How the education experiences of youth in care are explored in the qualitative literature; a scoping review

Planning for permanency for youth in congregate care

Qualitative Research in CKD: How to Appraise and Interpret the Evidence

Child welfare outcomes for youth in care as a result of parental death or parental incarceration

The education of children in care is seen differently by teachers, caregivers in residential homes, and by the children themselves, and differences may be evident and highly significant with the impact that this entails. A pilot project aimed at improving the schoolbased learning of children in residential care was conducted within the framework of a European Project together with 5 Organizations working in Austria, Croatia, France, Germany and Spain. Program assessment included pre-post design and, on analysing pretest data, we established the objective of finding out more about the social inclusion in school of youth in residential care. More specifically, our goals were to evaluate: (a) peer relationships and acceptance; (b) the participation of youth in care in activities that most of their classmates do, and (c) to find out if youth in care like going to school and feel safe there. Three stakeholders were involved in these three objectives (N = 219): adolescents in residential care aged 12–17 years old and their teachers and caregivers. They were given a questionnaire with the same questions for data to be contrasted. Data matches could be analysed as each teacher and caregiver evaluated the situation of each youngster participating in the research. Findings showed how adolescents evaluated these school-related matters significantly more positively than their teachers, but differences were even more significant when compared to caregivers, who revealed a largely pessimistic outlook, with implications for consequent practices and policy-making. In addition, data matching showed little agreement between adult and adolescents’ responses. Not only does this assessment reveal how children in residential care experience school, but it may also provide insight into the social construction of the education of children in care and whether it is seen as a problem or, by contrast, as an opportunity.

Child and youth care work is a new profession in South Africa, regulated by the South African Council for Social Service Professions. Practitioners work in the life-space of young people in different settings. This study sought to document the current reality and contribute to future improvements in child and youth care work. The aim of the study was to develop a model to guide child and youth care practice and education in South Africa. Using the theoretical underpinning of the ecological systems theory, a qualitative methodology was adopted in an exploratory descriptive design. This allowed participants to provide perspectives on the roles and functions of child and youth care workers and the nature of child and youth care work in a South African context. The study sought participants’ understanding of the educational preparation of professional level child and youth care workers, and the further knowledge and skills that may be required. Conducted in three provinces of South Africa, the study also included four international participants from the North American context who were familiar with the local child and youth care work sector. Five samples were selected and included a total of 57 participants. One of the samples was child and youth care workers functioning at the auxiliary level, and another was child and youth care workers functioning at the professional level of registration. Six focus groups were run with these samples, including 44 participants in total. Individual in-depth interviews were held with participants in the three other samples. These samples comprised employers of child and youth care workers, local child and youth care work experts, and international child and youth care work experts within this experience of child and youth care work in South Africa. Thirteen in-depth interviews were held in total. Seventeen primary themes and 50 sub-themes emerged. The findings revealed that child and youth care work in South Africa is founded on a knowledge base from the North American context, but is affected by the local context of poverty, and the framework of children’s rights within which child and youth care workers function. South African child and youth care workers were found to work with children as well as families in community-based settings, health settings, education settings, and in child and youth care centres. The roles and functions of child and youth care workers are aligned to the local scope of practice as articulated in legislation. The study found that a role undertaken by child and youth care workers not included in the scope of practice is that of stakeholder and referral management. The nature of child and youth care work included life-space work as the central context of the work, which is further characterised by relationshipbuilding and a spiritedness in caring. Child and youth care workers are negatively impacted by the limited knowledge of their role on the part of other professionals and community members, and the continued struggle for professional recognition in the field. The education of child and youth care workers was found to be constrained by Western theoretical frameworks and to be insufficiently contextualised in the South African practice reality. Child and youth care workers would be better prepared through the application of an Afrocentric curriculum and the enhanced teaching of complex child and youth care work practice. Access to tertiary level education in child and youth care work was found to be limited. A schematic model representing key elements of South African child and youth care work practice and education was presented.

Scoping Review and Clinical Guidance: Disparities in the Care of Youth With Agitation or Aggression in the Emergency Department

Wilderness therapy, therapeutic camping and adventure education in child and youth care literature: A scoping review

Financial capability is crucial for youth in foster care to develop prior to transitioning to independence. However, little is known about how these youth fare regarding financial capability. This study assesses whether youth in foster care in the United States who are over age 18 have better financial capability and related supports compared with younger youth and whether there are associations between supports and financial capability. Survey data from 97 youth aged 14 to 20 in foster care were analysed. Participants aged 18 and older had more advanced financial capability than younger youth on several indicators. Older youth were more likely to check in with caring adults about financial‐related issues and to have been enrolled in an independent living programme, both of which were associated with better financial capability. However, many youth over 18 were found to not have achieved financial capability in many areas. Older youth in care do appear to be making meaningful gains towards financial capability; however, more policy and practice enhancements are needed to fully prepare youth for independence.

There are nearly 422,000 youth in foster care in the United States with 20,000 aging out each year. Youth who age out of care demonstrate worse outcomes in all areas (education, employment, homelessness, justice system involvement, and social support) compared to the general population. These outcomes represent an ideological production, or a production of knowledge regarding the discursive youth in care. Thus, dominant discourses of youth are informed and constitutive of these problematic outcomes. Similarly, youthhood is dominantly defined by risk and informed by peer groups and social relationships. This study presents findings from interviews with 22 youth preparing to age out of foster care across the state of Oregon regarding individual relationships and social support networks. The analysis was informed by social constructionism, poststructuralism, Foucauldian concepts, and Gee's approach to critical discourse analysis (2014a; 2014b). The study explores the discourses young people invoked when discussing social supports. Two prominent discourses emerged: the normal teen and the typical foster kid. The normal teen discourse was characterized by normative family structures, access to a variety of friendships, and normative transitions to adulthood. The typical foster kid discourse was characterized by constructions of youth through professional documentation, hyper-independence, professionalized relationships, dysfunctional family systems, unmet needs, and desires to participate in service planning. While participants invoked both discourses, they positioned themselves in contrast to either discourse, enacting resistance to these discursive constructions. This dissertation discusses the implication of these findings for child welfare research and practice.

Background and objectivesThe experiences of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer or questioning (LGBTQ+) youth in foster and residential social care have largely been overlooked in research, practice and policy. This scoping review aims to identify and synthesize the existing empirical research concerning the health and well-being needs of LGBTQ+ youth in care. MethodsFollowing a six-stage approach to scoping reviews, a computerized search was conducted from a total of eight electronic databases: PubMed, Web of Science (Core Collection), Scopus, CINAHL Plus, PsychINFO, Sociological Abstracts, Social Care Online (SCIE), and OpenGrey. Search parameters comprised of three domains (LGBTQ+ status, age, and social care interventions). Data synthesis included thematic analysis, as well as critical appraisal using Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP) criteria. Of the initial 1,962 sources identified, 22 studies met the search and quality criteria and were included in the final review. ResultsOverall, the evidence base is limited with most studies originating from the USA (77 % of included papers). The findings indicate that LGBTQ+ youth experience poorer physical and mental health, and also poorer well-being outcomes compared to non-LGBTQ+ youth while in foster and residential social care. Racial or ethnic minority LGBTQ+ youth, lesbian/bisexual girls, and trans and nonbinary youth face particular challenges, and social care systems appear especially ill-equipped to meet the needs of transgender and nonbinary youth. ConclusionWhile the evidence base continues to grow, there remains a need for high quality research including longitudinal and life course studies in various contexts and countries to generate robust empirical evidence in this area. The implications for practice and policy include policy shifts, mandatory and comprehensive competency-based education and training, as well ongoing coaching regarding anti-LGBTQ+ and heteronormative bias within this system.

Alberta Education and Alberta Children Services have reported consistent low achievement in school by children and youth in care, especially those in residential group care. This article provides the current picture of research and practice (policy) regarding the learning experience of children and youth in care. Utilizing a scoping review of local and international research studies, the paper argues that the education of children in care in Alberta is not considered an important issue. The dominance of the social work paradigm in children and family services is exposed as inadequate, and hence the call for social pedagogy to be adopted. Determinants of educational achievement for children and youth in care are examined and using these attainment factors, the article identifies and recommends areas that Alberta Education and Alberta Children Services need to consider with urgency if children and youth in care are to benefit from schooling like all other children.

<p>In an inviting and conversational style, author Kiaras Gharabaghi offers a concise guide introducing foundational research methods for the study and practice of child and youth care, aiming to awaken a lifelong interest in how research can inform, improve, and evoke critical reflection on what child and youth care is, and can be, about. Presenting research as a relational tool, the text builds basic practical research skills, such as how to conduct interviews and focus groups, how to construct research questions and surveys, and how to select research designs to best serve each project.</p> <p>This essential volume highlights research as an important element of child and youth care practice, explores different qualitative and quantitative research designs, and examines how they are implemented, including various aspects of recruiting research subjects, the collection and analysis of data, and the limitations of research. Written from an explicitly anti-racist perspective, the text includes a chapter dedicated to Afrocentric and Indigenous research approaches and draws all its examples from the field of child and youth care.</p> <p>The rich in-text pedagogical features include a glossary of key terms and two appendices that detail an ethics protocol and describe a small research project from start to finish. Students of child and youth care, social work, and youth work/development programs are bound to appreciate this engaging and highly readable text.</p>

<p>In an inviting and conversational style, author Kiaras Gharabaghi offers a concise guide introducing foundational research methods for the study and practice of child and youth care, aiming to awaken a lifelong interest in how research can inform, improve, and evoke critical reflection on what child and youth care is, and can be, about. Presenting research as a relational tool, the text builds basic practical research skills, such as how to conduct interviews and focus groups, how to construct research questions and surveys, and how to select research designs to best serve each project.</p> <p>This essential volume highlights research as an important element of child and youth care practice, explores different qualitative and quantitative research designs, and examines how they are implemented, including various aspects of recruiting research subjects, the collection and analysis of data, and the limitations of research. Written from an explicitly anti-racist perspective, the text includes a chapter dedicated to Afrocentric and Indigenous research approaches and draws all its examples from the field of child and youth care.</p> <p>The rich in-text pedagogical features include a glossary of key terms and two appendices that detail an ethics protocol and describe a small research project from start to finish. Students of child and youth care, social work, and youth work/development programs are bound to appreciate this engaging and highly readable text.</p>

Commitment to school, commitment to learning, and educational expectations have been shown to contribute to positive outcomes among youth in the general population. However, it is an underexamined phenomenon among youth in care. This study examines the contribution of mother and father support and the moderating role of parents' marital status to commitment to school and learning among youth in residential care settings (RCSs) in Israel. The study was based on the reports of a random cluster sample of 1,409 adolescents (Grades 8 to 12) in 16 educational RCSs for youth from underprivileged backgrounds, who completed structured questionnaires. In line with social capital theories, the findings showed that, after controlling for youth background characteristics and grades at school, both father and mother support were linked positively with youth commitment to school and learning among the whole sample. The findings showed that although there was a positive significant relationship between father support and commitment to school and learning among youth in married-parent families, the link was insignificant among adolescent children of divorced parents. However, the interaction between divorce and mother support was insignificant. These findings highlight the importance of nurturing parent-youth relationships in RCSs and suggest circumstances in which father support is at risk to be less beneficial to youth in RCSs-a risk that should be considered by the care system as a target for prevention and intervention programs. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).

Experiences of and Attitudes Toward Mental Health Services Among Older Youths in Foster Care