Acogimiento en familia extensa: un estudio desde la perspectiva de los acogedores, de los niños y niñas acogidos y de los profesionales que intervienen. = Kinship foster care: a study from the perspective of the caregivers, the children and the child welfare workers

Desde hace aproximadamente dos décadas, en la mayoría de los países occidentales, los acogimientos en familia extensa han entrado a formar parte de los sistemas de protección infantil, siguiendo una evolución creciente en cuanto a número y peso especifico como recurso de acogimiento. Las investigaciones sobre este fenómeno son aún recientes y escasas como también lo son los programas dirigidos a esta población. En el presente artículo presentamos los resultados de un estudio descriptivo sobre los acogimientos en familia extensa en la ciudad de Barcelona, donde se recogen datos de los principales agentes implicados en este fenómeno. Desde la perspectiva de los estudios de la calidad de vida se analizan las percepciones, evaluaciones, y satisfacción expresada, por parte de los acogedores, los niños/as acogidos y los profesionales de los Equipos de Atención a la Infancia y Adolescencia (EAIA) que se encargan del estudio y seguimiento de estos acogimientos. La investigación presenta unos resultados acordes con los estudios que actualmente se realizan en este ámbito y sienta las bases para el despliegue futuro de programas dirigidos a los acogimientos en familia extensa

Kinship foster care: a study from the perspective of the of the caregivers, the children and the child welfare workers

In the last twenty years, in most Western countries, kinship foster care has become an integral part of childcare systems, growing progressively with regard to the numbers of children involved and relative weight as a care resource within the system; indeed, in some countries it is even more common than other placement options, such as non-kinship foster care and residential care. Research on this phenomenon is still recent and scarce, and there are few programmes targeting this population. In this article we present the results of a descriptive study on kinship foster care in the city of Barcelona, including information and data from the different stakeholders involved. From a quality of life research perspective we analyze the perceptions, evaluation and expressed satisfaction of caregivers, children and practitioners from the specialist Child and Adolescent Teams (EAIAs) responsible for the study and follow-up of kinship foster care cases. The research presented results are in line with those of current research in this field, and lays the basis for the future development of kinship foster care programmes

The 'welfare of the child' in Shari'a law: an analysis of child custody law and practices in Bangladesh from a feminist perspective

The paper seeks to draw attention to some of the recent cases relating to child custody law in Bangladesh where, deviating from orthodox Shari’a rules, courts have looked to ‘the welfare’ of the child in determining which parent shall have custody. In studying the recent ‘welfare of child’ standard that has been advanced by the courts in Bangladesh, the paper aims to explore its implications for Muslim women from a feminist perspective.

Child safety from the perspective of essential needs

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

The late discovery of adoptive and donor insemination offspring status : ethical implications for conceptual understandings of the ‘best interests of the child’ principle

Late discovery is a term used to describe the experience of discovering the truth of one’s genetic origins as an adult. Following discovery, late discoverers face a lack of recognition and acknowledgment of their concerns from family, friends, community and institutions. They experience pain, anger, loss, grief and frustration. This presentation shares the findings of the first qualitative study of both late discovery of adoptive and donor insemination offspring (heterosexual couple use only) experiences. It is also the first study of late discovery experiences undertaken from an ethical perspective. While this study recruited new participants, it also included an ethical re-analysis of existing late discovery accounts across both practices. The findings of this study (a) draws links between past adoption and current donor insemination (heterosexual couple only) practices, (b) reveals that late discoverers are demanding acknowledgment and recognition of the particularity of their experiences, and (c) offers insights into conceptual understandings of the ‘best interests of the child’ principle. These insights derive from the lived experiences of those whose biological and social worlds have been sundered and secrecy and denial of difference used to conceal this. It suggests that acknowledging the equal moral status of the child may be useful in strengthening conceptual understandings of the ‘best interests of the child’ principle. This equal moral status involves ensuring that personal autonomy and the ability to exercise free will is protected; that the integrity of the relationships of trust expected and demanded between parent/s and children is defended and supported; and that equal access to normative socio-cultural practices, that is; non-fictionalised birth certificates and open records, is guaranteed.

Intimate perceptions : exploring justice from the perspective of Australian survivors of Clergy Sexual Violence

The issue of child sexual abuse in Christian institutions has been persistent and politicalised across the world. Images and stories of abusive clergy, and their superiors who protect them, are common fodder for commercial and public media. In November 2012 the Australian Prime Minister announced a Royal Commission into child sexual abuse in Australian institutions. This came on the back of multiple calls such an inquiry. At this same time in Victoria, Australia, a Parliamentary Inquiry in the same issue was completing its process and preparing a report. This study draws on submissions made to the Victorian Parliamentary Inquiry and data from 15 ethnographic interviews with survivors of child sexual abuse in Christian institutions of Australia. The common themes of these sources are of betrayal, grief, a persistent search for justice and for recognition of the trauma rendered, not only to the lives of survivors but also to their families and communities. These are not new themes in the literature of child sexual abuse in Christian Institutions, however the perceptions of victimisation in the Australian context has only been explored in limited ways.

What parents value from formal support services in the context of identified child abuse

Parents whose children are identified as having experienced or being at risk of experiencing significant harm potentially provide an invaluable dimension to our understanding of the circumstances that result in child abuse or neglect and how best to respond to these invariably complex situations. This paper reports findings from a study of the experiences of six parents. In-depth interviews were conducted with four mothers and two fathers who had been referred to an intensive family support services by the Queensland statutory child protection authority. Using a critical ecological perspective, the study focused on identifying and understanding the experiences of the parents in using formal family support services, including aspects of service delivery that were helpful or unhelpful. Parents also commented on their experiences of statutory child protection services. Service components and worker qualities that parents identified as being helpful included being accessible, targeted and integrated and being able to meet a continuum of needs, from a micro to a broader level. Their reports provide invaluable insight into how formal family support services, including child protection services, can better meet the needs of parents in addressing the recurring problem of child maltreatment.

'Like waking up in a Franz Kafka novel': Service users' experiences of the child protection system when domestic violence and acrimonious separations are involved

The challenges that arise in respect of child abuse reports made in the context of domestic violence and/or acrimonious separation have been the subject of recent academic discussion. This paper adds a service user perspective to the debate and reports on the findings from a study conducted in the Republic of Ireland. In addition to the previously established evidence about such cases, it demonstrates the level of powerlessness and frustration experienced by families who found it difficult to have their needs heard or met. It also illustrates the very detrimental emotional impact on children and parents who frequently encountered indifference as well as insensitive and gendered responses from child protection staff. The findings indicate that mainstream statutory child protection services do not have the capacity to deal with these complex cases, and advocates the adoption of alternative approaches. Importantly, the study demonstrates the necessity to pay attention to the views of service users in developing an appropriate response.

Comparison of methods in oral health education from the perspective of adolescents.

To investigate whether teenagers' knowledge about oral health is influenced by educational methods and to verify the most effective method according to their perception. The study was performed in Araçatuba, São Paulo State, Brazil, with 127 teenagers from a vocational school. It was realised in 3 steps: 1. An evaluation of knowledge about oral health using a self-applied questionnaire. 2. An application of educational methods, where the students were divided into two groups (A and B). Group A participated in three educational activities that involved lectures, individual demonstration, and participatory activity. Group B was divided into three subgroups (B1, B2, B3) and each of them participated in only one of the methods. 3. The acquired knowledge was evaluated. Group A created a focus group to give their opinion about strategies. With regards to knowledge after the application of the different methods in all groups, there was a statistically significant difference concerning periodontitis, gingivitis and herpes. In group A, after the three activities, and in group B2 after the individual demonstration, an association was found between 'healthy teeth' and 'general health' (P = 0.004 and P = 0.022, respectively). After the individual demonstration, an association was shown between variables of acquired knowledge about 'harmful diet' and 'dental caries' (P = 0.002) as well as 'good diet' and 'prevention of oral diseases' (P = 0.032). The favourite method was individual demonstration, due to the contact with educational materials, followed by participatory activity because it encouraged learning in a more dynamic way. Educational methods influenced knowledge about oral health, with individual demonstration proving to be the most effective method for acquiring knowledge. In the adolescents' view, the participatory activity was the preferred method.

Sibling relationships in the family of a child with a burn injury

Purpose. Understanding siblings' experiences after a major childhood burn injury was the purpose of this mixed method, qualitative dominant study. The following research questions guided this project: How do siblings describe the impact of a major childhood burn injury experience? How do sibling relationship factors of warmth/closeness, relative status/power, conflict, and rivalry further clarify their relationship and their experience after a major burn injury? ^ Methods. A mixed method, qualitative dominant, design was implemented to understand the sibling experiences in a family with a child suffering from a major burn injury. Informants were selected from patients with childhood burn injuries attending the reconstructive clinic at a Gulf coast children's specialty hospital. The qualitative portion used the life story method, a narrative process, to portray the long-term impact on sibling relationships. A "case" represents a family unit and could be composed of one or multiple family members. Participants from 22 cases (N = 40 participants) were interviewed. Interviews were conducted in person and via telephone. The quantitative portion, or the embedded part of this mixed method design, used the Sibling Relationship Questionnaire Revised (SRQ-R) to conduct an additional structured interview and acquire scoring data. It was postulated that the SRQ-R would provide another perspective on the sibling experience and expand the qualitative data analysis. Thematic analysis was implemented on the qualitative interview data including the qualitative data from the interviews structured on the SRQ-R. Additionally, scores on the SRQ-R were tabulated to further describe the cases. ^ Results. The overall thematic pattern for the sibling relationship in families having a child with a major burn injury was that of normalization. Areas of normalization as well as the process of adjustment were the major themes. Areas of normalization were found in play and other activities, in school and work, and in family relations with their siblings and their parents. The process of adjustment in the sibling relationship was described as varied, involved school and work re-entry, and might even change their life perspective. Further analysis included an examination of the cases in which more than one person were interviewed and completed the SRQ-R. Participants from five ( n = 11) of six cases (n = 14), scored above 3.0 on the five-point scale on the Warmth/Closeness construct, indicating they perceived the sibling relationship as close. Five participants scored high on the Conflict construct and four participants scored high on the Rivalry construct. Finally, Relative Status/Power was low or negative in the six cases (n = 13). ^ Conclusions/implications. These findings suggest the importance of returning to normalcy for many of the families and the significance of sibling relationships on the process. Some of these families were able to use this major life event in a positive way to promote normalization. ^

Biologising parenting:neuroscience discourse, English social and public health policy and understandings of the child

In recent years, claims about children's developing brains have become central to the formation of child health and welfare policies in England. While these policies assert that they are based on neuro-scientific discoveries, their relationship to neuroscience itself has been debated. However, what is clear is that they portray a particular understanding of children and childhood, one that is marked by a lack of acknowledgment of child personhood. Using an analysis of key government-commissioned reports and additional advocacy documents, this article illustrates the ways that the mind of the child is reduced to the brain, and this brain comes to represent the child. It is argued that a highly reductionist and limiting construction of the child is produced, alongside the idea that parenting is the main factor in child development. It is concluded that this focus on children's brains, with its accompanying deterministic perspective on parenting, overlooks children's embodied lives and this has implications for the design of children's health and welfare services.

Biologising parenting:neuroscience discourse, English social and public health policy and understandings of the child

In recent years, claims about children's developing brains have become central to the formation of child health and welfare policies in England. While these policies assert that they are based on neuro-scientific discoveries, their relationship to neuroscience itself has been debated. However what is clear is that they portray a particular understanding of children and childhood, one that is marked by a lack of acknowledgment of child personhood. Using an analysis of key government-commissioned reports and additional advocacy documents, this chapter illustrates the ways that the mind of the child is reduced to the brain, and this brain comes to represent the child. It is argued that a highly reductionist and limiting construction of the child is produced, alongside the idea that parenting is the main factor in child development. It is concluded that this focus on children's brains, with its accompanying deterministic perspective on parenting, overlooks children's embodied lives and this has implications for the design of children's health and welfare services.