Support Services For Children Research Articles

‘A Chance to Say’

This article is based on a pilot study undertaken as preparation for a main project focusing on the provision of family support services for children who have learning disabilities and their families in the context of current social policy and legislation. It begins with an outline of the contextual background to this research and proceeds to discuss methodological design, ethical considerations, the pilot exercise and its significant outcomes. Although there are many factors to examine in relation to this research approach, for the purpose of this paper the author will focus on the effectiveness of this pilot study and the pivotal role it played in relation to developing reliable methods for ascertaining the views of children.

'All we are really here for is storage, dear'. Psychodynamic approaches to the short term care of children with learning disabilities

Short term care, both residential and family based, remains a cornerstone of family support services for children with learning disabilities. Despite this, research findings from Maureen Oswin's work to present suggest that short term care services are primarily oriented to the support needs of families and carers, rather than to the emotional security of the child. Drawing on recent observational studies of short term care facilities, and on work undertaken within the Children's Society's Western Corner Project, the author argues that psychodynamic approaches can both illuminate the experience of the child in the residential short term care setting, and suggest patterns of service that can enhance the well-being of the child. Influenced by the therapeutic tradition within residential child care, the author proposes that careful attention to the building of therapeutic relationships in the context of everyday events such as meals, intimate personal care, individualized play activities and settling to sleep, can make a contribution to the personal growth of the child. The paper, originally prepared during a period of study at the Tavistock Clinic, concludes by considering some of the implications for staff deployment and development that follow from the adoption of such an approach.

Ethical responsibility for the community's mental health: a professional nursing role.

A review of data from multiple sources indicates a decline in support services for children and families, and an increase in the prevalence of psychiatric disorders as well as psychosocial problems among children. A discussion of trends reveals reforms that are reducing all healthcare expenditures and limiting the provision of publicly funded services. To discuss the essential values of professional nursing and considers them as a basis for needed nursing action. Individual nurses have an ethical responsibility to take social, political, and economic actions to enhance community mental health. Specific strategies and approaches for doing so are presented.

Revising Child Support Orders: The Wisconsin Experience

In an effort to make Wisconsin's child support cases more equitable and up-to-date, old child support orders were reviewed. Only 21% of the cases were revised. he amount of revised orders increased substantially, a mean of $116/month (77%). An alternative method of keeping orders current is to express them as a percentage of the noncustodial parent's income; these orders are kept up-to-date automatically without a revision process. One of the factors driving the current welfare reform debate is the idea that taxpayers are being asked to support children in poor singleparent families because parents who do not live with their children (generally fathers) are not providing them with adequate financial support. This linkage between the provision of private support for children (child support) and the public provision of this support (primarily Aid to Families with Dependent Children or AFDC) has had a long history, with the first legislation that attempted to increase child support among AFDC recipients occurring in 1950. Over the next four decades, the link has been strengthened and formalized, particularly with the creation of the federal Child Support Enforcement (IV-D) agency in 1974, a public agency designed to help all custodial parents receiving AFDC and any other custodial parent who requested child support services. The child support and welfare systems are again receiving attention as policymakers search for ways to shift responsibility for the economic support of single-parent families from the government to the noncustodial parent. As the child support system has been examined, most observers have concluded that it has significant problems (Garfinkel, 1992, for example). One problem is that noncustodial parents are not paying the amounts that they are ordered to pay: total child support payments in 1991 were $11.9 billion, compared to $17.7 billion due (U.S. Bureau of the Census, 1995). However, a larger problem is that many custodial parents do not have child support orders, and the orders that exist are often low and are seldom updated and, thus, do not reflect the current ability of the noncustodial parent to pay. Sorensen (1995) estimates that about $50 billion of child support could be collected if orders reflected current circumstances and were fully paid, in contrast to the $17.7 billion of current child support orders. Some policies have been aimed at increasing the proportion of custodial parents who have child support orders. Other policies have been directed at ensuring that orders are kept up-to-date; the latter policies are the focus of this article. The 1988 Family Support Act (FSA; Public Law 100-485) contained the following provisions: At least every 3 years, states must review each AFDC case with a child support order to see if the order should be revised. The FSA also required that states contact any non-AFDC case in the child support system (IV-D cases) to obtain permission to review and potentially revise the order amount. State plans on how these provisions were to be accomplished were required by October, 1990, with full implementation required by October, 1993. At about the same time, the Wisconsin legislature authorized the Wisconsin Order Revision Project, a pilot project designed to systematically review and revise old child support orders to ensure their adequacy. The Wisconsin legislation, like the federal legislation, required child support staff to review AFDC cases and to offer reviews to non-AFDC cases. Child support staff in 13 of Wisconsin's 72 counties reviewed old orders to determine if they needed to be revised; if the orders were found to be out-of date, the staff attempted to secure revisions. The Institute for Research on Poverty (IRP) collected data on all cases considered for revision by child support staff. This article reviews the results of these efforts. Prior to the FSA deadline for implementation, two other projects also tested the method of periodically reviewing child support orders. …

Schools' Role in the Provision of Support Services for Children and Families: A Critical Aspect of Program Equity

Attempts to redefine equal educational opportunities not only in terms of spending, but also in terms of student performance, are important, but if all students are to achieve a certain level of academic achievement, we must broaden our understanding of how children learn and what influences their capacity to learn and ensure that financial resources are provided for child and family-support services that begin at birth. This article reviews the research that forms the basis for this recommendation and describes the School of the 21st Century as an approach to optimize the growth and development of children and their ability to profit from academic instruction.

An overview of parent training and counselling with the parents of children with mental disabilities and autism in Turkey

Parents are significant contributors to the development of their children. They are the primary caretakers, managers, behavior models, disciplinarians, and agents of socialization and change for their children. It is accepted that parents can be trained as effective teachers of their children with disabilities. In Turkey, there are very limited opportunities, services, schools, parent education and support services for children with disabilities and their parents. Therefore, we have been carrying out studies to contribute to the understanding of the parents, specifically, on how a child with a disability affects their life and how they can be trained to become co-teachers and co-therapists. These studies are reviewed here.

The Muppet Club Project ‐‐ An alternative support service for children with emotional and behavioural disorders

Many teachers worry about their inability to provide adequate support for children with emotional and behavioural disorders (EBD). The Muppet Club Project (MCP) has demonstrated that more effective support from outside the school for such children and their teachers is not only available within existing resources, but is most successfully mobilized when schools themselves take the initiative.

Participation by Pediatricians in Early Intervention: Impetus From Public Law 99-457

Part H of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (originally enacted as Public Law 99-457) requires that participating states phase in a system of early intervention services by 1993. By recognizing the importance of good health in the development of infants and toddlers, Congress acknowledged the key role of medical care providers in a comprehensive program for young children with or at risk for developmental delay or dysfunction. National and state surveys of pediatricians suggest limited but growing awareness of this legislation and uncertainty about how they might participate effectively. A chief concern relates to mechanisms of payment for developmental screening and assessment as well as time-demands for participation in interdisciplinary team activities. The American Academy of Pediatrics and its state chapters are responding to requests for information with educational seminars and print materials. Pediatricians can enhance the quality of community support services for children with special needs by participating in planning efforts and by coordinating health care with other aspects of early intervention. Other professionals and parents are looking to pediatricians for leadership and willing participation in the implementation of PL 99-457.

Family structure or interpersonal relationships: the context for child development

SUMMARY. This article is based on an opening address given in March 1988 at the National Children's bureau conference on ‘Family fortunes: adapting support services for children in changing families’. It argues that the family is not a static unit impervious to outside influence and that on the contrary it is essential we understand the reasons why families change in certain respects and even try to anticipate such changes, as only then is it possible to target support services effectively. This should be done at the level of interpersonal relationships rather than family structure, for research on the determinants of child development has singled out this level as the crucial one

Selective nontreatment and spina bifida: a case study in ethical theory and application.

Defective newborn children are to be considered human persons. Thus, primary duty in proxy consent is to act with the infant's best interest in mind. This duty may at times override the otherwise prima facie right to life, but only under restricted circumstances. Refinements of McCormick's “relational potential” criteria and of ordinary-extraordinary means analysis prove useful in such decisions. Utilitarian considerations of social consequences have impact but can be kept subsidiary. The importance for decision making of available child support services is considered. Spina bifida is used throughout as an example of issues discussed.

Federal Nutrition Support Programs for Children

In summary, the physician as a concerned citizen, contributing taxpayer, and key provider of child health care can provide responsible leadership in assuring that nutrition support services for children include assessment of their nutritional status, provision of a safe food supply adequate in quality and quantity, nutrition counseling for specific nutritional problems, and sound nutrition education for children, parents, and all other caretakers of children.