practice prioritizes family reunification in permanency planning. Of the many services offered to families in support of reunification, parent-child visitation is one of the most important. The purposes of visitation are to maintain and support the parent-child relationship, facilitate improved parenting skills, and offer social workers opportunities to gauge the family’s progress in meeting reunification goals. Whether supervised or unsupervised, parent-child visitations most often involve face-to-face contact between family members. During periods of sheltering in place in response to COVID-19, however, face-to-face visits have been largely curtailed. In their place, child welfare agencies have begun using virtual visitation through various technology platforms such as smartphones, FaceTime, Zoom, WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger and Skype, often facilitated by foster parents. A number of questions have arisen, however, about the effectiveness of virtual visitations and how best to use them as a means of supporting reunification goals. In the present article, we examine existing data on how children respond to virtual communication with parents and extended family and what practical issues and training needs are encountered when implementing virtual visits in juvenile dependency cases.
{"title":"Virtual parent-child visitation in support of family reunification in the time of COVID-19","authors":"J. Singer, D. Brodzinsky","doi":"10.1177/2516103220960154","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/2516103220960154","url":null,"abstract":"When children are removed from their birth parents and placed in foster care, child welfare policy and practice prioritizes family reunification in permanency planning. Of the many services offered to families in support of reunification, parent-child visitation is one of the most important. The purposes of visitation are to maintain and support the parent-child relationship, facilitate improved parenting skills, and offer social workers opportunities to gauge the family’s progress in meeting reunification goals. Whether supervised or unsupervised, parent-child visitations most often involve face-to-face contact between family members. During periods of sheltering in place in response to COVID-19, however, face-to-face visits have been largely curtailed. In their place, child welfare agencies have begun using virtual visitation through various technology platforms such as smartphones, FaceTime, Zoom, WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger and Skype, often facilitated by foster parents. A number of questions have arisen, however, about the effectiveness of virtual visitations and how best to use them as a means of supporting reunification goals. In the present article, we examine existing data on how children respond to virtual communication with parents and extended family and what practical issues and training needs are encountered when implementing virtual visits in juvenile dependency cases.","PeriodicalId":36239,"journal":{"name":"Developmental Child Welfare","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1177/2516103220960154","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43859702","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2020-09-01DOI: 10.1177/2516103220959814
Graham Music
This paper looks at how people from Black and Minority Ethnic groups have been disproportionately affected by COVID. The paper links this with both psycho-social factors and childhood stress and trauma. It looks at the effects of unconscious racism on the minds and physiology of those affected. The relationship between the impact of stress, trauma, racism and Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) is discussed, and how ACEs are linked with very poor later physical and mental health outcomes. The article suggests that these issues are highly over determined but that for change to occur we need interventions at a range of levels, from the macro-political, psychosocial, individual and economic, including unconscious implicit biases.
{"title":"Covid, racism and Black Lives Matter: A deadly constellation","authors":"Graham Music","doi":"10.1177/2516103220959814","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/2516103220959814","url":null,"abstract":"This paper looks at how people from Black and Minority Ethnic groups have been disproportionately affected by COVID. The paper links this with both psycho-social factors and childhood stress and trauma. It looks at the effects of unconscious racism on the minds and physiology of those affected. The relationship between the impact of stress, trauma, racism and Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) is discussed, and how ACEs are linked with very poor later physical and mental health outcomes. The article suggests that these issues are highly over determined but that for change to occur we need interventions at a range of levels, from the macro-political, psychosocial, individual and economic, including unconscious implicit biases.","PeriodicalId":36239,"journal":{"name":"Developmental Child Welfare","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1177/2516103220959814","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47732499","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2020-09-01DOI: 10.1177/2516103220967937
Qi Wu, Yanfeng Xu
The risk of child maltreatment is heightened during the pandemic due to multiple COVID-19 related stressors, such as physical and mental health concerns, economic stress, challenges in homeschooling, marital conflicts and intimate personal violence, and intensified child–parent relationships. Both parental internal (e.g., parenting styles) and external resources (e.g., social support), and parental perceptions toward stressors will affect how parents cope with these stressors, which may exacerbate or mitigate the risk of child maltreatment. Guided by family stress theory, this article identifies COVID-19 related stressors at the family level, and further elaborates on how these stressors are associated with child maltreatment via parents’ resources, perceptions, and coping strategies. Implications for future practice and research are discussed.
{"title":"Parenting stress and risk of child maltreatment during the COVID-19 pandemic: A family stress theory-informed perspective","authors":"Qi Wu, Yanfeng Xu","doi":"10.1177/2516103220967937","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/2516103220967937","url":null,"abstract":"The risk of child maltreatment is heightened during the pandemic due to multiple COVID-19 related stressors, such as physical and mental health concerns, economic stress, challenges in homeschooling, marital conflicts and intimate personal violence, and intensified child–parent relationships. Both parental internal (e.g., parenting styles) and external resources (e.g., social support), and parental perceptions toward stressors will affect how parents cope with these stressors, which may exacerbate or mitigate the risk of child maltreatment. Guided by family stress theory, this article identifies COVID-19 related stressors at the family level, and further elaborates on how these stressors are associated with child maltreatment via parents’ resources, perceptions, and coping strategies. Implications for future practice and research are discussed.","PeriodicalId":36239,"journal":{"name":"Developmental Child Welfare","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1177/2516103220967937","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46179661","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2020-09-01DOI: 10.1177/2516103220968842
J. Caldwell, Ashleigh Delaye, Tonino Esposito, T. Petti, Tara Black, B. Fallon, N. Trocmé
In many North American jurisdictions, socioeconomically vulnerable families are more likely to be involved with child protection systems and experience ongoing challenges. The current public health response to the COVID-19 pandemic is having a disproportionate impact on these families via unemployment, “essential” work, isolation, and closures of childcare and schools, with negative implications for children’s developmental wellbeing. Experts warn that while child protection referrals have gone down, children who are at risk of maltreatment are less exposed to typical reporters (e.g., school professionals). At the same time, physical distancing measures are prompting many human service settings to shift toward virtual intervention with children and families. In this commentary, we suggest that a focus on short-term risk in the response to COVID-19 may obscure support for children’s long-term outcomes. We propose two policy considerations: (1) in the immediate term, that child protection workers be deemed “essential”; and (2) in the longer term, that permanent, universal basic income guarantees be implemented to support a baseline of predictability both in families’ material wellbeing and in fiscal budgets in the case of a future crisis. As we write, it is impossible to predict the longevity of these closures nor the extent of their impact on children and families. However, the present article mirrors commentary following previous crises noting the importance of going beyond immediate health risk mitigation to consider wellbeing with regard to children’s development and families’ socioeconomic needs in the long term.
{"title":"“Essential” services, risk, and child protection in the time of COVID-19: An opportunity to prioritize chronic need","authors":"J. Caldwell, Ashleigh Delaye, Tonino Esposito, T. Petti, Tara Black, B. Fallon, N. Trocmé","doi":"10.1177/2516103220968842","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/2516103220968842","url":null,"abstract":"In many North American jurisdictions, socioeconomically vulnerable families are more likely to be involved with child protection systems and experience ongoing challenges. The current public health response to the COVID-19 pandemic is having a disproportionate impact on these families via unemployment, “essential” work, isolation, and closures of childcare and schools, with negative implications for children’s developmental wellbeing. Experts warn that while child protection referrals have gone down, children who are at risk of maltreatment are less exposed to typical reporters (e.g., school professionals). At the same time, physical distancing measures are prompting many human service settings to shift toward virtual intervention with children and families. In this commentary, we suggest that a focus on short-term risk in the response to COVID-19 may obscure support for children’s long-term outcomes. We propose two policy considerations: (1) in the immediate term, that child protection workers be deemed “essential”; and (2) in the longer term, that permanent, universal basic income guarantees be implemented to support a baseline of predictability both in families’ material wellbeing and in fiscal budgets in the case of a future crisis. As we write, it is impossible to predict the longevity of these closures nor the extent of their impact on children and families. However, the present article mirrors commentary following previous crises noting the importance of going beyond immediate health risk mitigation to consider wellbeing with regard to children’s development and families’ socioeconomic needs in the long term.","PeriodicalId":36239,"journal":{"name":"Developmental Child Welfare","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1177/2516103220968842","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"49458833","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2020-08-04DOI: 10.1177/2516103220942530
D. Collin-Vézina, D. Brend, I. Beeman
CONTEXT: Evidence from the COVID-19 crisis suggests that children and youth are more likely to be subjected to maltreatment and exposure to family violence, while experiencing limited access to the usual services that support vulnerable families and provide targeted services to meet their needs. The current global pandemic itself can also be experienced as a traumatic event. Trauma-informed care draws attention to the potential impacts, from the individual to the global, that myriad traumatic experiences can illicit and proposes using these understandings as foundational to the development and implementation of policy and practice. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this opinion paper is to offer insights to guide practices and policies during this unprecedented global crisis through a discussion of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (2014)’s six trauma-informed care principles: trustworthiness and transparency; safety; peer support; collaboration and mutuality; empowerment and choice; and cultural, historical and gender issues. FINDINGS: Specific recommendations based on these six principles and applied to the current situation are presented and discussed. These principles can serve both in the immediate crisis and as preventative measures against unforeseen future traumatic contexts. CONCLUSION: COVID-19 renews the imperative to maintain and strengthen trauma-informed practices and policies. We argue that never before has trauma-informed care been so important to promote the health and well-being of all and to protect our marginalized populations at greatest risk.
{"title":"When it counts the most: Trauma-informed care and the COVID-19 global pandemic","authors":"D. Collin-Vézina, D. Brend, I. Beeman","doi":"10.1177/2516103220942530","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/2516103220942530","url":null,"abstract":"CONTEXT: Evidence from the COVID-19 crisis suggests that children and youth are more likely to be subjected to maltreatment and exposure to family violence, while experiencing limited access to the usual services that support vulnerable families and provide targeted services to meet their needs. The current global pandemic itself can also be experienced as a traumatic event. Trauma-informed care draws attention to the potential impacts, from the individual to the global, that myriad traumatic experiences can illicit and proposes using these understandings as foundational to the development and implementation of policy and practice. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this opinion paper is to offer insights to guide practices and policies during this unprecedented global crisis through a discussion of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (2014)’s six trauma-informed care principles: trustworthiness and transparency; safety; peer support; collaboration and mutuality; empowerment and choice; and cultural, historical and gender issues. FINDINGS: Specific recommendations based on these six principles and applied to the current situation are presented and discussed. These principles can serve both in the immediate crisis and as preventative measures against unforeseen future traumatic contexts. CONCLUSION: COVID-19 renews the imperative to maintain and strengthen trauma-informed practices and policies. We argue that never before has trauma-informed care been so important to promote the health and well-being of all and to protect our marginalized populations at greatest risk.","PeriodicalId":36239,"journal":{"name":"Developmental Child Welfare","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-08-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1177/2516103220942530","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45593846","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2020-06-01DOI: 10.1177/2516103220940325
Nikita K. Schoemaker, H. Vermeer, F. Juffer, R. Spies, E. van Ee, A. Maras, Lenneke R. A. Alink
Indiscriminate friendliness (IF) is atypical behavior often seen in postinstitutionalized and foster children. The current exploratory study examined the associations of children’s attachment security, parental sensitivity, and child inhibitory control with reported and observed IF in 60 family-reared, never-institutionalized foster children. IF was measured with a parent-report questionnaire (Indiscriminate Friendliness Questionnaire) and an observational measure (adapted version of the Stranger at the Door procedure; Bucharest Early Intervention Project). Attachment security and inhibitory control were related to reported IF (i.e., a secure attachment and poor inhibitory control were associated with higher levels of IF), but parental sensitivity was not. No associations were found between observed IF and attachment security, parental sensitivity, or inhibitory control. Thus, foster children with a secure attachment relationship may be more prone to socially interact with others including strangers, whereas better inhibitory control may serve as a buffer against IF but these results were found for reported IF only. More research is needed to gain more knowledge about different measures, other possible correlates, and underlying mechanisms of IF.
{"title":"Indiscriminate friendliness in foster children: Associations with attachment security, foster parents’ sensitivity, and child inhibitory control","authors":"Nikita K. Schoemaker, H. Vermeer, F. Juffer, R. Spies, E. van Ee, A. Maras, Lenneke R. A. Alink","doi":"10.1177/2516103220940325","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/2516103220940325","url":null,"abstract":"Indiscriminate friendliness (IF) is atypical behavior often seen in postinstitutionalized and foster children. The current exploratory study examined the associations of children’s attachment security, parental sensitivity, and child inhibitory control with reported and observed IF in 60 family-reared, never-institutionalized foster children. IF was measured with a parent-report questionnaire (Indiscriminate Friendliness Questionnaire) and an observational measure (adapted version of the Stranger at the Door procedure; Bucharest Early Intervention Project). Attachment security and inhibitory control were related to reported IF (i.e., a secure attachment and poor inhibitory control were associated with higher levels of IF), but parental sensitivity was not. No associations were found between observed IF and attachment security, parental sensitivity, or inhibitory control. Thus, foster children with a secure attachment relationship may be more prone to socially interact with others including strangers, whereas better inhibitory control may serve as a buffer against IF but these results were found for reported IF only. More research is needed to gain more knowledge about different measures, other possible correlates, and underlying mechanisms of IF.","PeriodicalId":36239,"journal":{"name":"Developmental Child Welfare","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1177/2516103220940325","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"49009188","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}