坚持以儿童最大利益为原则

艾滋病是全球关注的问题,我国政府在认真做好艾滋病防治工作 的同时,也高度重视对艾滋病患者、患者家属特别是受艾滋病影响儿 童的关怀救助工作。以儿童最大利益为首要考虑,是联合国《儿童权 利公约》确定的原则,也是关怀救助受艾滋病影响儿童工作必须要坚     

恩施市儿童福利院对孤残儿童发展的探索

湖北省恩施市儿童福利院一直以＂一切为了孩子＂为服务宗旨,以儿童利益最大化,儿童利益优先为原则,积极探索孤残儿童的发展问题,已形成了养、治、教、乐四为一体的服务模式,为他们以后回归社会打下良好的基础。     

安徽蚌埠市:主动作为 未雨绸缪

正安徽省蚌埠市民政局将未成年人家庭监护干预作为试点工作的重中之重,结合自身实际,积极探索,以及时发现为突破口,以体制创新为目标,逐步形成了行政干预为主导,司法干预为保障的工作机制,未成年人社会保护试点工作取得了一定成效。据统计,去年下半年至今,共办理监护变更82人,监护委托3人,其他监护干预120人。分工与联动协调统一试点工作开始不久,该市未成年人社会保护领导小组专门召开成员     

留守儿童校外监护体系建设——公共关系的视角

农村留守儿童校外监护需要社会各界的关注,而公共关系是一种新型网络社会资源的组织行为模式。在农村留守儿童的监护工作中渗入公共关系这种组织模式,建立由学校牵头,农村地方社区、政府、非政府组织多方面参与的农村留守儿童校外监护体系,以此来建立多方位、多角度的监护网络。     

留守儿童校外监护体系建设—公共关系的视角

农村留守儿童校外监护需要社会各界的关注,而公共关系是一种新型网络社会资源的组织行为模式。在农村留守儿童的监护工作中渗入公共关系这种组织模式,建立由学校牵头,农村地方社区、政府、非政府组织多方面参与的农村留守儿童校外监护体系,以此来建立多方位、多角度的监护网络。     

昆明市儿童福利院:勇创“昆明模式”堪称全国典范

昆明市儿童福利院孤残儿童家庭寄养项目实施以来，以“孤残儿童利益最大化”为原则，秉承“政府出资、社会支持、家庭寄养、统一监护”的宗旨，构建了家庭寄养工作三级监护网络，实现了孤残儿童由生存型向发展型的转变，寄养工作由被动管理向主动服务的转变，实现了寄养项目的本土化，形成了具有鲜明人文特色的农村家庭寄养模式一“昆明模式”，堪称全国一面旗帜!     

美国儿童虐待的循证实践及启示

近年来,儿童虐待问题在我国引发广泛关注,减少儿童虐待需要科学有效的干预措施.以证据为本的儿童虐待干预实践能确保有效的干预实施,降低儿童虐待发生率,因此在国外,尤其是美国,获得了极大的发展.本研究基于生态系统理论对美国儿童虐待循证实践的发展历程进行回顾,明确当前儿童虐待循证实践的挑战,探讨我国儿童虐待循证实践的发展模式....     

流浪儿童救助政策改革思路

思路之一：树立并践行流浪儿童为本的救助理念联合国《儿童权利公约》第三条明确指出：＂关于儿童的一切行动,不论是由公私社会福利机构、法院、行政当局或立法机构执行,均应以儿童的最大利益为一种首要考虑。”在这里，儿童成为我们一切行动的“本”与“目标”。他们不只是成人社会价值实现的工具，儿童有属于他们自己的利益。     

用心营造一个属于孤残儿童的家

家,是爱的源泉,是温馨的港湾。每个人都有享受家庭温暖的权利和需要,每个孩子都应该有父母的呵护。家庭的温暖对儿童的人格发展和社会化的作用无可替代。近年来,南昌市儿童福利院严格遵循＂儿童利益优先＂的原则,以＂让每一个孩子都能拥有一个属于自己的家＂为理念,通过大力进行城市家庭寄养,开办院内爱心家庭、用心开展残儿送养等工作,     

青岛市：孤残儿童福利事业发展路径

近年来,青岛市以科学发展观为指导,着眼孤残儿童福利事业的健康可持续发展,紧紧围绕孤残儿童利益最大化原则,结合自身实际,借鉴先进经验,合理配置资源,完善机构设施和功能,探索建立出了立体、开放的孤残儿童福利事业发展的新路子,基本形成了养育、医疗、康复、教育、技能训练、就业为一体,     

The child's – or the state's – best interests? An examination of the ways immigration officials work with unaccompanied asylum seeking minors in Norway

This article questions the way in which Norwegian immigration officials apply the principle of the child's best interests in cases concerning family reunion for unaccompanied asylum seeking minors in Norway. It is claimed that the official definition of child migrants and the interpretation of what is in their best interest does not take the child's background and circumstances into account with sufficient detail and sensitivity. This paper further discusses the bureaucratic procedures that turn an individual child with individual interests into a judicial and generalized prototype that appears to have the same interests as the immigration authorities. Thus the combination of a culture‐blind and context‐free consideration of an abstract child's best interests primarily serves to justify increasing restriction of family reunion for child migrants, and thereby serves the state's best interest at the cost of the individual child.     

A court file analysis of child protection cases: What do children say?

Children's participation in legal proceedings affecting them personally has been gaining importance. So far, a primary research concern has been how children experience their participation in court proceedings. However, little is known about the child's voice itself: Are children able to clearly express their wishes, and if so, what do they say in child protection cases? In this study, we extracted information about children's statements from court file data of 220 child protection cases in Germany. We found 182 children were asked about their wishes. The majority of the statements found came either from reports of the guardians ad litem or from judicial records of the child hearings. Using content analysis, three main aspects of the statements were extracted: wishes concerning main place of residence, wishes about whom to have or not contact with, and children granting decision‐making authority to someone else. Children's main focus was on their parents, but others (e.g., relatives and foster care providers) were also mentioned. Intercoder agreement was substantial. Making sure that child hearings are as informative as possible is in the child's best interest. Therefore, the categories developed herein might help professionals to ask questions more precisely relevant to the child.     

A comparison of systems and outcomes for safeguarding children in Australia and Norway

Using aggregated national data, this paper compares outcomes of Australian ‘child protection’ (CP) and Norwegian ‘child welfare services’ (CWS). We highlight each nation's context and key elements of their CP/CWS organizations, with emphasis on policy and programme orientation. System outcomes are examined along with the implications of their different approaches. The main policy focus in Australia is protection and risk, while Norway's systemic approach stresses prevention, early intervention and support. These differences influence practitioner's intervention strategies and how the needs of children and parents are met. In Norway, approximately 80% of the children in the CWS receive some sort of supportive services. In contrast, Australian services for supporting families are narrowly targeted. Both countries share the ‘best interest of the child’ principle and an increased focus on children's rights, and have experienced increased service demands and rates of children in out‐of‐home care. The paper explores the relative merits of these systems.     

Recruitment and Retention in a Parenting Intervention: A Case Study with Parents Aging Out of the Child Welfare System

ABSTRACT

Parenting interventions are efficacious in reducing child maltreatment and negative child behaviors, yet the recruitment and retention of parents, especially vulnerable parents, in such interventions can be challenging. Prior research identifies several ways to improve recruitment and retention including laying the foundation for the intervention, fostering relationships with parents, ensuring fit of the intervention with the intended population, and identifying barriers to parents’ participation. This case study presents a process of recruiting and retaining a vulnerable group of parents, specifically parenting youth aging out of the child welfare system. In addition to outlining the strategies used, lessons learned are highlighted. Parents expressed interest in the parenting intervention, experienced significant needs, negotiated great instability in their lives, and valued the social connections facilitated by the group intervention. Despite the research team following best practices and investing significant time and resources, recruitment and retention remained challenging. Implications for future work in this area are presented.     

Impact of child care arrangements on Australian children's cognitive outcome: moderation effects of parental factors

This study examines the effects of child care arrangements on children's cognitive outcomes. It is a secondary analysis, using data on 5107 children born in 2004 and their families from Growing Up in Australia: The Longitudinal Study of Australian Children. Data were collected in 2004 (Wave One), in 2006 (Wave Two) and in 2008 (Wave Three). This study asks (i) Do children receiving non‐parental child care have different cognitive developmental outcomes at ages 4–5, compared with those who never had non‐parental child care during the first 3 years of life? Do parental factors affect these associations?; and (ii) among children with non‐parental child care, do child care characteristics such as types of care, quantity, entry age and stability of child care affect child outcomes? Do parental factors affect child outcomes? The study's findings suggest that children in non‐parental child care had higher Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test scores at age 5. Among children in non‐parental child care arrangements, quantity and entry age of non‐parental child care affected children's cognitive developmental outcomes. Along with child care arrangements, parental mental health was associated with children's cognitive outcomes.     

On the Consistency of Court Dispositions in the Child Welfare System: A Research Note

An analysis of 4,706 cases of ‘complaints’ under the Child Welfare Act, dealt with by the Children's Court during a two year period, indicated significant differences between the dispositions made in respect of the same complaints by special children's courts in urban areas, by ‘declared’ children's courts in country areas, and by such ‘declared’ courts in areas of Aboriginal concentration. Some of the differences were thought to be attributable to pragmatic and circumstantial considerations associated with the courts' locations. However, significant dispositional differences not attributable to circumstantial factors, that were found between special urban courts, suggested that the observed disparity in dispositions has also a substantive relationship to the courts' differing conceptions of what constitutes the best interest of the child. The findings are discussed in the light of the literature, and some measures that could reduce the existing disparity are suggested.     

First Nations parenting and child reunification: Identifying strengths,barriers, and community needs within the child welfare system

First Nations communities are seeking to improve current service delivery models and create alternative evidence‐based strategies. A First Nations child welfare organization has prioritized further understanding of reunification and parenting, including identification of successes and barriers to reunification, and service needs within communities. These priorities were addressed with a community‐based participatory research model and guided by a Research Advisory. Results were analysed using a blend of grounded theory and thematic analysis techniques. Participants indicated that placing children with extended family or within home communities facilitate best child outcomes. These reunifications could be increased by promoting parental and community capacity. Successes identified within communities included available supports, such as those that increased empowerment and community capacity. Identified barriers within communities were the lack of culturally appropriate services, hesitancy to obtain available support due to fears of child welfare intervention, and mental health difficulties of community member.     

Ambiguous position of the child in supervised meetings

The paper addresses the ambiguous nature of supervised meetings between children and their non‐residential parent(s) which, according to the current legal idea, should serve the best interest of the child. In Finland the meetings between the child and the non‐residential parent can be ordered supervised if there are justified grounds for assuming that they constitute a risk for the child's safety. In many parts of Europe the need for such kinds of meetings controlled by outsiders has increased. The aim of the paper is to consider the child's position and the closely related issue of the child's interest in supervised meetings, based on the daily experiences of the supervisors. Data are gathered by focus group interviews and analysed qualitatively in terms of categorization analysis. As a result, the child's position is an ambiguous phenomenon with multiple interests. Obviously the child's interests will be met in some cases, although paradoxically it is mostly the interests of the parents and most often the fathers, which seem to demand more attention. Thus adult‐centredness, meanings of gender, time together with both the positive and possible detrimental outcomes for the child need further reflection.     

Parental Suicidal Ideation and Child Depressive Symptoms: The Roles of Optimism and Gratitude

Abstract

This study aimed to compare the influence of paternal and maternal suicidal ideation on child depressive symptoms and examine the moderating effects of children’s positive psychological traits: optimism and gratitude. A cross-sectional survey with 302 children and parents from five primary schools in Hong Kong were recruited. Results indicated that maternal suicidal ideation was significantly related to child depressive symptoms while paternal suicidal ideation was not. Moreover, the moderating effects of child optimism and gratitude were shown in the link between paternal suicidal ideation and children depressive symptoms. In contrast, the influencing power of maternal suicidal ideation of maternal suicidal ideation seems too strong to be attenuated by child optimism and gratitude. Findings of this study implicate the importance of prevention and intervention to suicidal parents and their offspring. Besides, positive psychology programs to enhance child optimism and gratitude might promote child resilience in the face of parental suicidal ideation. Future research is suggested to include other risk factors and protective factors that might be involved in the complex pathway from parental suicidal ideation to their children’s depression, and to collect data from multiple informants of a longitudinal representative sample.     

Social constructions of reality and narratives of parental incapability in the process of adjudicating the adoption of minors in Israel

Compulsory adoption of a child constitutes the most extreme intervention of the state in family life. In Israel, this intervention relies mainly on the cause of parental incapability, which has not been clearly defined by the law and is left to the court's discretion. In this paper, the social construction of a reality paradigm and the narrative approach to the law are used as conceptual frameworks for analysing the concept of parental capability in court decisions favouring compulsory adoption. The analysis of case studies revealed six central narratives of parental incapability in court decisions and the judicial practices that constructed them. The compelling power of the parental incapability narrative leading almost conclusively to the closed adoption solution is discussed, and an alternative narrative of open adoption is put forward.