COVID-19: Impact on children living in out-of-home care and their carers

Children enter out-of-home care (OOHC) having experienced significant childhood adversities and trauma. Little is known about the short-term impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on this vulnerable group. To gain some insights, we analysed the early impacts on the well-being and experiences of children in OOHC and their carers using the Pathways of Care Longitudinal Study data prior to and post the first lockdown restrictions. A total of 862 children, young people and their carers were interviewed either pre-COVID-19 restrictions (n = 567) (April 2019–March 2020) or post-COVID-19 restrictions (n = 295) (June–December 2020). While the two groups showed no significant differences in socio-emotional well-being, both the pre- and the post-COVID-19 restriction groups of children in OOHC had slight reductions in socio-emotional well-being. The interviews with the post-COVID-19 group showed that the pandemic restrictions affected children's well-being and behaviour, education, social and physical activities, as well as time spent with their birth family. Likewise, interviews with carers post-COVID-19 found a negative effect on carers' well-being, their ability to manage financially and their capacity to care and access services and support. The article contributes new evidence to inform OOHC policy and practice to support service systems facing unique challenges arising from a pandemic.     

卞之琳：创新的继承

文学影响的课题提出一个互文性的特殊挑战,因为影响的发生倾向于不规则和无意识的过程,很难做出简单的因果判断。而当文学影响涉及跨文化的互动时,就更为困难,因为动机与接受,借用与实践之间的落差以及两个文化传统的介入使得问题变得更加复杂。卞之琳成于1930-1937年的作品,展现了对作家的多元影响之间的必然的有机关联。卞之琳自己及很多批评家都明白指出象征主义与现代主义对其作品的影响,但是他对西方影响的敏感度,很可能源自中国传统的背景,尤其是道佛思想,因为现代主义诗学补充强化了诗人的中国根柢,为其创作提供了具体的表现策略。反之,卞之琳的道佛思想倾向也给予他接受现代主义诗学一个特殊的视野角度,从而构成一个特殊的东西文学交流的例子。     

Distinguishing Mother–Infant Interaction From Stranger–Infant Interaction at 2, 4, and 6 Months of Age

Observers watched videotaped face‐to‐face mother–infant and stranger–infant interactions of 12 infants at 2, 4, or 6 months of age. Half of the observers saw each mother paired with her own infant and another infant of the same age (mother tapes) and half saw each infant paired with his or her mother and with a stranger (infant tapes). Observers were asked to judge which was the mother–infant dyad in each pair. Observers' accuracy improved as infants aged and was above chance for both mother and infant tapes when infants were 6 months. Differences between mother–infant and stranger–infant dyadic communication patterns also emerged as the infants aged. At 6 months, mother–infant dyads had more symmetrical communication and less asymmetrical communication than stranger–infant dyads.