Mandatory reporting is the first step in a troubling and common cascade: Poverty, reframed as "neglect," precipitates far too many reports, with roughly one-third of children enduring a CPS investigation. Investigated families are monitored and coerced to change their parenting (usually without support for alleviating their poverty),…

This study experimentally tested risk behavior outcomes of "Connecting," a low-cost, self-directed, family-based prevention program for families with youth placed in their care by state child welfare agencies. Families caring for youth aged 11 to 15 years from across Washington State were recruited and randomly assigned to either the…

Adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are at a heightened risk for obesity. Family-level measures of nutrition and physical activity may help explain factors contributing to disproportionate rates of weight gain. Twenty adolescents with ASD participated in baseline testing for a study to assess the feasibility of remotely-delivered yoga.…

Background: With opioid misuse rates increasing dramatically over the past two decades, an entire generation of children faces a heightened risk of adverse physical, mental, and behavioral health outcomes. Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) is an evidence-based intervention for children aged 2-to-7 years and their caregivers that improves…

The objective of this study was to verify the effects on 4- to 18-month-old babies' NPMD after the family-centered Kids Intervention Therapy -- Aquatic Environment (KITE) programme. This quasi-experimental study involved 61 families. The NPMD was assessed with Alberta Infant Motor Scale (AIMS), Denver II Developmental Screening Test, context…

Consultation in infant mental health is a relationship-based approach to building reflective capacity in professionals who work with young children. Consultants support various professionals such as child care and medical providers with meeting the social, emotional, and developmental needs of infants and children. This article describes a…

Siblings of children with neurodevelopmental disorders (ND) are at increased risk of mental health problems. The burden on families of children with ND is exacerbated in low-income countries with limited health services and dependency on informal care systems. Yet, there is little research on family impacts of ND in non-Western settings, and no…

Based on case studies in three states (CO, RI, and TX), this brief examines promising strategies to address the developmental and mental health needs of infants and toddlers involved in Child Welfare (CW). Due to family adversities, trauma, maltreatment, and separation from primary caregivers, these infants and toddlers are at substantial risk of…

The Voices of Youth Count initiative's systematic evidence review is the most comprehensive synthesis of evaluation evidence on programs and practices related to youth homelessness to date. This document is one in a series of seven topical evidence summaries derived from the longer evidence review brief. Herein, evaluations of family interventions…

In 2021, Baby's Space became a Community Resource Hub. Funded by Minnesota's federally-funded Preschool Development Grant (PDG), the Community Resource Hubs help pregnant and parenting families with children under age 9 connect with needed resources. Baby's Space: A Place to Grow is a child development center that works to create a cycle of…

This article presents findings from research focusing on family engagement within alternative provision. With the existing literature on alternative provision scant, this article analyses the extensive assemblage of family engagement within settings as practitioners navigate complex family environments often characterised by poverty, crime and…

Children from disadvantaged families are at greater risk of developing regulation difficulties. Research suggests that family-level resources such as parental education or income are related to self-regulation development. However, most studies looking at the role of family resources have used single estimators of socioeconomic status or applied a…

Family and consumer sciences (FCS) professionals frequently work as advocates for survivors of intimate partner violence (IPV). The purpose of this study was to explore IPV advocacy at the individual, relational, community, and societal levels of the Social Ecological Model (SEM) and to provide suggestions for FCS courses based on findings. This…

Childhood adversity is strongly associated with poor health and well-being in childhood and adulthood. Young children are at greatest risk during their developmental years. Child care providers can participate in preventing the impact of adversity on children by becoming communities of support for families in need. This project aimed to explore…

Social workers are constantly predicting the future. In England and Wales there is a legal duty on them to do so, as the 1989 Children Act requires workers to assess not only whether children "have" suffered significant harm, but also whether they are "likely" to do so. Similarly, in Northern Ireland social workers are required…