试论困境儿童的国家救助——以儿童福利理论为视角

困境儿童的救助工作是我国儿童福利事业发展中的重要组成部分。做好困境儿童的救助工作是党、政府、国家、社会和公民共同的责任,因此,必须把对困境儿童的救助工作提升到国家战略的角度来考虑。既要正确认识困境儿童群体的异质性,设计多元化的政策和服务,尽快建立和完善普惠型困境儿童救助政策体系,又要承认困境儿童的能力和优势,允许部分困境儿童自主地选择接受受助方式;还要以儿童视角来保障困境儿童游戏娱乐的权利。     

Race and school enrollment among the children of African immigrants in the United States

This study examines whether previous findings of an immigrant schooling advantage among Blacks in the United States reflect a declining significance of race in the enrollment patterns of immigrants’ children. Using data from the 2000 US census, the study finds that, despite their advantage within the Black population, the children of Black Africans are collectively disadvantaged relative to the children of White Africans. Disparate enrollment trajectories are found among children in Black and White African families. Specifically, between the first and second generations, enrollment outcomes improved among the children of White Africans but declined among Black Africans’ children. The results also suggest that among immigrants from African multi-racial societies, pre-migration racial schooling disparities do not necessarily disappear after immigration to the United States. Additionally, the children of Black Africans from these contexts have worse outcomes than the children of other Black African immigrants and their relative disadvantage persists even after other factors are controlled.     

Children's health in the United States: assessing the potential impact of the Convention on the Rights of the Child

This article examines the potential implications of U.S. ratification of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) on the health and well-being of children in the United States. The article reviews the relevant provisions of the CRC and U.S. law, along with the health status of U.S. children. It finds that ratification could lead to measures that most Americans already support and that could improve the health status of children.     

Children and the Stability of Cohabiting Couples

Theory and empirical evidence generally credit children with creating stability in their parents’ marriages, but whether children have a similar effect on cohabiting unions has not been previously investigated in the United States. This article uses the National Survey of Family Growth (N = 2,716) to evaluate the effects of children on the stability of couples who cohabit. The article distinguishes between conceptions and births because the two have different implications for union stability. The results indicate that children conceived during cohabitation are associated with greater stability of their parents’ relationship, particularly for Whites and Latinos, whereas children conceived and born during cohabitation are not. In addition, the effect of children on couple stability depends on whether the couple is cohabiting or has transitioned into marriage.     

Assessing the effect of community violence in minority children

Abstract

The purpose of the present study was to assess the extent to which minority inner city children were adversely affected when exposed to violence in their homes and in their communities. The findings from this study suggested that Hispanic children endorsed the highest levels of physiological cues and somatic complaints from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder symptomatology compared with groups of African-American and Caucasian children. The importance of assessing minority children exposed to traumas and ethnocultural issues are discussed.     

Steps Together: Children’s Experiences of Participation in Club Activities With the Elderly

The amount of time that children and elderly people spend alone has grown in recent years in Finland. Based on sociocultural theory, children’s development and learning occur in close interaction with the surrounding society, place, and time. The aim of this study is to research children’s experiences of participation in club activities for children and the elderly. The qualitative research data were collected by observing activities and interviewing children. The key factors in supporting children’s participation were common interests in rewarding activities. A warm atmosphere and humor during activities were also found to be important elements in creating positive interactions between children and the elderly.     

流浪儿童心理救助服务模式初探

流浪儿童问题是当今世界各国普遍关注的全球性社会问题。但是，与物质方面的救助相比，流浪儿童心理救助比较缺失。通过对未成年人救助保护中心流浪儿童的调查发现，流浪儿童在进站、住站、出站三个不同阶段的心理需求各不相同。需要结合流浪儿童救助站的现有条件，设计符合流浪儿童心理需求、对流浪儿童有切实有效作用的心理救助服务的方式和方法，预防和减少流浪儿童重复流浪心理的形成，更好地实现流浪儿童救助。     

The Role of Modeling and Automatic Reinforcement in the Construction of the Passive Voice

Language acquisition has been a contentious topic among linguists, psycholinguists, and behaviorists for decades. Although numerous theories of language acquisition have surfaced, none have sufficiently accounted for the subtleties of the language that children acquire. The present study attempts to explain the role of modeling and automatic reinforcement in the acquisition of the passive voice. Six children, ages 3 to 5, participated in this study. The results indicated that the children began using the passive voice only after the experimenter modeled passive sentences. Furthermore, the usage of the passive voice increased with repeated exposure to the experimenter''s verbal behavior. Given that the children were not explicitly reinforced, it is proposed that their behavior was automatically reinforced for using the passive voice.     

Parental substance abuse and the development of children in family foster care

To determine the impact of parental substance abuse on children, the cognitive skills and behavior ratings of 268 school-age children placed in family foster care were examined. As a group, the children in family foster care presented with low average cognitive skills and made significant improvement in cognitive functioning during placement. The children with prenatal exposure to drugs scored significantly lower in cognitive skills at the beginning of placement but made significantly more progress than the other children during placement. Behavior ratings by the foster parents and teachers revealed that 29% of the children had scores in the significant range, and the children exposed prenatally to drugs had a higher incidence of behavior problems at school compared to family foster care peers. Recommendations for further study of these factors and for enhancing outcomes for children in care are provided.     

Effects of foster care placement on biological children in the home

This project used questionnaires to investigate the effects of foster care on biological children in the foster home setting. In southeast Iowa, 52 foster parents and 51 biological children voluntarily responded. Approximately 77% of the foster parents were concerned about the effects of foster care on their biological children—in particular, that biological children felt left out of the family unit. The majority of the foster parents stated that sharing of parental attention should be discussed with biological children before beginning, and both parents and children felt that pretraining sessions for biological children would help their adjustment to foster care.     

A demographic analysis of the family structure experiences of children in the United States

This paper analyzes the family structure experiences of children in the U.S. Childbearing and transitions among single, cohabiting, and married states are analyzed jointly. A novel contribution is to distinguish men by their relationship to children: biological father or stepfather. The analysis uses data from the NLSY79. A key finding is that children of black mothers spend on average only 33% of their childhood living with the biological father and mother, compared to 74% for children of white mothers. The two most important proximate demographic determinants of the large racial gap are the much higher propensity of black women to conceive children outside of a union, and the lower rate of “shotgun” unions for blacks compared to whites. Another notable finding is that cohabitation plays a negligible role in the family structure experiences of children of white mothers, and even for children of black mothers accounts for less than one fifth of time spent living with both biological parents.

Addressing the impact of foster care on biological children and their families

This study explores from a dual perspective the impact of the fostering process on biological children in the home. Ten foster parents and their biological children were interviewed separately. The impact of foster care on the psychological, educational, and social well-being of biological children and their relationship with parents and siblings were examined. The exploration reveals a paradoxical and life-changing process as seen through the eyes of biological children and their parents.     

The Living Arrangements of Children in Immigrant Families in the United States1

Little is known about the living arrangements of first‐ and second‐generation immigrant children. Using data from the Current Population Survey and a multivariate approach, I compared living arrangements of immigrant children to U.S.‐born white children with U.S.‐born parents. Findings show, except for foreign‐born black and some Hispanic children, that foreign‐born children lived with married parents more frequently than did U.S.‐born white children with U.S.‐born parents. However, by the third generation, a pattern emerged showing a decline in living with married parents among some immigrant children and a rise in living with single parents. The noticeable “downward assimilation” amon some second and third‐generation immigrant children fits a theory of segmented assimilation and is concerning because single‐parent families confront more social problems and sociodemographic risks.     

Bridging the gap: Investigating the abuse of children with multiple disabilities

This is a summary of a series of practical papers written to help bridge the ‘gap’ between the fields of child protection and childhood disability, with a view to improving practice in child protection work with severely disabled children. Particular attention is paid to the needs of children using alternative communication systems. The theme of the paper is that disabled children are in most senses just like other children, but may have particular needs in relation to the investigation of abuse, as well as being particularly vulnerable to abuse. Issues around the assessment of suspicion, preparation for interviewing and the interview process are presented. The needs of the child, the accompanying adult and the child protection worker are considered. Guidelines and recommendations for practice at different stages of the investigation are given. The need to adapt the investigation to the particular needs of the child is emphasized throughout.     

从新型城镇化的视角解决流动儿童问题

新型城镇化的基本思路就是要推进以人为核心的城镇化,解决流动儿童问题正是"推进以人为核心的新型城镇化"的重要组成部分。当前,流动儿童仍面临以下问题:接受义务教育情况明显改善,但流动少年在城市继续升学存在困难,就业弱势状况明显;跨省流动儿童的平等权益保障存在盲区,流动儿童集中的重点地区反成"不友好"城市;儿童进城有经济困难,产业工人家庭难团聚;流动儿童仍然不能平等享受公共卫生服务;学龄前流动儿童的入托、入园存在困难。为了解决这些问题,各级政府必须以满足流动人口及其家属的基本公共需求作为制定相关政策的基本出发点,从财政转移机制、改革高考制度、完善职业教育、加大城乡托幼机构建设、完善相关法律等方面入手解决流动儿童问题。     

Estimate of the Number of International Children in Japan, Based on Trends in Intermarriage

Abstract  This paper focuses on international children (that is, children whose parents have different nationalities) in Japanese society. Using statistics on intermarriage in Japan between 1965 and 1990, we project the numbers of such children from 1991 to 2000. The important findings are summarized below:
1. There were estimated 165,000 international children under the age of 21 in Japan as of 1991. The number will increase to 528,000 by the end of the century if the intermarriage rate continues to increase as it has recently, but this will still represent less than 2% of the Japanese population under 21.
2. By the year 2000 roughly 75% of these will be children of foreign mothers, due to the rapid increase in marriages between Japanese grooms and foreign brides.
3. The number of children with dual nationality continues to remain much lower in Japan than advanced countries in Europe, despite concern expressed when the Nationality Law was revised in 1985. The number of children born to international couples in Japan is surprisingly small with respect to the number of international marriages, so a dramatic increase is not likely.     

Childhood body mass index gain during the summer versus during the school year

The nationwide increase in obesity affects all population sectors, but the impact on children is of special concern because overweight children are prone to becoming overweight adults. Contrary to the opinion of experts, research suggests that schools may be more part of the solution than the problem. Recent seasonal comparison research (comparing children's outcomes during the summer and during school year) reports that children gain body mass index (BMI) nearly twice as fast during the summer as during the school year. Whereas most children experience healthier BMI gain during the school year than the summer, this is especially the case for black and Hispanic children and for children already overweight.     

Order and disorder: the contradictions of childhood

This article reviews the question of childhood in the context of conflicting social trends, namely the simultaneous globalisation and atomisation of social life. The experience of childhood is discussed in relation to three distinct ‘levels’; children as consumers, children as interpreters, and children as actors. It is suggested that understanding the changing social context in relation to each of these levels helps to explain some of the tensions and disruptions that characterise the lives of some children, especially those at the margins. In conclusion, it is argued that this analysis is not only of theoretical interest, but indicates specific requirements for the formulation of coherent social policies to meet the needs of all children. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

北京市融合教育资源可获得情况的调查研究——孤独症儿童家长视角

应用“问卷星”收集北京市九个城区的273份孤独症儿童家长问卷,分析孤独症儿童获得融合教育资源的情况,为相关政策制定和执行提供依据。结果显示:学前教育阶段69.7%的孤独症儿童在民办教育机构接受融合教育,义务教育阶段95.4%的孤独症儿童在公办教育机构接受融合教育。总体上看,融合教育资源可获得水平较低,有融合教育资源的教育机构对孤独症儿童接纳程度更高,其中资源教师的主效应显著。北京市孤独症儿童可获得的融合教育资源不足,资源与需求的对接机制亟待进一步完善。     

Kinship care of the abused child: the New Zealand experience.

The concept of continuity--keeping children within their own kinship, community, and cultural networks--has found international favor in contemporary child welfare practice. This principle is reflected in the 1989 New Zealand Children, Young Persons, and Their Families Act. The Act represents a significant shift--from the state to the family--in responsibility for children in need of care. The increasing use of the Family Group Conference process allows families to make decisions about the future of kin children and reflects the belief that, although most abuse is intrafamilial, the family will also be the most committed to keeping the child safe. Other countries have adapted this model to suit their own cultural child welfare needs. The international trend toward formal use of kinship care for children who have suffered abuse or neglect is likely to continue as foster care resources shrink. Drawing on qualitative research, this article describes the experiences of caregivers and their kin children who have been the subject of a care and protection order.