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Volard, Jill, Christine Baxter, and Cliff da Costa. "Recruiting Out-of-Home Caregivers for Children with an Intellectual Disability in the Shared Family Care Program." Children Australia 18, no. 4 (1993): 23–27. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s1035077200003692.
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Recruiting caregivers for children with an intellectual disability who require out-of-home respite or longer-term care is a problem which has challenged service providers for many years. This paper summarises findings of a recent evaluation of Shared Family Care, a foster care program in Victoria for children with intellectual disabilities/developmental delay. Current recruiting is not succeeding in meeting the demand for either respite, short term or long term care. Findings of the evaluation suggest that factors such as use of appropriate media, and running effective recruitment campaigns is only part of the answer. It is also important at every stage to address caregiver satisfaction with the job and employ strategies to find potential caregivers in the community.
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Oktay, J. S., and P. J. Volland. "Foster home care for the frail elderly as an alternative to nursing home care: an experimental evaluation." American Journal of Public Health 77, no. 12 (December 1987): 1505–10. http://dx.doi.org/10.2105/ajph.77.12.1505.
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Zinn, Andrew, and Mark E. Courtney. "Context matters: Experimental evaluation of home-based tutoring for youth in foster care." Children and Youth Services Review 47 (December 2014): 198–204. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2014.08.017.
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Negrão, Mariana, Maria Ana Aranha, Elisa Veiga, Lurdes Veríssimo, and Marina Moreira. "Family foster care: Perceptions of Portuguese child protection professionals." Análise Psicológica 40, no. 1 (June 14, 2022): 33–47. http://dx.doi.org/10.14417/ap.1900.
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Family foster care (FFC) is the preferred out-of-home care measure for the protection of children and youth through Europe, in accordance with research findings of its superiority in meeting developmental needs of children and youth. Portugal, however, does not accompany the European trend in the implementation of FFC. Even after changes made to the law, prioritizing FFC, it represents only 2,7% of out-of-home placements (Instituto de Segurança Social, I.P. [ISS-IP], 2020).The main goal of this exploratory and descriptive study is to understand the perceptions of Portuguese child protection professionals concerning FFC. 101 participants, from different professional backgrounds and child protection contexts, filled out a questionnaire. Main findings show a heterogeneous degree of familiarity to FFC, and a generally positive although reserved attitude to it. Professionals seem to value its child-centred approach and ability to promote child development and healthy attachment relationships, due to the benefits of a family environment. Participants identified regulations and procedures related to selection, evaluation, training, and support to foster families both as obstacles and necessary conditions for placement success, indicating important arenas where change urges.
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Porter, Eileen J. "An Older Rural Widow’s Transition From Home Care to Assisted Living." Care Management Journals 3, no. 1 (January 2001): 25–32. http://dx.doi.org/10.1891/1521-0987.3.1.25.
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Designed to foster appreciation of comprehensive evaluation of home care outcomes, this case study of an older rural widow is part of a longitudinal phenomenological study of home care. Over 14 months, while her home care agency reacted to the Balanced Budget Act, nine interviews were done with a 95-year-old woman who lived alone until she moved to an assisted living facility. Data analysis yielded structures of her changing experience of home care. Although primarily supportive services may have been inconsistent with Medicare regulations, such services may have influenced the favorable outcomes of sustaining elders at home and undergirding the rural economy
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Purtell, Jade, and Philip Mendes. "Stand By Me – Flexible and Holistic Support for Young Care Leavers: Smoothing Transitions from Care." Children Australia 41, no. 3 (August 17, 2016): 208–13. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/cha.2016.18.
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Young people placed in out-of-home care (OHC) through Child Protection in Victoria are formally discharged by the expiration of their care order at the age of 18 years or younger. In contrast, young people in Australia generally live in their family home with parents or carers well into their twenties. Whilst there are a range of leaving care and post-care services funded for care leavers, these supports tend to be temporary and discretionary in contrast to the ongoing support young people receive whilst in care or, in some cases, from family and social networks post care. Numerous studies have documented the developmental challenges experienced by young people leaving state care, and the often poor outcomes faced by this group. The Stand By Me (SBM) programme was developed in Victoria to replicate the ongoing support provided in the UK to care leavers by Personal Advisers who remain available to assist young people until 21 years of age. Evaluation of the SBM programme has shown that ongoing, holistic support, including housing support, has assisted 12 young people through the SBM pilot to access stable housing, address multiple and complex issues, and form trusting relationships with SBM workers that contribute to positive outcomes.
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Samašonok, Kristina. "The Implementation of the Right to Live in the Families for the Children from the Child Care Home: Approach of the Workers of Child Care Home." Pedagogika 118, no. 2 (June 10, 2015): 217–38. http://dx.doi.org/10.15823/p.2015.016.
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The importance of family and quality of relations between its members is very important to the process of personal development. The child’s separation from his parents and placement in care homes have long-term consequences to the development of the child. After evaluation of the importance of family for psychosocial development of personality, the attention should be drawn to improve the system of child care for children without parental care. Increasingly it is considered to ensure the child’s right to live the family life, also to return children living in child care homes to their biological parents and to integrate families of foster parents.
According to the current situation, the article reveals what trends prevail in practice of home care workers in order to ensure that children live in the families of the biological parents or foster parents. Also the article helps to evaluate the strengths of achievements in performance of employee as well as perceive the existing problems and provide the prospects for improvement of the situation and possible changes. In order for the children not to live at the child care homes, but in families with their parents or guardians, the question arises: what kind of effort has been made by care home staff to ensure the rights of children to live with parents or with a foster family? The aim of the study is to assess the context of the situation from the position of home care workers in order to ensure the right of children to live in the families of parents or foster parents.
The peculiarities of the implementation of the right for children from care home to live in the family were analyzed. The study involved 17 care home staff and was based on their view and personal work experience. A semi-standardized interview method has been applied to get to know the strengths of performance achievements of care home staff also to reveal the problems and shortcomings impeding the right of children from care home to live in the family with parents or foster parents and to provide the improvement techniques for the implementation of the child care system.
Interviews revealed that the care home staff admits the importance of the relationship between the child and his parents and other family members for the psychosocial development of the child and try to strengthen the relationship between children and their parents .Child care home staff constructs situations for children to meet with parents as often as possible, activate and support communication with the relatives and the loved ones of the ward. The external resources are searched to solve the problems of the wards: children are incorporated into foster families, stimulate foster families to take care of the wards for weekends or holidays, also wards visit the families of home care workers.
However, the analysis of activities and experiences of care home staff revealed that not enough attention is paid to solve the problems of wards’ right to live in the family. According to the current situation, care home staff express concerns about the passivity of foster parents and indifference to their children. The care home staff recognizes that usually the one-way communication takes place with families. The employees of child care home dominate by promoting parents to visit their children, while parents remain passive. On the other hand, care home staff believe that solving child custody issues is not enough to provide material support to families of social risk or to record the facts about child neglect, as well as to distinguish it from the destructive social environment and to provide public care. Comments of the research suggest that while solving the questions of welfare of wards and their right to live in the family, it is necessary to improve the work with families that pass on their children’s care to the state custody. It is important to provide parents of wards social-psychological support, to involve them in educational work and solution of relationship problems between ward and his family also it is necessary to include a range of institutions that work with parents. Workers believe that parents need to be given impetus to reform and strengthen their self-confidence and their own capabilities to care of their child and take the responsibility; also it is necessary to encourage parents to get the children back and bring them up the family, to emphasize their importance and necessity to the child.
While discussing the opportunities for wards to live in the family, care home staff emphasize the importance of short-term assistance and full care as well as the need to integrate wards into adequate families. It is considered that the integration of the wards into foster families increase the opportunities for children deprived of parental care to build successfully strong families and construct a family relationship. The care home staff agree that living in a care home, foster children form a distorted perception of the family. It is possible to notice the lack of perspective regarding the preparation of foster children and teenagers for their future family life because usually the solutions of problems are restricted to oral remarks or conversations in care homes. Workers of care home believe that the absence of a real family model for wards will impede them to build strong families in the future. Some of the most successful assumptions that could help to reduce rising number of child care institutions are: social assistance and support system in targeting prevention work; provision of services to families by encouraging parents to get the child back to a family; to ensure that social risk families could integrate into the labor market; education and social assistance programs that help to restore a positive family experience, thereby educating the orphans, that grew up in foster homes; education about a family life; the integration and preparation of children psychologically and educationally; taking care of the child’s, families morally and legally.
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Markiewicz, Anne. "The child welfare system in Victoria: Changing context and perspectives 1945-1995." Children Australia 21, no. 3 (1996): 32–41. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s1035077200007185.
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This paper traces the history of child welfare in Victoria, from the formation of the Children's Welfare Department to the present time. It draws principally upon the Annual Reports of the responsible state government department, to illustrate trends in out-of-home placement for children and young people admitted to care. It describes substantial shifts in direction to the institutions in the 1960s, deinstitutionalisation of the 1980s, and the re-emergence of home-based care as a favoured, economical option.The paper traces the ebbs and flows in numbers, periods of overcrowding and the current reduced number of children and young people in care. It notes events impacting on evolving child welfare history in Victoria, the child migration program, building projects, the establishment of family group homes, regionalisation, external review, the Children and Young Persons Act (1989), and mandatory reporting legislation. Themes emerging include: early child welfare as a period of rescue and reform; the monitoring of standards and re-entry of the department to residential care; the building of institutions and rising numbers in care; redevelopment and the emergence of a community focus; the expansion of child protection; and the phasing out of old models and the search for cost efficient alternatives.A challenge for the 1990s is the need for deliberate and planned monitoring and evaluation as institutional and residential care give way to home-based care, and numbers of admissions decrease. The paper aims to provide useful, historical material for readers with an interest in child welfare work which would benefit from a descriptive review of the past.
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Shuker, Lucie Elizabeth. "Safe foster care for victims of child sexual exploitation." Safer Communities 14, no. 1 (January 12, 2015): 37–46. http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/sc-03-2015-0006.
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Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to report on an evaluation of a pilot of specialist foster care for children at risk, or victims, of child sexual exploitation (CSE) and/or trafficking. Design/methodology/approach – The research adopted a multi-case study approach, gathering placement documentation, interviews and weekly monitoring logs throughout the duration of the 13 placements. Findings – This evaluation found that safety for those at risk, or victims, of CSE within the in-care population has both a physical and a relational element. The most successful placements were able to deploy restrictive safety measures effectively by tipping the balance of care and control towards demonstrations of compassion and acceptance. Good relationships in these foster homes unlocked other positive outcomes, including reduced missing incidences and increased awareness of exploitation. Research limitations/implications – The small sample size within this pilot project suggests the need for further research to test the applicability of the notion of multi-dimensional safety to young people’s welfare more generally. Practical implications – The findings confirm previous research that highlights the importance of stable relationships in child protection. They have implications for current tendencies to commission short-term CSE interventions that are unlikely to create the relational security that can improve community safety for young people. Originality/value – This is the first published evaluation of specialist accommodation for those affected by CSE in the UK, and its findings will therefore be of most value to commissioners and providers of care to looked after young people. The concept of multi-dimensional safety will be relevant to those with responsibility for child welfare/safeguarding.
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Solorzano, Nelly, Chelsea Manheim, Leah Haverhals, and Cari Levy. "Evaluation of the VA Medical Foster Home Program: Factors Important for Expansion and Sustainability During COVID19." Innovation in Aging 4, Supplement_1 (December 1, 2020): 944. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/geroni/igaa057.3456.
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Abstract In 2020, the Center of Innovation for Veteran Centered and Value Driven Care (COIN) continued its monitoring and evaluation of the Veterans Administration (VA) Medical Foster Home (MFH) programs expansion into rural areas. Veterans in MFHs are provided 24/7 care by VA trained and supervised community caregivers and primary care by VA Home Based Primary Care (HBPC) teams. One year after the three-year (2017-2019) expansion funds stopped, COIN continued monitoring remaining programs. Objectives were to understand factors critical for program expansion and sustainability and the impact of COVID-19. Phone interviews were conducted with sixteen coordinators from seventeen programs. A thematic analysis approach was used to address the evaluation objectives using transcript data. Findings showed factors important to program sustainability were: 1) Program fit (finding caregivers in the community); and 2) Local VA facility support (staffing, adaptation, and local leadership support). COVID prompted losing some caregivers and prevented others from joining. Program staffing was not impacted as many program activities ceased. Recreational therapists (RTs) were significant to maintaining Veterans well-being and reducing social isolation through virtual activities. COVID required coordinators transition their supervision of MFHs to new virtual environments and HBPC to increase telehealth to new levels. Local leadership became important to monitoring local conditions and providing support to programs. The evaluation: 1) Found factors important to program sustainability were also critical to keeping programs operational during the pandemic; and 2) Stimulated future research on the suitability of MFH programs to meet challenges to resurgences of COVID or other national emergencies.
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Forchuk, Cheryl, Jan Richardson, and Heather Atyeo. "A Housing First evaluation project for homeless Veterans in Canada: Quantitative findings." Journal of Military, Veteran and Family Health 8, no. 1 (February 1, 2022): 79–89. http://dx.doi.org/10.3138/jmvfh-2020-0053.
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LAY SUMMARY This study sought to evaluate a Housing First program for Veterans experiencing homelessness. Housing First is an approach made up of many different aspects of care including peer support and greater access to care resources within the home. These aspects of care are offered in order to address underlying issues and maintain housing stability. The program was implemented across four cities in Canada including London, Toronto, Calgary, and Victoria. To assess the program, interviews with Veterans were conducted at time of enrollment, 3, 9, and 15 months. The Veterans in this study demonstrated a significant reduction in homelessness. As well, a significant reduction in emergency room visits was reported. Other health care interactions and quality-of-life scores remained stable. These findings could, therefore, lead to potential future cost savings in the health care sector. This study demonstrates why this approach to housing for Veterans can be a highly effective and useful way to ensure housing stability.
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Amiri, Mohamadreza. "Evaluation of Serum Vitamin D Levels in Foster's Children Care Center." Journal of Pediatric Health and Nutrition 1, no. 2 (January 5, 2019): 1–8. http://dx.doi.org/10.14302/issn.2691-5014.jphn-18-2456.
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Vitamin D, the sunshine vitamin, is now recognized not only for its importance in promoting bone health in children and adults, but also for its other health benefits, including reducing the risk of chronic diseases such as autoimmune diseases, common cancer, and cardiovascular diseases. Ultraviolet radiation of the sun with wavelengths of 290-310 nm penetrates into the skin and converts 7-dehydrocholesterol to previtamin D3, which quickly transforms to vitamin D3. Vitamin D (D represents either D2 or D3) made in the skin or ingested through diet is biologically inert and requires two successive hydroxylations first in the liver on carbon 25 to form 25-hydroxyvitamin D 25(OH)D and then in the kidney for a hydroxylation on carbon 1 to form the biologically active form of vitamin D, 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D (1,25(OH)2D) 1, 2, 14, 19. The concentration of the produced 25-hydroxy vitamin D in blood circulation is 1,000 times more than 1,25-dihydroxy vitamin D 4, and it is regarded as a standard indicator of vitamin D status in humans 3. 25-hydroxy vitamin D half-life is about 2-3 weeks and it is regulated by calcium (Ca), phosphorus (P), and serum parathyroid hormone (PTH) to some extent. 25-hydroxy vitamin D content also reflects the amount of vitamin D produced in the skin after exposure to sunlight or received through food intake 5, 6. Guidelines for vitamin D insufficiency/deficiency defined by serum 25(OH)D concentrations have been published from many countries and regions all over the world 7, 8, 9, 10, 11. Vitamin D deficiency is a pandemic problem. According to global estimations, more than one billion people around the world suffer from vitamin D deficiency. Among Iranian population, the incidence of vitamin D deficiency varies from 2.5 to 98.5% based on geographic area 12, 13. Various factors may give rise to vitamin D deficiency, including skin pigments, low levels of vitamin D in diet (insufficient fish oil and egg yolk intake), malnutrition, genetic factors, exclusive breast feeding, vitamin D deficiency of mother during pregnancy, prematurity, chronic use of drugs (e.g., anticonvulsants, aluminum-containing anti-acids, rifampcin, isoniazid, antifungal drugs, antiviral drugs, and glucocorticoids), winter and obesity 1, 13. Cultural habits, the need for full body coverage during outdoor activities and the lack of sunlight programs are the risk factors for low vitamin D levels in women 15, 16, 17. Children enter foster care due to early childhood adverse experiences such as poor prenatal and infant health care, food insecurity, chronic stress, and the effects of abuse and neglect. As a result, they are at higher risk for poor physical, psychological, neuroendocrine and neurocognitive outcomes compared to others. Foster children are at risk for growth and nutritional deficiencies due to their poor nutritional environment prior to placement in foster care. Insufficient caloric intake results in growth deficiencies. Evidence showed that the risk of stunting and underweight is high in this population 18. The risk of developing hypovitaminosis D was significantly higher in children living in foster homes. One reason is that they are at higher risk of child abuse, emotional deprivation and physical neglect than children living with their families. Moreover, these children most likely do not spend much time outdoors and they lack adequate sun exposure. Another reason is that as children grow up in institutional care, they shift from a diet of vitamin D–fortified formula milk to cooked food, which may not be fortified with vitamin D 1. Iranian government has made some efforts to apply efficient interventions to reduce the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency, and the country’s healthcare system should be managed through accurate planning. Yet, in this country, studies on vitamin D deficiency in children living in foster homes are very limited, and given that timely diagnosis and treatment of this deficiency is vital, this research is conducted in Ali Asghar foster home in Mashhad, Iran.
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McWey, Lenore M., Julie Humphreys, and Andrea L. Pazdera. "Action-Oriented Evaluation of an In-Home Family Therapy Program for Families At Risk for Foster Care Placement." Journal of Marital and Family Therapy 37, no. 2 (April 2011): 137–52. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1752-0606.2009.00165.x.
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Bohingamu Mudiyanselage, Shalika, Anna M. H. Price, Fiona K. Mensah, Hannah E. Bryson, Susan Perlen, Francesca Orsini, Harriet Hiscock, et al. "Economic evaluation of an Australian nurse home visiting programme: a randomised trial at 3 years." BMJ Open 11, no. 12 (December 2021): e052156. http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2021-052156.
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ObjectivesTo investigate the additional programme cost and cost-effectiveness of ‘right@home’ Nurse Home Visiting (NHV) programme in relation to improving maternal and child outcomes at child age 3 years compared with usual care.DesignA cost–utility analysis from a government-as-payer perspective alongside a randomised trial of NHV over 3-year period. Costs and quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) were discounted at 5%. Analysis used an intention-to-treat approach with multiple imputation.SettingThe right@home was implemented from 2013 in Victoria and Tasmania states of Australia, as a primary care service for pregnant women, delivered until child age 2 years.Participants722 pregnant Australian women experiencing adversity received NHV (n=363) or usual care (clinic visits) (n=359).Primary and secondary outcome measuresFirst, a cost–consequences analysis to compare the additional costs of NHV over usual care, accounting for any reduced costs of service use, and impacts on all maternal and child outcomes assessed at 3 years. Second, cost–utility analysis from a government-as-payer perspective compared additional costs to maternal QALYs to express cost-effectiveness in terms of additional cost per additional QALY gained.ResultsWhen compared with usual care at child age 3 years, the right@home intervention cost $A7685 extra per woman (95% CI $A7006 to $A8364) and generated 0.01 more QALYs (95% CI −0.01 to 0.02). The probability of right@home being cost-effective by child age 3 years is less than 20%, at a willingness-to-pay threshold of $A50 000 per QALY.ConclusionsBenefits of NHV to parenting at 2 years and maternal health and well-being at 3 years translate into marginal maternal QALY gains. Like previous cost-effectiveness results for NHV programmes, right@home is not cost-effective at 3 years. Given the relatively high up-front costs of NHV, long-term follow-up is needed to assess the accrual of health and economic benefits over time.Trial registration numberISRCTN89962120.
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Talbot, Laura, Peter Fuggle, Zoe Foyston, and Kim Lawson. "Delivering an Integrated Adolescent Multi-Agency Specialist Service to Families with Adolescents at Risk of Care: Outcomes and Learning from the First Ten Years." British Journal of Social Work 50, no. 5 (February 25, 2020): 1531–50. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/bjsw/bcz148.
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Abstract This article presents a ten-year service evaluation of the Adolescent Multi-Agency Specialist Service (AMASS), an edge of care service based within Islington Children’s Services. A description of the AMASS model and the social care and mental health outcomes for the cohort of families supported by the service across this period (n = 181) are presented. The service had a completion rate of 85 per cent and improvements in both social care and mental health outcomes were found for a significant proportion of those who completed the intervention. Placement stabilisation was achieved for 82 per cent of young people across the service’s three referral categories (home stability, foster placement stability and return home from care). Statistically significant reductions in parental report scores were found on the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire and two measures of family functioning in a paired sample (n = 48). Potential learning arising from the AMASS model, in terms of implications for service design for adolescent edge of care interventions, and the limitations of this service evaluation are discussed.
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Monson, Katherine, Kristen Moeller-Saxone, Cathy Humphreys, Carol Harvey, and Helen Herrman. "Promoting mental health in out of home care in Australia." Health Promotion International 35, no. 5 (September 24, 2019): 1026–36. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/heapro/daz090.
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Abstract Young people in out of home care (OoHC) typically have worse mental health outcomes than peers who grow up within a family of origin. Innovations to improve the mental health of this group have tended to focus on pathology rather than mental health promotion and prevention of mental illnesses, and are often costly and challenging to implement. This qualitative study explored perspectives from young people with experience of OoHC in Melbourne, Australia regarding the promotion of mental health in OoHC. The study informed the subsequent development of a system-level intervention to support workers and carers in OoHC and evaluation of its implementation, the Ripple study. We conducted thematic analysis of data from interviews and focus groups with 14 young people aged 18–24 years with diverse identities and experiences of foster, kinship and residential care. We identified four key themes. These were providing a home-like environment; having someone to talk to; connecting to the wider community and having opportunities to become an active citizen. There is a need for both mental health promotion and treatment approaches in interventions to support workers and carers and young people in OoHC. Mental health promotion strategies should include a focus on enhancing existing capacities of carers and workers. Mental health promotion for young people in OoHC depends on strong intersectoral collaboration and youth participation.
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Campbell, Lynda. "The Families First Pilot Program in Victoria: Cuckoo or contribution?" Children Australia 19, no. 2 (1994): 4–10. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s1035077200003898.
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The Families First Pilot Program in the then Outer East metropolitan region of Melbourne began in mid-1991 as an intensive family preservation and reunification service for children on the verge of state care. The service offered was brief (4-6 week), intensive (up to 20 hours per week), home-based and flexible (24 hour a day, 7 day a week availability) and all members of the household or family were the focus of service even though the goals were clearly grounded in the protection of the child. This paper begins with some of the apprehension expressed both in the field and in Children Australia in 1993, and reports upon the now completed evaluation of the pilot, which covered the first 18 months of operation. The evaluation examined implementation and program development issues and considered the client population of the service against comparative data about those children at risk who were not included. The paper concludes that there is room for Families First in the Victorian system of protective and family services and points to several developmental issues.
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Scheid, Jeanette M., Issidoros Sarinopoulos, Sierra Cameron, and Clare Tanner. "Learning Collaborative Events With Child Welfare and Health Care Providers Improve Systems Knowledge and Intent to Change." Journal of Primary Care & Community Health 12 (January 2021): 215013272110483. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/21501327211048359.
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Introduction: Children in foster care are at higher risk of health problems. These risks present challenges to achieving permanency, safety, and well-being. Despite efforts to improve the systems serving children in foster care, gaps remain in achieving timely and quality health services. Based on stakeholder reports that health care provider knowledge about child welfare systems is a barrier to care, the Fostering Health Partnerships project conducted 2-session learning collaborative events across Michigan. The project team hypothesized that participants would increase knowledge of child welfare policy and that physician participants would identify and commit to practice change to improve health care services to children in foster care. Methods: Learning collaborative events included an in-person session followed by a live webinar session. Participants included child welfare professionals, physicians, and other health care representatives. Participants completed surveys assessing knowledge about child welfare health policy. Physician participants completed a post-event interview. The investigators used pre- and post-intervention survey design and qualitative evaluation of physician interview data to assess the impact of the learning collaborative events on knowledge and practice. Results: A total of 781 individuals attended the initial session and 383 attended the second session of 36 events for 80 counties in Michigan. 247 individuals completed pre- and post-event surveys and 7 physicians completed interviews after the events. Survey data showed that event participants demonstrated increased knowledge of child welfare policy related to health ( P < .001). Interviewed physicians reported making practice changes to improve health care services and indicated that the events were valuable though time intensive. Conclusion: An abbreviated learning collaborative process is an effective tool to improve knowledge and drive practice change. Future efforts will build on this project to improve access, coordination, and quality health services for children in foster care.
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Fleisher, Jori E., Meghan M. Sweeney, Sarah Oyler, Talia Meisel, Naomi Friede, Alessandro Di Rocco, and Joshua Chodosh. "Disease severity and quality of life in homebound people with advanced Parkinson disease." Neurology: Clinical Practice 10, no. 4 (September 5, 2019): 277–86. http://dx.doi.org/10.1212/cpj.0000000000000716.
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BackgroundAs Parkinson disease (PD) progresses, symptoms increase, quality of life (QoL) declines, and individuals may become homebound, often losing access to neurologic care. We aimed to determine whether facilitating expert in-home care could improve our understanding of disease progression, treatment options, and unmet needs in this vulnerable population, and whether such a model could mitigate decline in QoL.MethodsPatients with PD meeting Medicare homebound criteria were eligible for quarterly interdisciplinary home visits over 12 months. Each visit entailed an evaluation by a movement disorders neurologist, social worker, and nurse, including history, examination, medication reconciliation, psychosocial evaluation, pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic management, and service referrals. Disease severity, as measured by the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS), and QoL using the Neuro-QoL were measured at visits 1 and 4.ResultsOf 27 enrolled patients, 23 completed 4 visits, with high retention and high patient- and caregiver-reported satisfaction. The mean age at baseline was 80.9 years (SD 7.8) with a mean total UPDRS of 65.0 (SD 20.0). After one year of home visits, total UPDRS worsened by a mean of 11.8 points (p < 0.01) without a change in any of 8 QoL domains (p = 0.19–0.95).ConclusionsHomebound individuals with advanced PD receiving interdisciplinary home visits experienced no significant decline in QoL over 1 year, despite disease progression. Our findings highlight the disease severity and impaired QoL of the advanced, homebound PD population, and the potential for novel approaches to foster continuity of care.
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Myers, A. M., and N. Hamilton. "Evaluation of The Canadian Red Cross Society's Fun and Fitness Program for Seniors." Canadian Journal on Aging / La Revue canadienne du vieillissement 4, no. 4 (December 1985): 201–12. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0714980800004876.
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ABSTRACTAn ongoing, structured, low-intensity exercise program designed to foster physical, social and cognitive functioning was evaluated in 128 seniors ranging in age from 55 to 101 years. The sample included individuals residing in the general community, seniors' apartment complexes and institutional care facilities. Participation in other exercises was found to increase since joining the program. The program appeared to be providing an opportunity for social interaction among participants, and the exercises appeared to be mentally stimulating. Implications for program modifications, including building in self-monitoring procedures, are discussed.
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Medforth, Nicholas, James Evans, Melanie Hills, Hannah Madden, and Jane Oyston. "Hearty Lives (Liverpool): a case study-based evaluation of a project designed to promote healthy eating and lifestyles in looked after young people." Adoption & Fostering 43, no. 1 (March 2019): 75–88. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0308575918823432.
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This article discusses the growing body of evidence on the importance of health for looked after children and young people and evaluates a project, Hearty Lives (Liverpool), designed to produce positive results. Unhealthy weight and lifestyles are significant issues for young people in care, whether living at home with parents under the supervision of social services, with foster carers or in residential homes, as there is a close relationship between food, nutrition and family connectedness. Following the principles of Appreciative Inquiry, the evaluation uses a case study approach to explore the learning and experiences of those involved in the intervention. The learning gained provides useful insights for practitioners and organisations who are interested in developing similar projects elsewhere.
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Fretwell, Nathan. "The New Educational Pastorate: Link Workers, Pastoral Power and the Pedagogicalisation of Parenting." Genealogy 4, no. 2 (March 31, 2020): 37. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/genealogy4020037.
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Home-school relations, home learning and parental engagement are prominent educational policy issues, constituting one aspect of a wider parenting support agenda that has suffused the landscape of social policy over the last two decades. This article examines a parenting support initiative distinctive for its use of link workers in mobilising ‘hard to reach’ parents to engage more effectively with their children’s education. Drawing on qualitative data gathered during the evaluation of the initiative, the article frames link worker–parent interactions as a form of everyday government and pastoral power. Link workers constitute a new educational pastorate; through friendship, care and control they exercise pastoral power over parents. Building on recent research into the role of ‘pastors’ in producing neoliberal subjectivities within the National Health Service, the article foregrounds their efforts to foster responsible, self-disciplined agency in parents. Link workers, it is argued, contribute to a responsibilisation and pedagogicalisation of the family, which has produced new figures of mothering/parenting, reconfigured the meaning of the home and extended the scope of state intervention into family life.
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Vega-Rodríguez, Yuri E., Elena Garayzabal-Heinze, and Esther Moraleda-Sepúlveda. "Language Development Disorder in Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD), a Case Study." Languages 5, no. 4 (October 10, 2020): 37. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/languages5040037.
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Prenatal alcohol exposure can cause developmental damage in children. There are different types and ranges of alterations that fall under the name of fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD). Disabilities in learning, cognition, and behavior are observed. Environmental conditions are an influencing factor in this population since they are generally adverse and are either not diagnosed at an early stage or given the appropriate support and approach. We present a case study of a 9-year-old child, in which all the variables affecting his development (FASD diagnosis and socioenvironmental conditions) were observed and analyzed. His early childhood under institutional care, the move to a foster home at the age of 6, and several measures of evaluation from foster care to the present are described. Difficulties in vocabulary, access to vocabulary, morphology, syntax, grammar, oral narrative, pragmatics, speech, and communication were observed, along with cognitive difficulties in memory, perception and executive functioning, social adaptation, learning, and behavior. An early diagnosis and approach enable this population to develop skills in different dimensions to address early adversity despite their neurological and behavioral commitment. Speech-language pathologist services are crucial for the diagnosis and treatment of the language and communication difficulties that characterize this syndrome.
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Gorina, Maritana, and Ņina Šukste. "Trust in the Acquisition of Life Experience of Children Left without Parental Care." Journal of Teacher Education for Sustainability 21, no. 1 (June 1, 2019): 76–87. http://dx.doi.org/10.2478/jtes-2019-0006.
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Abstract The children’s trust determines the relationship between various nuanced emotions and the general attitude towards themselves and the world. Children left without parental care are already subjected to negative experience from childhood, which creates a basic mistrust in people and the world. They have experienced psychological trauma, and often not only one. The authors consider this issue to be topical since children who are left without parental care lose their foundation of trust, and they do not develop productive relationships with their fellow human beings and are unhappy because these children have lost confidence during their life experience. Children who are left without parental care often have to change their living conditions from crisis centres and boarding schools to orphanages and, at best, they are immediately placed in a foster home. These children live in fear because experience shows that they often have to separate from the person they trusted, which has a persistent impact on the child in the process of acquiring a sustainable life experience. Trust builds on the quality of past life experience, relationships with relatives, other adults, friends, foster family, and other stakeholders. Trust is very important. It is very difficult to create deep trust, but very easy to break its fundamental basis. For children who are left without parental care, trust means the belief that the world and people are predominantly good, and the belief that they are good for this world. For the action research, the authors chose a target sample of respondents that interacted with the research, action, and evaluation and comparison of the results obtained in order to find out how the phenomena of trust affected the acquisition of future life experience by children left without parental care.
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Snow, Pamela, Emina McLean, and Margarita Frederico. "The language, literacy and mental health profiles of adolescents in out-of-home care: An Australian sample." Child Language Teaching and Therapy 36, no. 3 (July 23, 2020): 151–63. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0265659020940360.
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Adolescents in the care of the state have complex developmental needs that include low academic attainment. The aim of this study was to describe the language and literacy profiles of adolescents (aged 13–19) in out-of-home care (‘looked after children’). Mental health status, biopsychosocial history, and education and employment histories were also documented. Twenty-six adolescents were assessed by a speech and language therapist. Ninety-two percent had oral language skills below the average range on the Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals: 4th edition, with 62% scoring two or more standard deviations below the mean. Ninety-two percent of participants scored below the average range on two or more subtests of the Test of Language Competence: Expanded edition. On the York Assessment of Reading Comprehension, 92% scored in the very low range and 65% were below-average on single-word reading. Fifty percent of participants reported a diagnosis/symptoms of depression and 54% reported a diagnosis/symptoms of anxiety. The correlation between oral language and literacy was modest but significant ( r = 0.502; p ⩽ 0.05); no significant correlations were found between oral language, literacy and mental health status, suggesting that mental health problems are a comorbidity rather than a correlate of language and literacy difficulties. Language and literacy difficulties are highly prevalent in this population. Language disorders are likely to be undiagnosed in the context of significant mental health problems, and disrupted schooling and accommodation. Speech-language therapy scope of practice needs to include out-of-home care populations in order to foster developmentally appropriate language and literacy skills that maximize school success, both academically and socially.
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Jones, Carolyn, Stephanie Duea, Kellie Griggs, William Johnstone, and Debbie Kinsey. "Improving Outcomes of Mothers With Opioid Use Disorder Using a Community Collaborative Model." Journal of Primary Care & Community Health 12 (January 2021): 215013272110524. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/21501327211052401.
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Context: Increasing rates of Opioid Use Disorder among pregnant women are a significant public health issue. Care for these women is fragmented, and multiple barriers to care have been identified. Program: The Tides, Inc. is attempting to address these needs by providing comprehensive, coordinated care, beginning in pregnancy and extending beyond the birth of their infant. Implementation: Using a collaborative model, care is coordinated between multiple existing agencies in an effort to reduce barriers and improve access to care. Funding for these services is provided through county funding and existing payor sources (eg, insurance, Medicaid). Evaluation: Participant and program outcomes were evaluated at the end of each year of the program. In addition, participants who had completed the program at the end of year 1 were asked to complete a survey providing qualitative information about their experience in the program. Of these participants, 73% reported no opiate use and 100% had full custody of their infants. Discussion: The Tides, Inc. program utilizes existing resources to provide coordinated and comprehensive care for pregnant women with Opioid Use Disorder. In addition to improving outcomes for women and their infants, this program can reduce cost and burden on community entities such as the justice system and foster care networks. This program can serve as a model for other communities to coordinate care for women and their infants.
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Hafford-Letchfield, Trish, and Peter Lavender. "Quality improvement through the paradigm of learning." Quality in Ageing and Older Adults 16, no. 4 (December 14, 2015): 195–207. http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/qaoa-02-2015-0009.
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Purpose – Achieving meaningful participation and co-production for older people in care requires radical approaches. The purpose of this paper is to explore an innovation where learning interventions were introduced into care settings and older people matched to community-based learning mentors to develop partnerships. The authors explore how the concept of learning might be used as a paradigm to raise the quality of care in institutionalised settings using a co-productive and relationship-based approach to promote wellbeing. Design/methodology/approach – A structured evaluation drew on qualitative data captured from interviews with older people (n=25) and learning mentors (n=22) to reflect on the potential benefits and challenges involved when introducing learning interventions in care settings. This was contextualised alongside data captured from stakeholders (n=10) including a care home manager, social care and education commissioners, trustees and project staff to assess the interdisciplinary contribution of lifelong learning to quality improvement. Findings – Introducing learning interventions to older people within care settings promoted participation, advocacy and relationship-based care which in turn helped to create a positive culture. Given the current challenges to improve quality in care services, drawing on a paradigm of learning may encourage older people to retain their independence as care homes strive towards a person-centred approach. Promoting social activities and leisure using learning was found to foster closer working relationships between older people and the wider community. These had a levelling effect through reciprocity, using an asset based approach. There were benefits for the care provider as the partnerships formed enabled people to raise both individual and collective concerns about care and support. Originality/value – Raising and sustaining the quality of support for older people requires input from the wider public sector beyond health and social care. Purposeful engagement with other disciplines such as learning and leisure offers the potential to realise a more sustainable model of user choice, person-centred support and user involvement. Being engaged through learning can nourish membership in the community for marginalised populations such as older people living in care homes.
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Vojtkovská, Veronika, Eva Voslářová, and Vladimír Večerek. "Methods of Assessment of the Welfare of Shelter Cats: A Review." Animals 10, no. 9 (August 28, 2020): 1527. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ani10091527.
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At any moment, there are millions of cats housed in foster care facilities for abandoned and stray animals for various reasons worldwide. Care, management and regulation among these facilities differ. Moreover, shelters can never substitute the full comfort of a good home for the animal, and the welfare of cats in shelters is a subject of discussion in many respects. Cats are animals sensitive to changes; for most of them, placement in a shelter is a stressful experience because of changes in routine, environment and the presence of other animals. Stress is reflected in changes in behaviour, causes fluctuations in physiological values and disrupts the immune system, which is a predisposition to the development or reactivation of disease. Evaluation of the presence and intensity of negative impacts is possible through the use of evaluation tools based on indicators that help set the environment and management of keeping so as to disrupt the quality of life as little as possible. Although a comprehensive and valid welfare tool that would evaluate animal-based and at the same time resource-based (or management-based) indicators of cats in shelters is not currently available, it is possible to use partial evaluation of individual welfare indicators to assess welfare. This review aims to provide the readers with an insight into current options of assessment of the welfare of cats in shelters with an emphasis on behavioural, physiological and health indicators with an application in both practical and scientific contexts.
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Mao, Jun J. J., Kin Wai (Tony) Hung, Nicholas Emard, Fernanda C. G. Polubriaginof, Kathleen Lynch, Thomas Michael Atkinson, Kelly Marie Trevino, and Claus Jensen. "Implementing virtual mind-body programming to support cancer patients during COVID-19." Journal of Clinical Oncology 39, no. 15_suppl (May 20, 2021): 1585. http://dx.doi.org/10.1200/jco.2021.39.15_suppl.1585.
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1585 Background: Despite growing evidence of mind-body therapies for physical and psychological health among patients with cancer, their access remains limited. The COVID-19 pandemic has further disrupted the delivery of necessary cancer and supportive care; thus, the need to support patients with cancer is unprecedented. To expand the reach and access of mind-body therapies, we developed, implemented, and evaluated a novel virtual mind-body program for patients with cancer. Methods: We rapidly developed a 7-day a week virtual mind-body program, Integrative Medicine at Home (IM@Home), for patients with cancer (ages ≥18 years) and deployed it on April 1st, 2020. IM@Home included mind-body group therapy classes in fitness, meditation, yoga, dance, tai chi, and music delivered using Zoom video conferencing. Classes ranged from 30-45 minutes and were led by an integrative medicine clinician. Patients had the option to register for a 1-month, 3-month, or 6-month membership to gain unlimited access to all virtual mind-body classes. Multi-method evaluation was conducted using the RE-AIM conceptual framework to guide surveys and qualitative interviews. Surveys were analyzed using descriptive statistics and interviews were analyzed using grounded theory. Results: Between April 2020 and January 2021, IM@Home registered over 32,000 class participants, with a weekly average attendance of 700-800 participants. In a 4-month post-deployment survey (n = 131), nearly all participants were satisfied with IM@Home (93.9%) and would recommend the program to friends and family (95.4%). A majority of participants also found IM@Home to be simple to use (87.0%) and said the program had a variety of classes that interested them (93.1%). Three-quarters of participants (74.8%) were taking 3 to 7 classes a week (range: 1 to 15 classes), among which the most popular classes were fitness (88.7%), chair yoga (37.1%), and tai chi (33.1%). Most participants preferred a 3-month membership (51.6%), followed by a 6-month membership (19.5%). In qualitative interviews (n = 30), participants reported IM@Home helped them to: 1) maintain structured routines and stay motivated to exercise; 2) cope with COVID-19-related and cancer-related stressors; and 3) connect with their fellow cancer patient community and foster social relationships during a time of isolation. Conclusions: Virtual mind-body programming, through IM@Home, reached many patients with cancer to address their physical and psychological challenges during COVID-19. As patients with cancer experience high physical and psychological symptom burden following diagnosis, future clinical trials are needed to evaluate the specific effects of IM@Home when integrated into active treatment and survivorship care.
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Mittleman, Karen, Susan Crawford, Stephen Holliday, Gloria Gutman, and Gordon Bhakthan. "The Older Cyclist: Anthropometric, Physiological, and Psychosocial Changes Observed During a Trans-Canada Cycle Tour." Canadian Journal on Aging / La Revue canadienne du vieillissement 8, no. 2 (1989): 144–56. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0714980800010850.
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ABSTRACTA group of Canadian senior citizens (n = 22) who bicycled 7700 km across Canada, from Victoria, B.C. to St. Johns, Newfoundland, over 100 days in the summer of 1983 were the subjects of this study. Each was tested on three occasions: 2 days prior to commencement of the tour, at the geographical mid-point of the tour and within 2 days of tour completion. Comprehensive anthropometric data were collected along with evaluation of fitness and blood chemistry on all three testing occasions. Participants were also asked a series of questions designed to ascertain positive and negative psycho-social experiences and to assess their anxiety level. Generally the cyclists reated well to the tour, exhibiting objective evidence of increased fitness in the absence of negative physical or psychological changes. Self-report data indicated that subjects generally enjoyed the tour, felt their endurance had increased, and perceived other improvements such as increased self-confidence, reduced anxiety, and improved appetite.
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Semya, G. V. "The Child in Care: Results of the Living and Parenting Conditions’ Monitoring of Children in Care and Their Subjective Well-Being in Orphanages." Social Sciences and Childhood 2, no. 2 (2021): 7–23. http://dx.doi.org/10.17759/ssc.2021020201.
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The article is based on an analysis of the results of monitoring conducted by the Ministry of Education of the Russian Federation (formerly the Ministry of Education and Science of Russia) between 2018 and 2020: 1 — Monitoring on the compliance of organizations for orphans and children left without parental care with the requirements of Russian Federation Government Resolution No. 481 of 24 May 2014 On the activities of organizations for orphans and children left without parental care and the placement of children in them; 2 — Evaluation of the welfare of children in organizations for children left without parental care. It is shown that in three years there have been significant changes both in the environment external to the foster child and in the sphere of psychological well-being. Unfortunately, the introduction of a lockdown in the children’s home system due to the COVID-19 pandemic does not allow for the ‘net’ impact of the new living and parenting environment on children’s subjective well-being to be identified. Monitoring has made it possible to obtain annual information on the number of orphanages of all types and the number of children in them, which the current official system for collecting information (statistical form D-13) does not allow for. The data obtained made it possible to conduct a comparative analysis of current problems (abuse, bullying, consideration of the child’s opinion, etc.) from the perspective of the administration and the children themselves. The study involved: 443 pre-schoolers, 1825 children aged 7—12, 3398 teenagers over the age of 12. The verified instrument was a psychodiagnostic complex assessing the subjective well-being of orphans. The results of the analysis of the monitoring data revealed objective factors of well-being related to “the duration of children’s stay in the institution”; “creation of favorable conditions of stay close to the family”; “assistance in social adaptation for graduates of organizations for orphans”; “specifics of education and care of orphans and children without parental care, with disabilities” as well as subjective factors related to child satisfaction with their health, safety, well-being in the organization, self-esteem. The significant discrepancies in the formal assessment and subjective opinion of the children obtained allow adjustments to be made to the monitoring toolkit.
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Nathoo, Tasnim, Nancy Poole, Margaret Bryans, Lynda Dechief, Samantha Hardeman, Lenora Marcellus, Elizabeth Poag, and Marliss Taylor. "Voices from the community: Developing effective community programs to support pregnant and early parenting women who use alcohol and other substances." First Peoples Child & Family Review 8, no. 1 (September 9, 2020): 93–106. http://dx.doi.org/10.7202/1071409ar.
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Since the 1990s, many communities in Canada have worked to develop specialized programs to meet the needs of pregnant and early parenting women who use alcohol and other substances. These programs provide a range of services under one roof (a “single-access” or “one-stop shop” model), address women’s needs from a holistic perspective, provide practical and emotional support, and strive to reduce barriers to accessing care and support. Over the years, these programs have trialed new approaches to working with indigenous and non-indigenous women, their families, and their communities. In this paper, we describe the development of single-access programs in four different communities in Canada, discuss some of the elements of what makes these programs successful, and share our "lessons learned" over the years. We use examples from four different programs, including the Maxxine Wright Place Project in Surrey, BC; the Healthy, Empowered, Resilient (H.E.R) Pregnancy Program in Edmonton, AB; HerWay Home in Victoria, BC; and Manito Ikwe Kagiikwe in Winnipeg, MB. All four programs are based upon the "best practices" elements of: (1) engagement and outreach, (2) harm reduction, (3) cultural safety (4) supporting mother and child, and (5) partnerships. In addition to serving First Nations, Métis, Inuit and other indigenous women and their families, these programs have drawn upon indigenous knowledge in their program design, values, and philosophy and have collaborated with indigenous women in evaluation and research to track the successes of these programs and to improve service delivery.
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Ayton, Darshini, and Nerida Joss. "Empowering vulnerable parents through a family mentoring program." Australian Journal of Primary Health 22, no. 4 (2016): 320. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/py14174.
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Evidence suggests that mentoring programs can foster positive relationships through role modelling, social support and opportunities to develop new skills. Home visiting programs, where a health professional or volunteer provides parenting support and companionship to at-risk families, have received attention from the health and welfare sector. These programs tend to focus on new mothers and immediate parenting concerns, and do not address broader social determinants of health that impact on the well being and functionality of the family. Herein we report on an evaluation of the Creating Opportunities and Casting Hope (COACH) program, a family mentoring program for vulnerable parents. COACH seeks to break cycles of generational poverty by addressing social determinants, such as housing, employment, health, finances and social support. A mixed-methods approach was used to evaluate the program, involving semistructured interviews with parents (n = 12), surveys with mentors (n = 27) and client case report review (n = 27). Parents experienced improvements in their housing and employment situations, family dynamics, social support and mental health, and decreased drug and alcohol use. Mentors described providing guidance on parenting strategies, financial management and domestic skills. Partnerships with local schools, health services and welfare agencies were vital in the referral processes for families, thereby building a community network of support and care. The COACH model of mentoring highlights the benefits of a flexible and long-standing program to address the social determinants of child health through the family environment and wider social and economic factors.
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Ashburn, Ann, Ruth Pickering, Emma McIntosh, Sophia Hulbert, Lynn Rochester, Helen C. Roberts, Alice Nieuwboer, et al. "Exercise- and strategy-based physiotherapy-delivered intervention for preventing repeat falls in people with Parkinson’s: the PDSAFE RCT." Health Technology Assessment 23, no. 36 (July 2019): 1–150. http://dx.doi.org/10.3310/hta23360.
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Background People with Parkinson’s disease are twice as likely to experience a fall as a healthy older person, often leading to debilitating effects on confidence, activity levels and quality of life. Objective To estimate the effect of a physiotherapy programme for fall prevention among people with Parkinson’s disease. Design A multicentre, pragmatic, investigator-masked, individually randomised controlled trial (RCT) with prespecified subgroup analyses. Setting Recruitment from NHS hospitals and clinics and community and social services in eight English regions with home-based interventions. Participants A total of 474 people with Parkinson’s disease (i.e. Hoehn and Yahr scale stages 1–4) were recruited: 238 were assigned to a physiotherapy programme and 236 were assigned to usual care. Random allocation was 50 : 50. Interventions All participants received routine care; the usual-care group received an information digital versatile disc (DVD) and a single advice session at trial completion. The intervention group had an individually tailored, progressive, home-based fall avoidance strategy training programme with balance and strengthening exercises: PDSAFE. Main outcome measures The primary outcome was the risk of repeat falling, collected by self-report monthly diaries between 0 and 6 months after randomisation. Secondary outcomes included near-falls, falls efficacy, freezing of gait (FoG), health-related quality of life, and measurements taken using the Mini-Balance Evaluation Systems Test (Mini-BESTest), the Chair Stand Test (CST), the Geriatric Depression Scale, the Physical Activity Scale for the Elderly and the Parkinson’s Disease Questionnaire. Results PDSAFE is the largest RCT of falls management among people with Parkinson’s disease: 541 patients were screened for eligibility. The average age was 72 years, and 266 out of 474 (56%) participants were men. Of the 474 randomised participants, 238 were randomised to the intervention group and 236 were randomised to the control group. No difference in repeat falling within 6 months of randomisation was found [PDSAFE group to control group odds ratio (OR) 1.21, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.74 to 1.98; p = 0.447]. An analysis of secondary outcomes demonstrated better balance (Mini-BESTest: mean difference 0.95, 95% CI 0.24 to 1.67; p = 0.009), functional strength (CST: p = 0.041) and falls efficacy (Falls Efficacy Scale – International: mean difference 1.6, 95% CI –3.0 to –0.19; p = 0.026) with near-falling significantly reduced with PDSAFE (OR 0.67, 95% CI 0.53 to 0.86; p = 0.001) at 6 months. Prespecified subgroup analysis (i.e. disease severity and FoG) revealed a PDSAFE differing effect; the intervention may be of benefit for people with moderate disease but may increase falling for those in the more severe category, especially those with FoG. Limitations All participants were assessed at primary outcome; only 73% were assessed at 12 months owing to restricted funding. Conclusions PDSAFE was not effective in reducing repeat falling across the range of people with Parkinson’s disease in the trial. Secondary analysis demonstrated that other functional tasks and self-efficacy improved and demonstrated differential patterns of intervention impact in accordance with disease severity and FoG, which supports previous secondary research findings and merits further primary evaluation. Future work Further trials of falls prevention on targeted groups of people with Parkinson’s disease are recommended. Trial registration Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN48152791. Funding This project was funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Health Technology Assessment programme and will be published in full in Health Technology Assessment; Vol. 23, No. 36. See the NIHR Journals Library website for further project information. Sarah E Lamb is funded by the NIHR Collaboration for Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care (CLAHRC) at Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust, the NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre at the Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and CLAHRC Oxford. Victoria A Goodwin is supported by the NIHR Collaborations for Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care in the South West Peninsula (PenCLAHRC). Lynn Rochester is supported by the NIHR Newcastle Biomedical Research Centre based at Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and Newcastle University. The research was also supported by the NIHR Newcastle Clinical Research Facility Infrastructure funding. Helen C Roberts is supported by CLAHRC Wessex and the NIHR Southampton Biomedical Research Centre.
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Tropea, Rachel, and Georgina Ward. "Fierce Compassion and Reflexivity." Journal of Critical Library and Information Studies 3, no. 2 (October 22, 2021). http://dx.doi.org/10.24242/jclis.v3i2.121.
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In 2016, the University of Melbourne Archives (UMA) commenced a program of change with regard to its records about child welfare in Victoria. This was driven by a social justice imperative to repair past harms done to Care Leavers (people who grew up in orphanages, children's homes, or foster care) while in out-of-home care, and for whom records play an integral role. UMA worked with Care Leavers, advocacy groups and support services to review their policies, procedures and practices around archival documentation and access arrangements. In this article, the authors explore those efforts through the prism of radical empathy (or rather a compassionate response to empathy) and analyze what was achieved and the challenges that remain. Pre-print first published online 10/22/2021
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Huang, Hui, Yong Li, and John McKinley Campbell. "Do Independent Living Services Protect Youth Aging Out Foster Care From Adverse Outcomes? An Evaluation Using National Data." Child Maltreatment, February 10, 2021, 107755952199211. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1077559521992119.
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Objective: Youth aging out foster care are at high risk of experiencing adverse outcomes. Federal funded programs have provided independent living services (ILSs) to these youth. This study evaluated the effectiveness of the continuity of ILSs at ages 17–19 in protecting youth aging out foster care from homelessness and incarceration at ages 19–21. Method: This study used data on 4,853 foster youth from the National Youth in Transition Database and the Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System. Logistic regression was used to regress two binary outcomes on seven ILS variables and covariates. Results: The results suggest that remaining in foster care, continuous receipts of academic support, and financial assistance services at ages 17–19 protected foster youth from experiencing homelessness. Remaining in foster care and continuous receipt of financial assistance services at ages 17–19 protected foster youth from incarceration at ages 19–21. But, surprisingly, continuous receipt of housing education and home management training, and health education and risk prevention training at ages 17–19 were each associated with increased risk of homelessness at ages 19–21. The results also showed statistically significant effects of several covariates. Conclusion: Implications are provided based on the importance of financial assistance and academic support services.
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Colonnesi, Cristina, Carolien Konijn, Leoniek Kroneman, Ramón J. L. Lindauer, and Geert Jan J. M. Stams. "Mind-mindedness in out-of-home Care for Children: Implications for caregivers and child." Current Psychology, January 5, 2021. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s12144-020-01271-5.
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AbstractMost out-of-home placed children have experienced early adversities, including maltreatment and neglect. A challenge for caregivers is to adequately interpret their foster child’s internal mental states and behavior. We examined caregivers’ mind-mindedness in out-of-home care, and the association among caregivers’ mind-mindedness (and its positive, neutral, and negative valence), recognition of the child’s trauma symptoms, and behavior problems. Participants (N = 138) were foster parents, family-home parents, and residential care workers. Caregivers’ mind-mindedness was assessed with the describe-your-child measure. Caregivers’ recognition of the child’s trauma symptoms, their child’s emotional symptoms, conduct problems, prosocial behavior, and quality of the caregiver-child relationship were assessed using caregivers’ reports. Foster parents produced more mental-state descriptors than did residential care workers. General mind-mindedness, as well as neutral and positive mind-mindedness, related negatively to conduct problems. Besides, positive mind-mindedness was associated with prosocial behavior and neutral mind-mindedness with a better quality of the caregiver-child relationship and fewer child conduct problems. Negative mind-mindedness related positively to the caregiver’s recognition of the child’s trauma symptoms, and indirectly, to emotional symptoms. In conclusion, mind-mindedness seems to be an essential characteristic of out-of-home caregivers, connected to the understanding of their child’s behavior problems and trauma symptoms, as well as to the relationship with the child. The findings suggest a possible use of mind-mindedness in out-of-home care evaluation and intervention.
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Ruff, Saralyn C., Deanna Linville, June M. Clausen, and Jean Kjellstrand. "Preliminary Evaluation of A Home Within Psychotherapy with Clients with a History of Foster Care." Children and Youth Services Review, September 2022, 106674. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2022.106674.
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Knight, Ruth L., and Kylie L. Kingston. "Valuing beneficiary voice: Involving children living in out-of-home care in programme evaluation." Evaluation Journal of Australasia, March 18, 2021, 1035719X2199911. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1035719x21999110.
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This article charts the innovative evaluation journey an Australian nonprofit organisation, The Pyjama Foundation (PJF), has taken when designing an evaluation instrument to gain feedback from programme beneficiaries. PJF sought to develop a formal, targeted approach to hear the perspectives of children living in out-of-home care, who are involved with their Love of Learning educational programme. The design process included two focus group discussions with foster carers, programme volunteers, and child development experts. From this, an evaluation survey for children to use was developed. The survey’s underpinning conceptual framework, based on key protective factors influencing educational outcomes for children in out-of-home care, is a key contribution of this research. In addition, the design and implementation issues PJF encountered contribute insights for other nonprofit organisations and evaluators and academic knowledge towards evaluations involving children and vulnerable stakeholders. Hearing children’s views on programmes they are involved in is vital in helping to develop safe spaces for children to engage, where their thoughts are valued and opinions matter. As such, the processes detailed within this article support the development of evaluation practices that value children’s voices.
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McDermid, Samantha, Helen Trivedi, Lisa Holmes, and Janet Boddy. "Foster Carers’ Receptiveness to New Innovations and Programmes: An Example from the Introduction of Social Pedagogy to UK Foster Care." British Journal of Social Work, July 23, 2021. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/bjsw/bcab152.
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Abstract Foster carers characterise a highly diverse workforce that shares the choice to provide a home and family for children who can no longer reside with their family. This diversity makes supporting and providing for carers’ training needs a complex task for fostering services. Understanding what might influence their engagement in training would be useful. This article outlines themes related to foster carers’ engagement with social pedagogy, using data from the Head, Heart, Hands (HHH) programme evaluation. Analysis of interviews with seventy-six foster carers over a period of three years is presented. The emerging themes were used to devise an illustrative typology of receptiveness to training. The themes relate to the perceived impact of HHH on their practice and compatibility with the existing children’s social care (CSC) system. The article explores the factors that may influence foster carers’ positioning within the typology. The contributions that such a typology might make to the wider evidence base across CSC, in terms of the implementation and potential impacts of intervention, are discussed.
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Newton, Danielle C., Lesley A. Hardcastle, Soula A. Kontomichalos, and Jane A. McGillivray. "Community around the Child: Evaluation of a program to reduce the criminalisation of Australian youth in out-of-home care." Journal of Criminology, July 5, 2022, 263380762211102. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/26338076221110272.
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Young people in residential out-of-home care are universally over-represented in the criminal justice system. This study presents an evaluation of Community around the Child, an early-intervention initiative designed to reduce contact with the criminal justice system among young people living in residential care in Victoria, Australia. Interviews and focus groups with professionals ( n = 44) produced data that were analysed using inductive thematic analysis. The study found the program promoted positive relationships between young people in care and police and between police and residential carers. Increased knowledge on the part of both carers and police about the impact of trauma on young people’s behaviour and methods for supporting young people to regulate their behaviour contributed to these positive relationships. The study calls for a holistic, therapeutic response to the individual needs of young people who have experienced and continue to experience trauma. Essential to this is the provision of training in trauma informed care for police and other stakeholders.
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Mellor, Andrea. "“Youth Will Feel Honoured if They Are Reminded They Are Loved”: Supporting Coming of Age for Urban Indigenous Youth in Care." International Journal of Indigenous Health 16, no. 2 (December 7, 2020). http://dx.doi.org/10.32799/ijih.v16i1.33179.
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This paper presents the first phase of a community engagement project that explores (re)connecting to coming-of-age teachings grounded in Indigenous ways of knowing and doing for urban Indigenous youth in foster or away-from-home care. An intergenerational group of urban Indigenous Knowledge Holders in and around Victoria, British Columbia, Canada came together to discuss what a culturally appropriate coming of age could look like for urban Indigenous youth in care and how delegated Indigenous child and family service organizations could be involved. Four questions were discussed, and the conversations were recorded and subsequently themed. The event reflected the community’s commitment to supporting youth in their coming-of-age journey. Delegated organizations, in addition to acting as legal guardians for the youth, are cultural resources for the community and help connect youth to culture in their ancestral/home and urban communities. Communities work to ensure that youth have access to safe spaces where they can self-determine their identities as they enter adulthood. (Re)connecting to coming-of-age teachings is important because the imposition of Euro-Western child welfare legislation prevented the passing of cultural teachings. Our findings are consistent with literature that indicates culturally grounded, positive-action initiatives, like traditional coming-of-age rites of passage, help youth to cultivate resilience that can support the transition to adulthood. This aligns with evidence that demonstrates intergenerational cultural continuity is protective to health and wellness for Indigenous youth.
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Han, Ying, Liangwen Zhang, and Ya Fang. "Multidimensional Disability Evaluation and Confirmatory Analysis of Older Adults in a Home-Based Community in China." Frontiers in Public Health 10 (June 21, 2022). http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2022.899303.
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A robust multi-dimensional disability assessment standard was constructed to consider physical condition, care resources, and social interaction that might lead to disability, to provide a basis for accurate identification of care needs for older people aged 60 and above in a home-based community. Based on the “Capability approach” theory, the Alkire-Foster method was applied to assess the multidimensional disability. This was followed by the confirmatory analysis of the Seemingly Unrelated Regression Estimation. Adjusted Bourguignon and Chakravarty index was also calculated to analyze the sensitivity to further support our conclusions. We constructed a multi-dimensional disability indicator system by combining physical condition, care resources, and social interaction. Findings presented that the impairment of individuals' motor ability, ability to manage disease, cognitive psychology, and communication skills and social interaction contributed to multidimensional disability the most. And older people who are female, aged over 65, with lower BMI, living in rural areas, with a lower education level, getting more formal care, and with relatively higher creatinine, tend to face a higher risk of deprivation in overall multidimensional disability. Therefore, the targeted interventions to improve health literacy, nutrition, skill of disease management, social networks, and communication skills for older people and also timely detection of the abnormal changes in potential biomarker indicators of them is necessary to delay disability and prevent its occurrence.
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Lalla, Amber, Shine Salt, Elizabeth Schrier, Christian Brown, Cameron Curley, Olivia Muskett, Mae-Gilene Begay, et al. "Qualitative evaluation of a community health representative program on patient experiences in Navajo Nation." BMC Health Services Research 20, no. 1 (January 8, 2020). http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s12913-019-4839-x.
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Abstract Background Community Health Representatives (CHRs) overcome health disparities in Native communities by delivering home care, health education, and community health promotion. The Navajo CHR Program partners with the non-profit Community Outreach and Patient Empowerment (COPE), to provide home-based outreach to Navajo clients living with diabetes. COPE has created an intervention (COPE intervention) focusing on multiple levels of improved care including trainings for CHRs on Motivational Interviewing and providing CHRs with culturally-appropriate education materials. The objective of this research is to understand the participant perspective of the CHR-COPE collaborative outreach through exploring patient-reported outcomes (PROs) of clients who consent to receiving the COPE intervention (COPE clients) using a qualitative methods evaluation. Methods Seven COPE clients were selected to participate in semi-structured interviews one year after finishing COPE to explore their perspective and experiences. Qualitative interviews were recorded, transcribed, and coded to identify themes. Results Clients revealed that health education delivered by CHRs facilitated lifestyle changes by helping them understand key health indicators and setting achievable goals through the use of accessible material and encouragement. Clients felt comfortable with CHRs who respected traditional practices and made regular visits. Clients also appreciated when CHRs educated their family members, who in turn were better able to support the client in their health management. Finally, CHRs who implemented the COPE intervention helped patients who were unable to regularly see a primary care doctor for critical care and support in their disease management. Conclusion The COPE-CHR collaboration facilitated trusting client-CHR relationships and allowed clients to better understand their diagnoses. Further investment in materials that respect traditional practices and aim to educate clients’ families may foster these relationships and improve health outcomes. Trial registration clinicaltrials.gov: NCT03326206. Registered 9/26/2017 (retrospectively registered).
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Cristofori, V., L. Brunelli, C. Battistella, A. Agnoletto, A. Catelani, C. De Sarno, B. Odasmini, S. Pauletto, C. Tosetto, and S. Brusaferro. "How to scale up quality and safety program into home care: an accreditation tool proposal." European Journal of Public Health 30, Supplement_5 (September 1, 2020). http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/eurpub/ckaa165.099.
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Abstract Home care is managed with extreme heterogeneity among Italian regions by healthcare and social services. Standardization and self-assessment of these activities can improve their quality and outcomes. The goal of the study is to develop and validate an accreditation tool that provides minimum standards for home care. A multidisciplinary group of health and social care professionals developed a new tool according to the Deming cycle, including 26 items for a total of 144 standards grouped in 6 areas: Organization&governance (A1); Patient safety&clinical risk (A2); Job description, knowledge and skills (A3); Communication&information (A4); Integration tools in care processes (A5); Improvement&innovation (A6). Between April and November 2019, 40 experts from Italian primary care and social services of Friuli-Venezia Giulia (FVG) and Veneto Regions were asked by email to evaluate the tool using Delphi methodology. Experts were asked to score each standard according to relevance and feasibility (RF) on a 1 to 9 point scale. RF and agreement among experts were considered good respectively when mean score was >7, and 70% of responses were greater than 7. A total of 21 experts' reviews were collected, with a response rate of 53%. Most responders came from the healthcare setting (71%) and FVG Region (86%). Globally, 101 standards (70%) were rated as good. RF mean and agreement resulted to be good for: A1 (7.6; 81%); A2 (7.4; 71%); A4 (7.5; 86%); A5 (8.0; 86%). More critical results were achieved concerning A3 (7.0; 52%) and A6 (6.5; 43%). Most standards were recognized as both relevant and feasible by experts, confirming the tool developed for home care accreditation. Agreement for Job description, knowledge and skills, and Improvement&innovation areas seems harder to be achieved. The evaluation of detailed experts' comments would further improve the tool, and a pilot study will be implemented in the next future to test its reliability. Key messages The implementation of the home care accreditation could reduce inequalities among contexts, while helping quality and patient safety improvement outside healthcare facilities. The existence of a unique home care accreditation tool can foster the integration between health and social care while reducing hospitalizations.
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Marulappa, Nidhi, Natalie N. Anderson, Jennifer Bethell, Anne Bourbonnais, Fiona Kelly, Josephine McMurray, Heather L. Rogers, Isabelle Vedel, and Anna R. Gagliardi. "How to implement person-centred care and support for dementia in outpatient and home/community settings: Scoping review." BMC Health Services Research 22, no. 1 (April 22, 2022). http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s12913-022-07875-w.
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Abstract Background Little prior research focused on person-centred care and support (PCCS) for dementia in home, community or outpatient care. We aimed to describe what constitutes PCCS, how to implement it, and considerations for women who comprise the majority of affected persons (with dementia, carers). Methods We conducted a scoping review by searching multiple databases from 2000 inclusive to June 7, 2020. We extracted data on study characteristics and PCCS approaches, evaluation, determinants or the impact of strategies to implement PCCS. We used summary statistics to report data and interpreted findings with an existing person-centred care framework. Results We included 22 studies with qualitative (55%) or quantitative/multiple methods design (45%) involving affected persons (50%), or healthcare workers (50%). Studies varied in how PCCS was conceptualized; 59% cited a PCC definition or framework. Affected persons and healthcare workers largely agreed on what constitutes PCCS (e.g. foster partnership, promote autonomy, support carers). In 4 studies that evaluated care, barriers of PCCS were reported at the affected person (e.g. family conflict), healthcare worker (e.g. lack of knowledge) and organizational (e.g. resource constraints) levels. Studies that evaluated strategies to implement PCCS approaches were largely targeted to healthcare workers, and showed that in-person inter-professional educational meetings yielded both perceived (e.g. improved engagement of affected persons) and observed (e.g. use of PCCS approaches) beneficial outcomes. Few studies reported results by gender or other intersectional factors, and none revealed if or how to tailor PCCS for women. This synthesis confirmed and elaborated the PCC framework, resulting in a Framework of PCCS for Dementia. Conclusion Despite the paucity of research on PCCS for dementia, synthesis of knowledge from diverse studies into a Framework provides interim guidance for those planning or evaluating dementia services in outpatient, home or community settings. Further research is needed to elaborate the Framework, evaluate PCCS for dementia, explore determinants, and develop strategies to implement and scale-up PCCS approaches. Such studies should explore how to tailor PCCS needs and preferences based on input from persons with dementia, and by sex/gender and other intersectional factors such as ethnicity or culture.
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Price, Anna, Hannah Bryson, Ashlee Smith, Fiona Mensah, and Sharon Goldfeld. "Processes for engaging and retaining women who are experiencing adversity in longitudinal health services research." BMC Health Services Research 19, no. 1 (November 14, 2019). http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s12913-019-4698-5.
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Abstract Background Women and families experiencing socioeconomic and psychosocial adversity are the least likely to access health care but most likely to benefit. For health services to effectively meet the needs of individuals experiencing adversity, research involving the health services must be truly representative. However, individuals experiencing adversity are typically excluded from or underrepresented in health services research. This paper reports on the implementation of a quality improvement approach designed to support recruitment and retention of pregnant women experiencing adversity in a longitudinal, health services randomized controlled trial (“right@home”). Methods right@home recruited Australian women from 10 public maternity hospitals across the states of Victoria and Tasmania who were experiencing adversity (≥2 risk factors on screening survey). Regular follow-up assessments were conducted by phone or face-to-face to child age 2 years. Research processes were designed taking heed of previous research demonstrating effective strategies for recruiting and retaining minority groups (e.g. piloting the recruitment process; recruiting via the health service providing care to the subgroup; remunerating participants); however, we were concerned that important information was missing. Therefore, once recruitment began, we conducted a continuous evaluation of the research processes, testing and implementing changes to processes or new strategies to maximize recruitment and retention (e.g. using a suite of strategies to maintain contact with families, using flexible data collection methods, obtaining consent for data linkage for future health and education data). Results right@home enrolled a large cohort of women (N = 722) experiencing high levels of adversity according to socioeconomic status and psychosocial risk factors, and achieved excellent retention (83% completion at 2 years). Most strategies appeared to increase recruitment and retention. All required additional time from the research team to develop and test, and some required extra funding, which ranged from minor (e.g. printing) to substantial (e.g. salaries, remuneration). Conclusions By taking a quality improvement approach, supported by sufficient resourcing and flexible research processes, it is possible to recruit and retain a large cohort of women experiencing adversity who are typically missed or lost from longitudinal research.
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Loi, Samantha M., Joanne Tropea, Ellen Gaffy, Anita Panayiotou, Hannah Capon, Jodi Chiang, Christina Bryant, et al. "START-online: acceptability and feasibility of an online intervention for carers of people living with dementia." Pilot and Feasibility Studies 8, no. 1 (February 16, 2022). http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s40814-022-00999-0.
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Abstract Background With increasing numbers of people living with dementia relying on family to care for them at home, there is an urgent need for practical and evidence-based programs to support carers in maintaining their mental health and well-being. The objective of this study was to evaluate the acceptability and feasibility of a modified STrAtegies for RelaTives (START) program delivered online (START-online). Method A mixed-methods non-blinded evaluation of START-online (using Zoom as videoconferencing platform) for acceptability and feasibility (completion rates and qualitative feedback through surveys and focus groups) and quantitative evaluation. This occurred at the National Ageing Research Institute, in metropolitan Victoria, Australia. Results Twenty-nine eligible carers were referred, 20 (70%) consented to the study. Of these, 16 (80%) completed all 8 sessions, 2 completed only 3 sessions, and 2 withdrew. Carers’ qualitative feedback indicated that the therapist interaction was valued, content and online delivery of the program was acceptable. Feedback was mixed on the appropriate stage of caring. Conclusion START-online was feasible and acceptable for carers, including those living outside of metropolitan areas who might otherwise be unable to access face-to-face programs. With the recent COVID-19 pandemic necessitating social distancing to avoid infection, interventions such as this one have increasing relevance in the provision of flexible services.
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Roy, Sudeshna. "Restructuring Institutional Care: Challenges and Coping Measures for Children and Caregivers in Post-COVID-19 Era." Institutionalised Children Explorations and Beyond, December 10, 2020, 234930032097382. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/2349300320973825.
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The sudden outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic has rattled the world and has severely compromised not only the public health system but has decelerated the global economy. In this backdrop, the article explores the dynamics of the institutional care of the out-of-home care (OHC) children, adolescents and children who are residing in alternative care homes, childcare institutes (CCIs), foster homes and who are in conflict with law like refugees or in juvenile correctional centres. The article attempts to highlight the risk factors and systematic barriers that CCIs and associated functionaries have been confronting in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic worldwide. It would also catalogue the remedial, preventive and protective initiatives undertaken as best practices. The qualitative content analysis method is used to identify major themes related to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and institutional care of children. Critical evaluation of literature reviews, published newspaper reports and articles and documentation of webinar proceedings is performed for theoretical and thematic conceptualisation of this article. The fundamental barriers that surfaced include financial barriers, health and nutrition, social justice, educational barriers, safety issues, administrative barriers, management, rehabilitation and integration of children living in CCIs and the ones who are leaving the CCIs. The unprecedented challenges have exposed the emergency unpreparedness and lacunae in functioning of CCIs in diverse ways. This has necessitated the undeniable need for reframing the regulatory directives for protection of child rights; accounting for the newer structural reforms aiming for standard operating procedures (SOPs); compliance and accountability guidelines; upgrading training and capacity building of the caregivers; addressing issues of psycho-social, mental health and well-being of the children and caregivers; building resilient coping strategies and enhancing the dignity, flexibility, inclusivity and sustainability in the responsive policy formulation regarding overall childcare system. This entails a multi-sectoral, participatory and coordinated approach as envisaged in United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) where the concerned stakeholders, including government legislations, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), civil societies, grassroot organisations, individual CCIs and management staff, would ensure non-discriminatory measures protecting the best interests of the children.
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Fynn, Wendy Irene, and Jessica Runacres. "Dogs at school: a quantitative analysis of parental perceptions of canine-assisted activities in schools mediated by child anxiety score and use case." International Journal of Child Care and Education Policy 16, no. 1 (March 5, 2022). http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s40723-022-00097-x.
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AbstractCanine-assisted activities in schools can benefit students’ educational, emotional, and social needs. Furthermore, they could be an effective form of non-clinical mental health treatment for children and adolescents. In the United Kingdom, school dogs are growing in popularity, however, little is known about how parents perceive canine-assisted activities as a treatment option. This is important as parental perceptions can influence engagement, whilst lack of awareness can become a barrier to treatment. This study uses a cross-sectional design to quantitatively explore the acceptability of canine-assisted activities amongst UK-based parents (n = 318) of children aged six to 16 (M = 10.12, SD = 3.22). An online survey used a treatment evaluation to determine acceptability across three use-cases. These included a child reading to dogs to improve literacy skills, a child interacting one-to-one to foster greater self-esteem and social skills, and a classroom dog to improve student behaviour and motivation. Additionally, the scale for generalised anxiety disorder was used to rank child anxiety as high or low, where high was a score equal to or above the UK clinical borderline threshold. The results found canine-assisted activities were less acceptable for the behavioural than the reading and social use-cases. Furthermore, parents of children with high anxiety had higher acceptability scores than parents of children with low anxiety for the reading and social use-cases but not for the behavioural use case. These findings suggest that UK parents' acceptability of canine-assisted activities in schools is mediated by child anxiety score. Furthermore, that parents may be less aware of the benefits of classroom dogs than other types of school-based canine-assisted activities.