Child welfare policy and services in Korea

Over the past 20 years, the Korean government has developed child welfare laws to respond to an increasing number of child maltreatment cases and create a centralized child welfare delivery system. However, the system remains fragmented and under-developed due to a lack of understanding of child maltreatment and limited government support. Further, few studies have comprehensively reviewed the system. This study examines the Korean child welfare system, identifies challenges for child welfare policies and services, and discusses the implications for future policy; the results can be used to improve the safety, permanency, and well-being of children and families in Korea. The analysis shows that the government has prioritized family preservation over removal from families, even in substantiated cases of abuse. However, ensuring the safety of children in Korea will require not only working to preserve families but also developing and implementing better options for in-home services and out-of-home placement.     

Research into unaccompanied refugee minors in family foster care: Promoting adaptive functioning?

Unaccompanied Refugee Minors (URMs) are at high risk for trauma and maladaptive functioning. Although foster care is best suited to come forth to their needs, obtaining a better understanding of the strengths and flaws of foster care for URM can help to improve their development and psychological wellbeing. Twenty-seven URM cared for in family foster care filled in questionnaires measuring trauma, behavioural difficulties, resilience and contact with persons from the home and host country, whilst their foster care workers assessed the quality of the living environment. URMs had more trauma symptoms than other immigrants and Belgian adolescents. Furthermore, compared to Belgian counterparts, levels of resilience were low. However, URM did not have more behavioural problems. The quality of the living environment in kinship care was worse than the quality in non-kinship foster care, and social support and cultural sensitivity were protective factors. This study found evidence for developmental risks for URM in foster care. Integration, social support and a connection with the home culture were protective factors. Contrary to other studies, no evidence was found of kinship foster care being preferential.     

Relationship between childbirth and access to postsecondary education among young women ageing out of foster care

Early childbirth is common among young women ageing out of foster care and may impede their educational progress. However, few studies have explored access to postsecondary education among young mothers who have been in foster care. The present study used data from a large, national sample of young people in foster care (National Youth in Transition Database, NYTD) to examine the link between early childbirth and young women's access to postsecondary education between ages 19 and 21, controlling for an array of covariates. The study sample included 2,207 young women who had completed a high school diploma or GED by age 19 and who participated in three NYTD interviews at ages 17, 19 and 21. Childbirth between ages 19 and 21 was linked to decreased access to postsecondary education. However, no relationship was found between access to postsecondary education and childbirth by age 17 or childbirth between ages 17 and 19. Implications for policy, practice and research are discussed.     

Securing permanence for children in care: A cross-country analysis of citizen's view on adoption versus foster care

If children in child protection cannot be cared for by their natural parents, should they be adopted or live in foster home? Results from a study of representative samples of populations (n = 12 330), in eight European countries—Austria, England, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Norway and Spain—and California, USA, reveal that people would recommend adoption over foster care, if a child in public care cannot grow up with their natural parent(s). There are cross-country differences between populations, and examining if institutional context such as type of child protection system explains differences, we find that child maltreatment-oriented systems are more supportive of adoption than other types of systems. Citizens having little confidence in the child protection system were only weakly correlated with preference for adoption. In conclusion, people prefer adoption as placement options for children in care are more than foster homes, and possible this finding reflects a sort of refamalialization of children into the private sphere.     

Child of two worlds: How foster care workers perceive their skills in dealing with worldview differences in foster care

Foster children often encounter worldview differences between their foster family and their birth family, for example, when participating in religious activities and practices. Foster children not only have a right to continuity in upbringing but also consistency in worldview, culture and language. Good co-parenting relationships are important for their identity development. For these reasons, foster care workers are entrusted with the task of supporting the triadic relationship of the foster child, birth parents and foster parents in dealing with worldview differences. Based on in-depth interviews with foster care workers (n = 16) six skills in dealing with worldview differences can be distinguished: (1) basic knowledge of worldviews and identity formation; (2) empathizing with the other; (3) inquisitiveness to discover what is essential for the other; (4) initiating worldview conversations and keeping them going; (5) fostering self-reflection in worldview; and (6) manoeuvring between and monitoring all interests. It is helpful if birth parents are well-informed in advance about the impact of worldview differences and if foster care workers and foster parents are aware of the identity and developmental needs of foster children to explore the worldview of the foster family and the birth family.     

‘Youth are not something to check off your to do list’: Poetic inquiry into the symbols youth,parents and professionals use to reimagine supports for youth in foster care

The child welfare system is characterized by fixed power structures, coercion and hierarchies that privilege the perspectives of a select few. These oppressive aspects of the system quelch youth voice and others' voices, especially those with lived experience, frequently omitting them from case- and system-level decisions. Acknowledging the empowering potential of creative and arts-based research, this study used poetic inquiry with youth in or formerly in foster care, parent partners and professionals working in child welfare, inviting them to reimagine how the system could support youth in foster care towards thriving. Through seven poetry focus groups, 41 participants wrote individual and relational poems. Analyses focused on how symbols were used and their suggestions for revisioning child welfare. Seven themes identified the types of symbols used in poems: 1) Nature/Natural Phenomena, 2) Human Body/Senses, 3) Actions, 4) Physical Objects, 5) Paperwork, Cases, Bureaucracy, 6) Connectedness/Family and 7) Strong Emotions. Beyond demonstrating a novel arts-based method, findings offer a new, creative space for understanding the foster care system. Symbols were powerful and cut across life experiences and identities. A key implication pointed to using symbolic language to aid the work of revisioning child welfare towards humanistic and embodied approaches, social justice and well-being.     

论政治标准、业务标准、效益标准三结合教育评价体系的构建——新时代需要什么样的高等教育评价

科学的教育评价体系直接关系到高等教育内涵式发展和新时代教育评价改革宏伟目标的实现。2020年10月,中共中央、国务院印发的《深化新时代教育评价改革总体方案》对我国教育评价改革工作提出了新部署新要求,强调扭转不科学的教育评价导向,坚决克服唯分数、唯升学、唯文凭、唯论文、唯帽子的顽瘴痼疾,并提出,到2035年,基本形成富有时代特征、彰显中国特色、体现世界水平的教育评价体系。然而,由于教育内外部多方面的原因,高等教育评价不同程度存在唯论文、唯项目、唯奖项、唯职称、唯帽子的"五唯"问题,严重制约了我国高等教育健康有序发展。"十四五"时期是我国实现教育高质量发展的重要阶段,也是贯彻落实新时代教育评价改革举措的关键时期。在此背景下,积极构建新时代中国特色的高等教育评价体系势在必行。为此,从教育的政治性、育人性和社会性出发,围绕着"为谁培养人、培养什么人、怎样培养人"这一根本问题,构建了由政治标准、业务标准和效益标准三个维度有机结合的"三结合"高等教育评价体系。政治标准维度是"三结合"高等教育评价体系的关键,决定着育人方向,主要包括学校办学方向、课程思政建设、人才培养质量以及教师队伍建设四个要素。业务标准维度是"三结合"高等教育评价体系的核心,反映了高等学校职能履行情况,主要包括教育教学、科学研究以及社会服务三个要素。效益标准维度是"三结合"高等教育评价体系的根本,体现了高校社会服务成效,主要包括学术影响力、经济影响力以及社会影响力三个要素。"三结合"高等教育评价体系是由诸多相关要素构成的理念集成,各要素间彼此促进,协同互动,形成了一个要素众多、层次复杂、具有特定功能的有机整体,呈现出整体性、层次性、开放性特征。"三结合"高等教育评价体系的构建将有助于克服"五唯"顽瘴痼疾,引领高等学校回归本质;有助于落实立德树人根本任务,引导高等学校办学方向;有助于全面提升教育质量,推动高等教育内涵式发展。